Title: Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln
Author: John Stauffer
Publisher: Twelve (Hatchett Book Group)
Israeli Authorities Fight Back Against Country’s Endemic Violence
The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli authorities are trying to fight back against the violence that has become endemic in the country. Internal Security Minister Yizhak Aharonovich said violence has become “routine” despite the efforts of police. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he considers violence and bullying to be a sort of internal terrorism and that his government would follow a policy of “zero tolerance to violence, both verbal and physical”. Prime Minister Netanyahu presented a plan for change that includes harsher punishments, increased police presence on the streets and limiting alcohol sales..
What’s Happening in Your State Related to Legislation Regarding the Use of Restraints on Pregnant Women
According to the Editors of The Crime Report, the movement to ban shackling pregnant prisoners is gaining momentum. On August 26, 2009, Governor David Paterson of New York signed a bill (now NY Chapter 411 2009) banning the practice for all but the most unruly inmates. What is happening in your state?
Only six states-California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Vermont-have legislation regulating the use of restraints on pregnant women. Women detained in 44 states, the District of Columbia and the Federal Bureau of Prisons lack such legislative protection. Some state departments of corrections did not provide details on what type of restraints may be utilized during labor, nor did they provide their policy.
(Research provided by Amnesty International and The Rebecca Project for Human Rights.)
Cybercrime: Rogue Computer Conficker Continues to Counfound Security Experts
The program, known asConficker( http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-088A.html), uses flaws in Windows software to co-opt machines and link them into a virtual computer that can be commanded remotely by its authors. With more than five million of these zombies now under its control government, business and home computers in more than 200 countries this shadowy computer has power that dwarfs that of the worlds largest data centers. Conficker continues to confound the efforts of security experts to trace its origins and determine its purpose.
For additional commentary see John Markoff’s article, “Defying Experts, Rogue Computer Code Still Lurks”, published in the August 27, 2009 New York Times.
Findlaw Case Summaries: Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals 13
To view the full-text of cases you must sign in to FindLaw.com. All summaries are produced by Findlaw:
August 18 – 27, 2009.
View FindLaw’s new Case Summary Blog for the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
CIVIL RIGHTS, CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, GOVERNMENT LAW, INJURY AND TORT LAW Okin v. Cornwall-on-Hudson, No. 06-5142 In a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 action alleging that defendants-officers permitted plaintiff’s partner to abuse her, summary judgment for certain defendants is affirmed in part where plaintiff failed to show a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendants enhanced the risk of violence by making explicit assurances to the perpetrator. However, the ruling is reversed in part where plaintiff raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendant-officers implicitly but affirmatively sanctioned the abuse.
CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, SENTENCING US v. Dhafir, No. 05-5965 Defendant’s Medicare fraud sentence is vacated where the district court overlooked an alternate means of determining which sentencing provision under U.S.S.G. section 2S1.1(a) applied to the charges against defendant
CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, SENTENCING US v. Ware, No. 07-5222 Defendant’s securities fraud conviction is affirmed, where the Double Jeopardy Clause did not apply to defendant’s retrial because he himself moved for a mistrial. However, his sentence is vacated where the district court made insufficient findings regarding defendant’s role in the conspiracy for sentencing purposes.
CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, EVIDENCE US v. Pizzonia, No. 07-4314 Defendant’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act conviction is affirmed where, even though the predicate acts proved by the government were outside the statute of limitations, other trial evidence permitted the jury to conclude that both the charged racketeering conspiracy and defendant’s membership in it continued into the limitations period.
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New Blog: PCAN (Preservation and Conservation Administration News)
Beth Doyle and Holly Robertson have launched a new online blog devoted to preservation and conservation administration called PCAN or Preservation and Conservation Administration News. http://prescan.wordpress.com/
Below is the description from their site that explains what PCAN is trying to accomplish. They are very excited about this site and hope that you, too, will find it useful. Their first post is up and concerns training library and archives conservators
Back in the day we had two great print publications, Conservation Administration News and the Abbey Newsletter. Before the internet and social networking, these were THE publications for news and information related to library and archives preservation and conservation. Now through the use of the internet, discussion groups, blogs, wikis, etc., we have more ways to communicate than ever, but you still need to be tuned in to the right place at the right time and have the rights to view the content.
ABA Criminal Justice Section: Second Annual Sentencing Advocacy, Practice and Reform Institute
The 2009 Fall Conference Washington, DC.
November 6, 2009
“The ABA Criminal Justice Section, in cooperation with our co-sponsors, is proud to present a one-day seminar to address a broad array of sentencing and reentry issues, with a particular emphasis on sentencing practice in white-collar cases. The conference will examine sentencing and reentry trends and opportunities for reform at both the federal and state levels. The program will begin with a plenary session on the state of the sentencing union including rates of incarceration, sentencing trends, racial disparity, alternatives to incarceration, and recent federal legislation. There will be two tracks of instruction focused on reentry and two focused on sentencing, each addressing issues of concern to different segments of the criminal justice community, including probation and parole officials, white collar crime defense attorneys, prosecutors, academics, public defenders, judges, sentencing consultants, mitigation specialists, corrections personnel, victim advocates and policy experts. One track will focus on practice and procedure issues of particular concern to criminal defense attorneys in general and white collar practitioners in particular. Confirmed speakers include Jeremy Travis, President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the U. S. Sentencing Commission. The second annual conference is hoped to again attract a broad cross-section of those involved in perhaps the most pressing criminal justice issues of our time”.
ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. August 28, 2009.
Top Ten Stories for Week Ending August 28, 2009.
Features Are You a Legal Rebel?
In the Magazine – September 2009
New York City: Special Event Permit Application Information
People often ask about procedures for obtaining approval to staging secial events in the City, especially those involving some form of street activity. New York City requires that a “Special Event Permit Application be submitted to the City of New York Street Activity Permit Office prior to any special event involving street activity held in the City. Depending on the type of event planned, other City agencies may also require approval. The below information includes a list of Application Sponsor Rules and Responsibilities, Support Permit Requirements, and a link to the City of New York Special Permit Application form:
APPLICANT/SPONSOR RULES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
IT IS THE APPLICANT’S/SPONSOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO:
Government, Cookies, and Federal Web Sites – Continued
After posting two articles on this Web site here and here related to the Obama administration seriously considering allowing much greater flexibility regarding the use of cookies and tracking devices on government Web sites, I thought I was finished with the topic. That is until this morning August 25 when I notices a well written and thoughtful editorial about “cookies” and the web in the New York Times. Since the editorial helped to clarify my thinking I wanted to share it with you here.
After a discussion of the issues, here in a nutshell are the concerns raised and approaches presented in the editorial:
1. More stringent requirements regarding the permanent and prominet display of notices on all government Web sites to clearly inform users that use of the Web sites is being tracked.