Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: November 9, 2016

Immigration Court – Backlog Now at 521,676 Cases

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “The latest Immigration Court data show the growth in the court’s crushing backlog of cases continued through the first month of FY 2017. During the month of October, the court’s backlog rose by 5,645 cases, and reached 521,676. In California, the backlog rose to a total of 95,801 cases as of October 31, 2016 – the largest backlog among states in the country. Texas was second with a backlog that rose to 93,042. New York was third with a backlog that increased to 71,450 cases. New Jersey was the only state among the top ten that had its backlog inch down during October, although that state’s average wait time of 803 days continued to lengthen. In terms of wait times, Colorado led the nation. In that state pending cases had been waiting an average of 1,008 days. Because wait times do not include how many more days must pass before a hearing is scheduled before an immigration judge, total effective wait times before these cases are actually decided will be much longer than even these averages reflect. For more details on immigration court backlog and wait times — by nationality, state, immigration court, and hearing location — see TRAC’s Immigration Court Backlog Tool.”

Harvard Law School Library’s Nuremberg Trials Project

Harvard Gazette – For HLS team digitizing Nuremberg documents, ‘a haunting effect’: “In 1949, four years after the Nuremberg war crime trials began, the library received the most complete set of documents from the Nazi prosecutions outside that of the National Archives. Over the years, individuals who participated in the 13 trials have also donated their… Continue Reading

Public/private partnership create 3D maps combining geospatial, climatology, environmental data

Ecological Marine Units – GIS Provides Better Understanding of Ocean Ecosystems: “A healthy ocean can reduce poverty, combat hunger, limit the impacts of climate change, and improve the global economy. To achieve these ideals and support ocean sustainability, it is necessary to have a baseline method for understanding of the ocean’s ecosystems and a framework to detect… Continue Reading

Paper – Environmental Law, Big Data, and the Torrent of Singularities

Boyd, William, Environmental Law, Big Data, and the Torrent of Singularities (Novemeber 7, 2016). 64 UCLA L. Rev. Disc. 544 (2016); University of Colorado at Boulder, Economics Department Paper No. 16-9. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2866570 “How will big data impact environmental law in the near future? This Essay imagines one possible future for environmental law in… Continue Reading