Supreme Court Rules In Age Discrimination Case

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Sprint/United Management Co. vs. Mendelsohn, a suit brought by a former Sprint employee alleging that her termination resulted from age discrimination. The justices ruled unanimously to vacate the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision, which had overturned the District Court's decision in favor of Sprint. The Circuit Court had ruled that the testimony by co-workers who had experienced discrimination at the company under different supervisors should have been included in the District Court proceedings.

Lawyers for Mendelsohn argued that the evidence was relevant because it indicated there was a "biased corporate culture" at Sprint which facillitated age discrimination. The US Supreme Court has ordered the District Court to "clarify the basis for the evidentiary ruling." While this ruling may be in favor of Sprint, some experts believe the decision could be used in the future to allow the testimony of co-workers in job discrimination cases.

EU Fines Microsoft Over Antitrust Violation

While the European Union has fined Microsoft in the past for non-compliance with its competition laws, this fine of 1.4 billion dollars will be the largest yet levied against the corporation by Europe. The fine comes after a 2004 investigation that found Microsoft guilty of unfairly linking its Internet Explorer program to Windows. Although Microsoft claims it has begun to promote inter-operability, it seems that the European Commission will continue to pursue anti-trust cases against the Microsoft monolith, with two new investigations against the company in the works.

Fastcase subscribers, click here for cases related to Microsoft and anti-trust violations in the US.

Public Library of Law: How to Find a Case

New from the Public Library of Law, a quick and straight-forward tutorial about how to pull up a particular case.

Watch and learn!

Armed University

Are armed people safer? Gun advocates often argue that they are -- even in light of recent shootings on college campuses. But we don't need to lecture the state of Utah about this: Utah is the only state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon on a college campus.

A student correspondent for CNN-U has recently investigated the how the campus of the University of Utah feels about the controversial law. Some said they feel safer and more able to protect themselves from attacks, fearing a repeat of the massacres at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech. Others felt vulnerable knowing that any student nearby might be armed.

The Utah state legislature may take the law a step further as it deliberates over a bill allowing registered users to carry exposed weapons on campus. State Rep. Curtis Oda defended Utah’s measures, stating: “When you see someone with a gun, you are looking at some of the most law abiding people in the state.” Sound crazy? See for yourself by taking the quiz: How Well Do You Know Utah's Gun Laws?

Alcoholic Energy Drinks on the Defensive

While Red Bull and vodkas are growing more popular in bars around the country, attorneys general in several states this week have subpoenaed Miller Brewing Co. and Anheuser-Busch for documents related to the sale of their canned alcoholic energy drinks. The investigation will focus on whether the two companies have illegally targeted minors for consumption of the products, which resemble the non-alcoholic variety popular with young people.

The two brewing giants claim that drinks differ little from the cocktails now common in bars and nightclubs, and that the attorneys general are unfairly going after their less-alcoholic versions. Arguing that they conscientiously market the beverages to consumers who are of age, the companies have said they will fully cooperate with the investigation. (See, for example, Sparks Energy Drink, or this list of cases involving so-called "energy drinks" (Fastcase subscription required).

Do Not Call Registry Extended Indefinitely

Good news for those who no longer wish to be called by telemarketers: on Feb. 15, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3541, the "Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007.

The law will ensure that, once your number is on the National Do Not Call List, it will remain there in perpetuity. Before this act was signed into law, individuals had to re-register their number every five years. All is not lost for telemarketers. The government must periodically verify that numbers on the registry have not been disconnected or reassigned.

Supreme Court Won't Hear Warrantless Wiretaps Case

On Feb. 19, the the U.S. Supreme Court without opinion declined to review an appeal submitted by the ACLU over the legality of warrantless wiretaps. The ACLU had appealed a divided decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, holding that, because the ACLU could not show that its calls were tapped, it suffered no injury in fact and therefore did not have standing to sue.

Read the Sixth Circuit's opinion here: ACLU v. National Security Agency, 493 F.3d 644 (6th Cir. 2007) (Fastcase subscription required)

More Than 36,000 Legal Forms - Now On Fastcase!

At Fastcase, we're always listening to your requests for new kinds of information to add to our online library. One of the most popular requests has been for us to add legal forms to the database, such as contracts, wills, and other routine filings. In that spirit, we're happy to announce that, in conjunction with U.S. Legal Forms, we have added legal forms to the Fastcase legal research system!

In a megafirm, nobody starts from scratch. Before drafting a new form, lawyers send an e-mail around or query the firm's database of forms, at least for a start. Now lawyers in small firms and in-house counsel can have the same advantage with a Fastcase subscription. You can either browse through a state-by-state topical index, or run a search over the database of forms. Most forms are available in Word format, for easy customization and editing.

Best of all, you only pay for forms if you use them (so we're not raising our subscription prices!), and you pay transactionally, by the form, only when you select the form you want. You can search and view the results for free, and the forms range from a few dollars to about $20, so they are affordable, too. (Also cheaper than pulling your hair out every time you want to draft a document.)

