Follow up to previous postings on sentencing guidelines, see the following Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System, October 2011: “This report assesses the impact of mandatory minimum penalties on federal sentencing, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Booker v. United States, which rendered the federal sentencing… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Courts
2011 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual Now Online
Follow up to previous postings on sentencing guidelines, the 2011 Guidelines Manual (effective November 1, 2011) is available in HTML and Adobe PDF formats (large file and broken into chapters), which can be viewed, downloaded or printed via the website. Individual Chapters 1-8 and Guidelines in HTML or PDF Format View the 2011 Federal Sentencing… Continue Reading
Paper shares some information addressing questions of judges' personal use of social networks
Judicial Ethics and Social Networking Sites: “Michael Crowell UNC School of Government, September 2011 (Revised) “One of the significant developments in communication in the last few years is the astounding growth of social networking websites. Increasing numbers of people join Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter or other on-line social networks as a means to notify… Continue Reading
United States Courts Opinions – BETA via FDsys
United States Courts Opinions – BETA United States Courts Opinions (USCOURTS) collection is a pilot project between the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) to provide public access to opinions from selected United States appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. The content of this collection dates back… Continue Reading
(Re)Forming the Jury: Detection and Disinfection of Implicit Juror Bias
Roberts, Anna, (Re)Forming the Jury: Detection and Disinfection of Implicit Juror Bias (September 29, 2011). Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 44, 2012. “This Article investigates whether one of the most intractable problems in trial procedure can be ameliorated through the use of one of the most striking discoveries in social science. The intractable problem is selecting… Continue Reading
Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence: Third Edition
“The Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Third Edition assists judges in managing cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence by describing the basic tenets of key scientific fields from which legal evidence is typically derived and by providing examples of cases in which that evidence has been used. First published in 1994 by the Federal… Continue Reading
Slaughter, 19 Colleagues, Call for Investigation into Justice Thomass Non-Disclosure
News release: “Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, together with 19 Members of Congress, today sent a letter to the Judicial Conference, requesting that the Conference follow the law and refer the matter of Justice Clarence Thomas’s non-compliance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to the Department of Justice.… Continue Reading
Judicial Conference of the United States Approves Pacer Rate Increase
News release: “The Conference also authorized an increase in the Judiciary’s electronic public access fee in response to increasing costs for maintaining and enhancing the electronic public access system. The increase in the electronic public access (EPA) fee, from $.08 to $.10 per page, is needed to continue to support and improve the Public Access… Continue Reading
TRAC: Immigration Court Backlog Climbs, Yet Criminal Cases Fall
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse – Rising Immigration Backlog At All-time High Yet Criminal, National Security, and Terrorism Cases Fall “The number of cases awaiting a resolution before the Immigration Courts reached a total of 285,526 at the end of July 2011. According to the very latest data obtained and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access… Continue Reading
Tobacco Companies and FDA – Lawsuits in Response to New Cigarette Labeling
Blog of the Legal Times: “Responding to a lawsuit filed by five of the nation’s largest cigarette manufacturers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration filed Friday to block any delay to new regulations requiring graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. The tobacco companies are suing the agency in U.S. District Court for the District of… Continue Reading
FHFA Sues 17 Firms to Recover Losses to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
News release: “The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises), today filed lawsuits against 17 financial institutions, certain of their officers and various unaffiliated lead underwriters. The suits allege violations of federal securities laws and common law in the sale of residential private-label mortgage-backed securities (PLS) to… Continue Reading
White House Infographic: Record Judicial Diversity, Record Judicial Delays
“Creating a judicial pool for the 21st Century, one with intellect, fair-mindedness and integrity that resembles the nation that it serves, is a top priority for President Obama and his administration. In fact, the Presidents nominations for federal judges embody an unprecedented commitment to expanding the racial, gender and experiential diversity of the men and… Continue Reading
