Death Penalty Information Center – The Death Penalty in 2016: Year End Report – Another Record Decline In Death Penalty Use. Another Record Decline in Death Penalty Use. Death Sentences, Executions and Public Support for Death Penalty at Historic Lows. Courts Bar Unconstitutional Practices in 45 States. Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2017
Conclusion of Independent Foreclosure Review Payment Agreement
Federal Reserve: “As of January 2017, the Independent Foreclosure Review (IFR) Payment Agreement has concluded. In 2013, fifteen mortgage servicing companies subject to enforcement actions for deficient practices in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing reached an agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Board of Governors of the… Continue Reading
GAO Report on Climate Change
Climate Change: Improved Federal Coordination Could Facilitate Use of Forward-Looking Climate Information in Design Standards, Building Codes, and Certifications, GAO-17-3: Published: Nov 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 3, 2017. “The houses we live in, buildings we work in, and roads and bridges we use daily are supposed to be built to last—whatever the local forecast… Continue Reading
EFF – The State of Crypto Law: 2016 in Review
Nate Cardozo – The State of Crypto Law: 2016 in Review – “This year was one of the busiest in recent memory when it comes to cryptography law in the United States and around the world…In this post, we’ll run down the list of things that happened, how they could have gone wrong (but didn’t),… Continue Reading
WaPo – More than 1,100 law school professors oppose Sessions’s nomination as attorney general
Washington Post, January 3, 2017: “A group of more than 1,100 law school professors [representing 170 law schools in 48 states] from across the country [sent] a letter to Congress on Tuesday urging the Senate to reject the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) for attorney general. The letter, signed by professors from 170 law… Continue Reading
Eurasia Group – Top Risks 2017: The Geopolitical Recession
“This is Eurasia Group’s annual forecast of the political risks that are most likely to play out over the course of the year. This year’s report was published on 3 January, 2017.” Readers may watch the associated video, and read point by point summary. “It’s been six years since we first wrote about the coming… Continue Reading
Paper – Do Law Clerks Influence Voting on the Supreme Court?
Bonica, Adam and Chilton, Adam S. and Goldin, Jacob and Rozema, Kyle and Sen, Maya, Do Law Clerks Influence Voting on the Supreme Court? (December 16, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2815545 “We study the influence of law clerk ideology on Supreme Court voting. To do so, we exploit the timing of hiring to… Continue Reading
Census Bureau Projects U.S. and World Populations on New Year’s Day
“As our nation prepares to ring in the new year, the U.S. Census Bureau today projected the U.S. population will be 324,310,011 on Jan. 1, 2017. This represents an increase of 2,245,347, or 0.70 percent, from New Year’s Day 2016. Since Census Day (April 1) 2010, the population has grown by 15,564,473, or 5.04 percent.… Continue Reading
House Republicans diminish role and power of Office of Congressional Ethics – updated
Less than a day after my post and The Hill reports – House GOP scraps plan to gut ethics watchdog after emergency meeting – “House Republicans abruptly withdrew a proposal to weaken an independent ethics watchdog on Tuesday, in a rocky start to the new Congress.” New York Times – “House Republicans, defying their top… Continue Reading
CRS – An Introduction to Judicial Review of Federal Agency Action
Via FAS – An Introduction to Judicial Review of Federal Agency Action, Jared P. Cole, Legislative Attorney. December 7, 2016. “The U.S. Constitution vests the judicial power in the Supreme Court and any inferior courts established by Congress, limiting the power of federal courts to the context of “cases” or “controversies.” Pursuant to constitutional and… Continue Reading
Gallup’s Top World Findings of 2016
Julie Ray – “In 2016, Gallup published global reports and articles on what people in more than 140 countries are thinking and feeling. Through its World Poll, Gallup systematically tracks and reports on well-being, leadership approval ratings, confidence in national institutions, employment rates and other important issues affecting people’s daily lives. The following list includes… Continue Reading
Book Review – Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics
Jochnowitz, Leona Deborah and Ford, Julia A., Book Review – Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics (December 27, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2890524 “The 71st and 72nd 2015 and 2016 annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans focused on themes of… Continue Reading
