Criminal Law Library BlogThis enertaining article, Champagne Corks, Mickey Mantle & Muskets, is a May 10, 2009 posting by Adrian M. Baron on the Nutmeg Lawer blawg which is described as a blawg “…developed to share tips on law firm marketing, legal practice, office management and anything else that might pique your interest about the trials and tribulations of law practice.” Adrian Barron’s posting did certainly “pique” our interest and we thought you would enjoy it also.
Articles Posted in Commentary and Opinion
New York State: Commission on Judical Conduct Annual Report 2009
Pursuant to Section 42, paragraph 4, of the Judiciary Law of the State of New York the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct respectfully submits the Annual Report 2009 of its activities covering the period from January 1 through December 31, 2008.
The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct is the state agency responsible for investigating complaints of misconduct against judges of the state unified court system and, where appropriate, determining to admonish, censure or remove from office those judges found to have engaged in unethical behavior. All determinations are subject to review in the Court of Appeals, New York State’s highest court.
New York State. Commissdion on Judicial Conduct, Annual Report 2009
Is Forensic Science Becoming Fragmanted and Less Reliable?
While most agree that forensic science is a critical element of the criminal justice system, there are increasing expressions of concern as to whether it is becoming fragmanted, less reliable, and urgently needs an infusion of financial and research support in order to remain viable.
These and related concerns have been discussed in a variety of books, journals as well as the web media. Of particular interest to many is the National Academy of Sciences Report on Forensics which addresses directly many of the points mentioned above. While I cannot link directly to that Report here I can link to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) catalog where you can purchase a copy: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12589 . There may be a free summary available at that site. The NAS Report is also discussed in some depth in an American Judicature Society Editorial at http://www.ajs.org/ajs/ajs_editorial-template.asp?content_id=797 Also recommended is the Comments on the Release of the NAS Report on Forensic Sciences by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).
Recognizing the growing concern and importane of viable forensics, the New York Times has devoted most of the Science Section of its May 12, 2009 issue to what it calls the “New Forensics”. This issue contains a wide selection of articles addressing various aspects of forensic science as related to criminal justice. Links to a few are included in the listings below:”
U.S. Said To Halt Program in New York to Detect Biological Attacks
Spencer S. Hsu writes in the May 7, 2009 Washington Post that according to U.S. officials “the Department of Homeland Security is dismanteling a next generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems. Click here to see entire article.
Studies in Law Related Information Behavior
Rob Richards, a law librarian and legal information consultant in Philadelphia writes: “A list of empirical studies of law-related information behavior is now available at http://home.comcast.net/~richards1000/InformationBehavior.html . If you know of additional studies not listed, I’d be grateful to learn of them. Persons interested in this topic may be interested to know of the availability of a major new dissertation on this topic:
Stephann Makri, A Study of Lawyers’ Information Behaviour Leading to the Development of Two Methods for Evaluating Electronic Resources (2008) (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University College London), also available at http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/14729/ .” We are always grateful to Rob for sharing such insights with us.
Journal: Law & Social Inquiry
A quarterly journal published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. on behalf of the American Bar Foundation.
Law & Social Inquiry is a multidisciplinary quarterly that publishes original research articles and wide-ranging review essays that contribute to the understanding of sociolegal processes.
Law & Social Inquiry’s combination of empirical and theoretical research with critique and appraisal of the sociolegal field make the journal a useful source for the latest research and commentary. Law & Social Inquiry’s ambit spans law and sociology, criminal justice,economics, political science, social psychology, history, philosophy and other social science and humanities disciplines. The journal publishes a wide range of scholarship on specific topics in law and society, including but not limited to law, legal institutions, the legal profession, and legal processes.
Obama CIO Apointee: Obsolete Regulations Block Government Adoption of Social Media
The U.S. government’s CIO recently appointed by President Obama told Congress this week that obsolete regulations are blocking agencies from serving the people by participating in top Web sites and social media. Regulations governing the use of cookies and — ironically — disclosure laws are keeping government stuck in the 20th Century. See:
Obsolete Regulations Block Government Adoption Of Social Media
Comments on How and Where to Write Better Tweets
According to C.G. Lynch’s provocative artice in the CIO Insider Newsletter,Twitter’s growing popularity is exposing a considerable “fraility” of writing among those tweet. He observes that Twitter’s 140 character message format demands concise, engaging writing “and that’s a skill that a lot of people don’t have. To read more of Mr. Lynch’s practical, expert advice click here.
As for where to write, sometimes it seems as though tweeting or twittering is almost universal. Amy Hale-Jenke, Head of Reference at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has found many fellow twittering, or tweeting, law librarians by going to the Twitter Yellow Pages. To “meet” all types of legal professionals, including law librarians who like to tweet, you can also go to Justia’s Legal Birds, a “Twitter Community.” Perhaps all of this gives the quotation, “birds of a feather flock together” a special meaning. Thinking of all this one wonders if tweets are becoming sort of information age variations of haiku that are being spread around the web.
ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. May 1, 2009.
Top Ten Stories of the Week ending May 1, 2009:
Law Firms Profits Drop at 12 of 15 Top Firms
Apr 30, 2009, 07:11 am CDT
NYLJ: Special Articles for Law Day
Friday, May 1, 2009
Every year on May 1 (Law Day) the New York Law Journal devotes a special section to articles written by prominent members of the New York legal community in commeration of Law Day. Here are abstracts of the articles for 2009.