Uncertainty in Law Circles Over New Court Ruling for Judges
By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: June 10, 2009 by the New York Times
“Lawyers across the country said that a Supreme Court ruling on conflicts of interest among elected judges could prompt a deluge of requests for judges to recuse themselves from cases.,,,”
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (New York City Bar) has just published its Report on the Merger of the Bronx Supreme and Criminal Courts. Commenting on the Report in his June 11, 2009 New York Law Journal article, “City Bar Report Cites ‘Serious Problems’ With Bronx Merger”, Daniel Wise writes: “The merger of Criminal and Supreme courts in the Bronx has created ‘serious problems’ if additional judicial resources are not made available, a report by the New York City Bar Concluded.” In the Report it is recommended that “strong and immediate attempts” need to be taken to handle a growing backlog of felony cases.
The New York City Bar report was prepared by the Committee on Criminal Courts and the Committee on Criminal Justice Operations, both committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and released on June 10, 2009. Below is an excerpt from the Opening Statement and a link to the complete report:
Opening Statement Excerpt:
Top Ten Stories of the Week ending May 29, 2009:
Layoffs 2009’s Toll: More Than 10,000 Law Firm Layoffs and Lower Pay Trend
May 28, 2009, 10:43 am CDT
From Brenda k. Uekert, Senior Research Associate, National Center for State Courts:
The Court Training and Improvements Program (Courts Program) was created by the Violence Against Women Act of 2005. The specific criteria that will be used to solicit proposals for the Courts Program is currently being considered by the appropriate federal entities. The National Center for State Courts seeks input from courts on your ongoing needs (e.g., domestic violence courts, training, hiring/retaining specialized staff) in the areas of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
We have the opportunity to help shape the solicitation that will introduce the Courts Program grants. We are particularly interested in the topics of domestic violence courts/dockets and training. We would like to hear from you about your current challenges and needs. What specific components of a grant program would help improve your court’s responses to the types of acts noted in the Violence Against Women Act?
To help those who are interested in information beyond that available in the popular news media regarding Judge Sotomayor we have assembeled two background documents, two of Judge Sotomayor’s opinions, one from 2002 and another from 2008. Also included is a completed copy of the questionnaire of Judge Sotoamyor prepared for and delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee. All judicial candidates such as Sonia Sotomayor are required to complete and submit a questionnaire as part of the confirmation process. You can view these documents from the links below. The links contain brief title descriptions of the respective materials:
Background on Judge Sonie Sotomayor Prepared by the White House, May 2009
Top Ten Stories of the Week ending May 15, 2009:
Law Firms Did ‘Financial Insanity’ and ‘Greedy Lawyers’ Doom WolfBlock?
May 14, 2009, 09:07 am CDT
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
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.
Top Ten Stories of the Week ending March 20, 2009:
Law Practice Management Layoff ‘Herd Mentality’ Ignores Greater Savings of Pay Cuts, Prof Says
Mar 17, 2009, 08:19 am CDT
QUESTION*
For courts who have translated their public website into the Spanish and/or Vietnamese languages:
Do you have a Spanish and/or Vietnamese version of your court public website?
Criminal Law Library Blog