To access forms, log in to Fastcase and select Search Legal Forms or click here to go directly to the forms page. Happy searching!

Is the Profession's Image Problem the Result of TV?

Tired of being stereotyped as unscrupulous, lawyers are taking aim at the television industry that portrays them as such. Michael Asimow, a professor emeritus at the UCLA School of Law recently moderated a panel discussion with television writers at an American Bar Association meeting. Asimow said that he believes that lawyers' deteriorating public image is at least partly the result of how they are portrayed on TV.

The CSI effect, or the belief that evidence and clues are obtained in the same fashion as they have in CSI or other law series, have also played a part in shading perceptions for how the legal system works. Asimow contends that lawyers now have to re-educate juries and explain that cases in a real courtroom differ with how they unfold on TV.

Of course some writers disagree with Asimow's conjecture. Charles Rosenberg a writer for the popular show Boston Legal and a partner at Rosenberg, Mendlin & Rosen, said, "I don't think it's the writers' responsibility to make anyone look good, The writers' responsibility is to entertain audiences within reasonable ethical boundaries, something for writers and producers to decide."

Fastcase's Public Library of Law, the Web's Largest Free Law Library, Opens to the Public

The Public Library of Law (www.plol.org) is the world’s largest online database of free law. Our library brings free materials from across the Web together in one place, and adds hundreds of volumes of law that has previously only been available with a subscription. That’s why PLoL is the best starting point for finding law on the Web!

PLoL provides access to a wide variety of legal resources for legal professionals and the general public alike. As a registered
PLoL user, you have FREE access to the following jurisdictions:

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World's "Greenest" City

The United Arab Emirates has done it again! Despite its history as an oil exporter, the UAE is proceeding to build the world's first zero emissions city. The development, dubbed Masdar, will be located on the outskirts of the capital city, Abu Dhabi.

The 6 square mile city will be entirely solar and wind powered, allowing for the country's greatest necessity, air-conditioning, to continue unabated. Cars will be categorically forbidden in Masdar, replaced by a non-polluting underground railway system.

While the project makes good headlines and is largely funded by international environmental groups, some experts question benefits that super-green developments could have on the environment. Some believe that funneling money into these high-profile but isolated projects could distract from more comprehensive, worldwide changes.

Click here to learn more about the Masdar Initiative

If saying "bomb" in an airport is suspicious...

...You would certainly think wearing one would be. An MIT student recently walked into Logan International Airport in Boston wearing a device resembling a bomb over her t-shirt, and (shockingly!) she was arrested at gun-point for the stunt.

The student's lawyer, Tom Dwyer, is arguing that her right to free-speech has been violated, and that the circuit board she had created did not alarm anyone at MIT's campus when she wore it on campus. Dwyer also states that many young people enjoy wearing clothing with flashing lights, apparently likening the LED lighting on the circuit board to a fashion statement. One astute response to the story, posted anonymously, asks:

"Aside from those kids' sneakers, and night-time bicyclists, who wears clothing with flashing lights? Show of hands?"

So, think twice before using a fake bomb to make a statement in an airport (or at least formulate a better excuse).

Sharia Law in Great Britain?

The Archbishop of Canterbury has recently come out in favor of allowing Muslims to settle disputes in courts of Sharia law. The religious leader states that a movement in this direction "seems unavoidable," arguing that providing access to religious courts for members of minority faiths, including Muslims, would relieve tensions between ethnic and religious communities. The Archbishop qualifies his support by denouncing the use of Sharia law in restrictive and oppressive Muslim regimes, where it compromises women's rights and basic freedoms. He also suggested that it would not serve as a replacement to British law, but a venue for Islamic marriage and financial disputes.

The statement of the Archbishop has led to a passionate political debate, and both Gordon Brown and his Conservative opponents have expressed opposition to the creation of Sharia courts in Britain. A spokesperson for Gordon Brown states that the PM "believes that British laws should be based on British values."

BBC Article

Wiki- Sharia

Muslims Against Sharia

For One Lawyer, Groundhog Day Never Ends...

Yes, Punxsatawney Phil did see his shadow last weekend, meaning weeks of bleak and bitter winter to come. However, one man happy to see Phil keep coming back to his shadow is his lawyer, Jeff Lundy. The Wall Street Journal recently conducted an interview with Jeff, who claims that the celebrity groundhog is his "most demanding client." Nevertheless, Jeff has a great sense of humor about his working relationship with Phil:

“The work can get a little sparse from November to February when he’s hibernating,” said Lundy. “So I represent other animals.” Like who? “Well, we do pick up a lot of pain and suffering cases from deer,” he said, playfully. Lundy also reps Punxsutawney Phil for free. “I’m not happy about it,” says Lundy. “But what am I going to do?”

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