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Daily Archives: March 29, 2017

Paper – Government Lawyers in the Trump Administration

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Wendel, W. Bradley, Government Lawyers in the Trump Administration (January 31, 2017). Cornell Legal Studies Research Paper No. 17-04. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2906422

“The words and actions of candidate, President-Elect, and now President Donald Trump indicate that this Administration will aggressively seek to use state power with little regard for the rule of law. A great deal has been written about the constitutional and administrative law regulating inter- and intra-branch separation of powers. However, there is no comprehensive legal and theoretical analysis of government lawyers as lawyers, subject to regulation by state rules of professional conduct and other positive legal standards. This Article engages with numerous contested issues in the law of lawyering to provide a constructive legal and ethical conception of government legal advisors. In practical terms, it may serve as a source of guidance for lawyers in the new administration, or as a roadmap for discipline by lawyer regulators. More theoretically, it defends a conception of the rule of law as a practice of reason-giving, not dependent upon legal objectivity or determinacy.”

Paper – Crises and Tax

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Blair-Stanek, Andrew, Crises and Tax (March 27, 2017). Duke Law Journal, Vol. 67, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2941772 “How can law best mitigate harm from crises like storms, epidemics, and financial meltdowns? This Article uses the law-and-economics framework of property rules and liability rules to analyze crisis responses across multiple areas of law, focusing particularly… Continue Reading

POGO’s 2017 Baker’s Dozen Wishlist for Congress

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“The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has unveiled its biennial list of 13 policy areas ripe for Congressional action. It includes recommendations for legislative fixes to make the federal government more transparent, accountable, and ethical. Called the “Baker’s Dozen,” these are priorities demanding immediate attention by lawmakers who are serious about improving the effectiveness of government and saving taxpayers… Continue Reading

Science – USDA is not posting new animal inspections

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Follow up to multiple postings addressed here – Some animal welfare data removed from USDA site is restored – news from Science [Meredith Wadman]  that “the Donald Trump administration appears to have reversed its decision to remove from public sight the results of past government inspections of animal research facilities. But getting hold of new… Continue Reading

2015 American Housing Survey National and Metropolitan Area Public Use File Microdata and Codebook

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Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released the microdata and codebook for the 2015 American Housing Survey, which includes the National Public Use File. The release  contains records for the national sample and the 15 largest metropolitan areas, as well as the Metropolitan Public Use File containing records for 10 additional metropolitan areas. Microdata are files… Continue Reading

GAO Reports on WMATA’s SafeTrack Project Management

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Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Improved Planning of Future Rehabilitation Projects Could Prevent Limitations Identified with SafeTrack, GAO-17-519T: Published: Mar 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Mar 29, 2017. “The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) planning of SafeTrack did not fully align with leading project management practices. While WMATA generally followed leading practices to coordinate with… Continue Reading