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One of the most popular legal blog posts pre-game day was the Bitter Lawyer’s top six Super Bowl related lawsuits. (Be warned, it seems that he was a Saints fan.) There are any number of sports related lawsuits, however. There is a nice, though older, list of ten from CALA. The 10 Spot Blog has another list of ten that is a year newer than the CALA list. Go take a look!
There are several changes in the legal research world, either taking place now or on the horizon. Maybe the biggest is that Westlaw is now touting a new interface, WestlawNext. It hasn’t been released to law schools yet, but there is talk that next school year students will have access to it. It claims to be more “Google-like,” with one search box to do everything. You can even do combinations of terms and connectors and natural language searches in the same box.
Lexis is also making some changes. LexisNexis Academic already looks pretty different, and there is word that Lexis is teaming with Microsoft to add legal research functionality to Microsoft products like your word processor, browser, etc. There are also rumors that Lexis is revamping its main interface.
In addition to these changes in the major products, there have been changes to several smaller products, and according to the ABA Journal we can also look forward to the entrance of Bloomberg on the scene, and Google offering more legal research oriented tools. The world of legal research is changing rapidly! The Law Library will, of course, be on top of all these changes, and we will be happy to tell you what we know about proposed changes, or to help you navigate new interfaces.
Last year Prof. Dawn Johnsen made it through the Senate Judiciary Committee with flying colors. With her second nomination, she must pass that test again. Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are running editorials on her, one for and the other against. If you’d like to follow the Committee’s discussion of her nomination, you can watch it live on the official website of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Good luck, Prof. Johnsen!
The American Law Reports (A.L.R.) series has recently added a new title, ALR International. This new title is intended to collect and analyze U.S. and foreign cases from both English and non-English-language jurisdictions on topics of international importance. So far one volume has been published, and is available in Westlaw in its own file (i.e., not in the A.L.R. file). For the most part, annotations involve the construction and application of various important multilateral treaties, such as the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCP), and the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters, to name several. Full Story »
Today kicks off Black History Month. Each year February is a month to focus on the history and achievements of African Americans. This year one good place to do that is on the website of this History Channel, which offers an interactive timeline of black history milestones. This is also a time to take a look at the website of the N.A.A.C.P. You can also find information about the official theme of this year’s Black History Month—The History of Black Economic Empowerment—from site of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Happy Black History Month!
One of the most controversial cases ever, Roe v. Wade turns 37 today. Unlike many other cases that were controversial in their time, Roe has remained a case of hot contention, and shows no sign of dying away. Each new politician has to address it, and each change to the Supreme Court brings suggestions that it is about to be overturned. Each year the anniversary is an opportunity for both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice rallies across the nation. The question is, is this an issue that can ever die down, or otherwise be agreed upon? Unlike cases of similar renown, Brown v. Board of Education for one example, it is difficult to imagine a future in which one side or the other (we don’t pretend to know which) becomes more enlightened and changes its collective mind. Do you think that abortion will ever stop being an issue? Why so or why not?
Today, in addition to enjoying a day off, we celebrate community service and the life of the great Martin Luther King, Jr. Last year we mentioned that the federal government maintains a website devoted to the service aspect of the day. That page is still an excellent place to go to find local opportunities for volunteerism. For more information on the holiday locally, you can also go to the Herald Times. For resources on the man himself, the Seattle Times has a nice website devoted to King. It offers texts and recordings of his speeches, photographs, a timeline, a biography, and much more. For a website that combines the history and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a commitment to service, go take a look at the site for the King Center, founded in 1968 by Coretta Scott King. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
We have often touted the utility of state and federal government websites for information. www.IN.gov is a repository for lots of useful information, including a lot of the basics of Indiana law. We are also heavy users of the federal government’s website, www.USA.gov. Though a source of lots of helpful information, USA.gov, like many websites, could use a little sprucing up, and its administrators are asking for your help in deciding what needs updating. Your Voice Matters is a website created to ask for feedback about USA.gov. They are asking for suggestions, they want to know what are the services that you use most, and they are also asking for opinions on ideas like offering a personal account you could log into. Some commentators like the idea, others are worried that it is a way to harvest information about users. Go take a look! You have to provide an e-mail address to become part of the discussion, but if there is something that you find lacking, or difficult find on the site this is a good opportunity to let them know. The discussion lasts until January 15.
This week marks the one year anniversary of President Obama’s nomination of our own Professor Dawn Johnsen to the Office of Legal Council. Since that time she has faced a great deal of opposition, and has never actually been confirmed by Congress for the post. This week also brings news that she will be renominated, though. According to several sources, including the New York Times, the Blog of Legal Times, and our more local papers the Herald Times and the IndyStar, the President has decided to resubmit her name, along with five others, to the Senate for reconsideration. Prof. Johnsen has continued to teach here at Maurer while awaiting her confirmation, and will be teaching a class this spring as well. As much as we will miss her here, we look forward to news of her confirmation.
For the past few years Above the Law, a self-styled ‘legal tabloid,’ has invited readers to choose their Lawyer of the Year. Last year it was Barack Obama, and the year before the Loyola 2L famous for posting discontented messages around the web (s/he also took top place in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog’s contest that year). At this point, ATL has narrowed the nominations down to ten choices, some of whom are on the list for their skill and success, others for less flattering reasons. Go take a look at the list of nominees—you have through this Thursday to cast your vote for the most noteworthy lawyer of 2009.
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