Rhetoric and Law – The double life of Richard Posner, America’s most contentious legal reformer by Lincoln Caplan – January-February 2016, Harvard Magazine “…His ideas about judges and judging command attention because of his authority as a thinker and a doer. His approach to law, some legal scholars contend, makes the field worthy of a… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Courts
FOIA Lawsuits Reach Record High
“Freedom of Information complaints filed against the government — 498 in FY 2015 — are higher than they have ever been, according to a new analysis of fifteen years of court data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). The data further show that in the two-year period of FY 2014 – 2015 under President… Continue Reading
Politico Investigation – Why are so many crucial Obama administration jobs empty
Politico: “As Obama now takes his final lap in the White House, a POLITICO analysis of Cabinet-level agencies found that dozens of crucial jobs in his administration are either totally empty or run by an acting deputy. As senior aides have bolted for higher paying gigs, their jobs have remained empty — in some cases… Continue Reading
Sex Discrimination and the United States Supreme Court: Developments in the Law
CRS – Sex Discrimination and the United States Supreme Court: Developments in the Law, Jody Feder, Legislative Attorney. December 30, 2015. “In its sex discrimination decisions, the United States Supreme Court not only has defined the applicability of the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution and the nondiscriminatory policies of federal statutes, but also has… Continue Reading
Authors Guild Petitions Supreme Court to Rule on Google Books
[December 31, 2015] “the Authors Guild, the nation’s largest and oldest society of professional writers, filed a petition with the Supreme Court of the United States requesting that it review a lower court ruling that allowed Google, Inc. to copy millions of copyright-protected books without asking for authors’ permission or paying them. At stake, the… Continue Reading
New Report and Interactive Maps Explore Potential Impact of Evenwel v. Abbott on Redistricting
Via Social Explorer: “Population equality is the main criteria for creating legislative districts in the US, but a proposed change could drastically alter how people are counted and how districts are drawn. On December 8, 2015, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Evenwel v. Abbott, whose plaintiffs argue that legislative districts should be… Continue Reading
2015 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary
Chief Justice John Roberts – 2015 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary“…The 2015 civil rules amendments are a major stride toward a better federal court system. But they will achieve the goal of Rule 1—“the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action and proceeding” — only if the entire legal community, including the bench,… Continue Reading
The Federal Circuit as an Institution
Vacca, Ryan G., The Federal Circuit as an Institution (December 21, 2015). Akron Research Paper No. 15-07. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2706849 “The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is a unique institution. Unlike other circuit courts, the Federal Circuit’s jurisdiction is bound by subject area rather than geography, and it was created… Continue Reading
Beyond Books – Today’s Court Library
Court Libraries Adapt to Deep Cuts, Changing Technology “Under a new staffing formula, 254 circuit library positions were authorized nationally in FY 2015, compared with 335 positions in FY 2014. That is a 24 percent fall in just one year. Similarly, court libraries are playing a significant role in a national Judiciary effort to cut… Continue Reading
FAS posts 3 new CRS documents on Sale and Use of Firearms
Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process, Paul K. Kerr, Analyst in Nonproliferation, December 17, 2015: “This report reviews the process and procedures that currently apply to congressional consideration of foreign arms sales proposed by the President. This includes consideration of proposals to sell major defense equipment, defense articles and services, or the re-transfer to third party… Continue Reading
New on LLRX – Solitary Confinement: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Via LLRX.com – Solitary Confinement: Out of Sight, Out of Mind – Ken Strutin’s article surveys notable legal developments, new scholarship, and recent scientific research concerning the administration and effects of solitary confinement. Strutin describes solitary confinement as punishment’s punishment. He states that solitary is where the mind is worn out by pacing the same… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Air Travel and Communicable Diseases
Air Travel and Communicable Diseases: Comprehensive Federal Plan Needed for U.S. Aviation System’s Preparedness, GAO-16-127: Published: Dec 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2015. Federal Judiciary: Improvements Needed for Collecting Judges’ Non-Case-Related Travel Information, GAO-16-70: Published: Dec 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2015. Internet Protocol Transition: FCC Should Strengthen Its Data Collection Efforts to… Continue Reading
