Loyal readers, we apologize for the paucity of blog posts recently. We promise to return with more juicy posts soon.
Reduced legal aid rates will cause 'mass exodus' of law firms
Society labels me as an outlaw and criminal and sees more and more everyday how many of the people, while growing up, and those who judge me, are dishonest and dishonorable. . .Clark, slip op. at 4. The Indiana Supreme Court rejected the defense's argument that the post constituted inadmissible evidence of past wrong deeds under Indiana Rule of Evidence 404(b). Rule 404(b) states that evidence of other "crimes, wrongs or acts" is inadmissible when offered to prove "the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith." Ind. R. Evid. 404(b). The court reasoned that Rule 404(b) was inapplicable because the evidence did not relate to prior acts, but to his words. The court also concluded that the defendant had opened the door to character evidence by making his character a central issue at trial.
TGIF! Get your weekend started with our first ever Fastcase Docket Review - a round-up of notable (and sometimes humorous) lawsuits filed around the country.
Under the FTC's latest revisions to its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, bloggers who fail to disclose payments they have received from the subjects of their reviews may face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. The new regulations, published at 16 C.F.R. 255, go into effect on December 1, 2009.
C-SPAN is running a program special focusing on the Supreme Court this week. They've developed an interesting and engaging 90 minute documentary of the Supreme Court with interviews both of active and retired justices. Watch it at the link below:
C-SPAN: The Supreme Court: Home to America's Highest Court
Source: C-SPAN
Who is the newest female Supreme Court justice? If you guessed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, then you guessed wrong. We are talking about Justice Irene Waters, a member of the fictional high court in “Supreme Decision”, a brand new online game developed by Our Courts. Our Courts is a civic education project spearheaded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that aims to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy.
Can games like “Supreme Decision” improve civic education in
This Sunday, The Washington Post published an entertaining review of "Supreme Decision" by Above the Law bloggers Kashmir Hill and David Lat.
To try the game out yourself, click here.
Sources: The
On Wednesday evening, President Obama signed an executive order banning texting while driving by federal workers. Specifically, the order prohibits federal employees from texting while driving government vehicles as well while driving their own vehicles if they are using cell phones paid for by the government. You can find the full text of the new legislation on the White House’s website.
The New York Times reports that federal legislation banning texting by bus drivers and truckers who travel across state lines is also in the works. This move by the federal government continues the trend of anti-texting laws recently enacted by at least eighteen state and local governments.
For more information about the anti-texting legislation in effect around the country, check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s website.
Source: The New York Times.
Less than 48 hours after the Supreme Court granted certiorari in McDonald v. Chicago (08-1521), the blogosphere is already reverberating with reactions. The question presented in McDonald is “Whether the Second Amendment is incorporated into the Due Process Clause or the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment so as to be applicable to the States, thereby invalidating ordinances prohibiting possession of handguns in the home.”
In other words, the Supreme Court will tackle the knotty question of whether to extend the landmark holding of District of Columbia v. Heller, 128
Justice Sotomayor may be the newest member of the Supreme Court, but McDonald will not be her first time at the Second Amendment rodeo. Before she was elevated to the Supreme Court, Judge Sotomayor, was on the Second Circuit panel that decided Maloney v. Cuomo, 554 F.3d 56 (2d Cir. 2009). Although the plaintiff’s weapon of choice in Maloney was a chuka stick rather than a handgun, the issue was essentially the same: whether the state’s ban on these weapons ran afoul of the Second Amendment’s grant of the right to bear and keep arms. The Second Circuit, like the Seventh Circuit in McDonald, declined to extend the Second Amendment’s protections to state regulations, leaving that task for the Supreme Court. See 554 F.3d at 59.
What will Justice Sotomayor do with the issue now that she (along with her Supreme Court colleagues) has the power to decide it? We will be watching.
For additional McDonald v. Chicago coverage, check out:
Welcome to members of the Oregon State Bar -- in partnership with Fastcase, you now get access to the smartest tools for online legal research!
This exclusive member benefit includes Fastcase’s patented online legal research system, the smartest set of tools for online research. On traditional research services, this access costs thousands of dollars per year. In this partnership, it is offered by Fastcase and the OSB for free through the OSB website, http://www.osbar.org/, with no monthly, hourly or time-based fees.
“We are excited to bring the Fastcase library to all OSB members,” said Gerry Gaydos, President of the Oregon State Bar. “We thoroughly considered the benefits offered based on the needs of our members and determined that Fastcase is by far the smartest and most user-friendly online legal research provider. We know OSB members, both large firms and solo practitioners alike, will be pleased to take advantage of this free member benefit.”
The Fastcase benefit includes judicial opinions and statutes from all 50 states, as well as federal district courts, federal bankruptcy courts, nationwide federal court of appeals cases, and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Fastcase benefit also includes extensive Oregon libraries, such as court rules, Attorney General Opinions, administrative regulations, statutes, session laws, workers’ compensation opinions -- all integrated in the Fastcase website -- and much more.
But more important than the scope of the libraries are Fastcase’s powerful legal research tools, which make finding the law easier than ever. The benefit includes data visualization tools that plot search results on an interactive map, integrated citation analysis tools, a dozen ways to sort the most relevant search results to the top of the list, dual-column printing, batch printing, customized search histories, and customized libraries of favorites. Together, these tools represent the fastest, easiest, and smartest way ever to find the law.
Today more than 380,000 lawyers trust Fastcase for their legal research, through our retail service at http://www.fastcase.com/, through our partnerships with 17 state bar associations, or through dozens of other membership organizations who partner with us. We're excited to be growing all the time, and making Fastcase better and smarter every day!
