April 17 is this year’s deadline to file your 2011 federal tax return.

Here are some last-minute resources and useful information, courtesy of USA.gov:

• Tax Forms and Publications
• Publication 17 — The Only Tax Guide Most Individuals Need (PDF)
• Tax Benefits — You May Qualify
• E-file Your Taxes

You can check your refund status within 72 hours of e-filing or within 4 weeks of mailing a paper return.

If you can’t file your tax return by the deadline, you can request an extension. An extension does not give you additional time to pay if you owe taxes. You’ll need to estimate the amount you owe and submit a payment in order to avoid interest and penalty charges.

Georgetown University Law School student Sandra Fluke has made news headlines for her recent testimony on the subject of women’s health at a hearing held by the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on February 23rd.

Congressional committees generally hold hearings for legislative, investigative, or oversight purposes.  At a legislative hearing, witnesses are invited to provide testimony on behalf of or against legislation and the bill’s sponsor is expected to appear to defend his or her proposed legislation.

Official printed hearings contain transcripts of the proceedings of Senate and House committee meetings, member statements, question and answer sessions, and prepared statements submitted by those testifying before the committee.  Official hearings are published by the Government Printing Office and can take anywhere from three months to three years to be published (if published at all!). It is entirely up to the discretion of the congressional committee (or subcommittee) to even publish a hearing. Full Story »

Two attorneys recently brought an unusual suit.  They are suing Westlaw and Lexis for providing access to their briefs, claiming copyright infringement.  One of the two lawyers, Edward White, has obtained copyright registration for some of his briefs, and plans to be representative of others like with copyright.  The other plaintiff, Kenneth Elan, has not.  They argue that the briefs are their own work, and Lexis and Westlaw make money off them.  On the other hand, briefs become publicly available during the case.  What do you think?  Are Westlaw and Lexis infringing?  For more take a look at the complaint itself, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, the ABA Journal, the Volokh Conspiracy, or Above the Law.

Tomorrow is a blackout day for some important websites, including Reddit and Wikipedia.  The blackout comes as a protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act.  Google will also add an anti-SOPA link to its page tomorrow, however it will not actually go down.  The White House has said that it will not support the act.  For more on the blackout take a look at this article.  For a simplified look at SOPA, try this Washington Post Blog entry.

Today is the ten year anniversary of a day that changed the United States forever.  Ten years later we still feel the tragedy as though it was yesterday.  All across the nation this day is being celebrated, remembered, mourned.  The local Bloomington Herald-Times ($) has information about local remembrances, nationwide ones, and recollections of Indiana Red Cross workers who were part of the aftermath.  News sources across the country have similar tributes. There is also a website for IU commemorative events.

Today is a day for remembering heroes and loved ones.  However you choose to spend this day, we hope that you have a good one.

Yesterday the Chicago Tribune ran a story that has also shown up in a couple of legal blogs, like the Volokh Conspiracy.  The Daily Herald also has the story.  It’s about two adult children who, represented by their father, brought a lawsuit against their mother, Kimberly Garrity.  It is very hard to be sympathetic to most of the complaints.  They include things like sending a birthday card with no money in it, asking to have the car home at midnight, and not sending college care packages.  A look at the actual court case does hint at some more serious behavior, possibly Garrity played obvious favorites between her children, but there is still very little that the court finds to take seriously.

The court dismisses this case, and really, suing your mother because you found it embarrassing when she remarried and changed her last name is not much of a reason for a lawsuit.  But is there a situation in which it would be appropriate to sue your mother for emotional distress?  Traditionally being a bad parent could mean that your children are removed from your care, but could you also owe them monetary damages?  And where does “bad mothering” cross the line into being actionable?  The children’s father and attorney is quoted as saying that suing for bad mothering is no different from suing “for bad doctoring.”  Are they different?  And if so, how?

President Obama will be holding a town hall today—on Facebook.  At 4:45 Eastern Time there will be a streaming town hall.  All you have to do is like the White House Facebook page and then RSVP for the event.  You can submit questions, either via Facebook, or from www.whitehouse.gov/facebooktownhall.  President Obama has been active in using social media in the past, and for this event he will be broadcasting live form Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto.  More than 35,000 people have already RSVP’d.

Want to see how your federal tax dollars are spent?  Check out your Federal Taxpayer Receipt.

If you’re interested in what might happen to some government resources in the event of a shutdown, read on.

• CRS Report, Shutdown of the Federal Government:  Causes, Processes, and Effects (RL3460, February 18, 2011)
• Feds prep for e-gov shutdown – White House: ‘Most websites will not continue’ during federal shutdown, Computerworld, April 6, 2011
• Office of the Federal Register: Government Shutdown Procedures
• Government shutdown: Frequently Asked Questions, Washington Post, April 2, 2011
• Office of Personnel Management, The Potential Impact of a Lapse in Appropriations on Federal Employees

The National Law Journal and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog are reporting that Legal Aid organizations are having a particularly difficult time at the moment.  With state funding being cut across the country the already hardworking Legal Aid system is struggling.  Organizations from many states are reporting significant funding drops, coupled with large increases in the number of people seeking low cost assistance.  The Legal Aid Society can help only one in nine people who seek their assistance. Legal representation for the impoverished is both important and expensive.  Any thoughts as to how it can be maintained?