Archive for May, 2005
May 27th, 2005
Plogress.com
It doesn’t look like much at first glance, but head on over to Plogress.com and you will find the latest info on what your Congresspeople are legislating as it (the legislating) happens.
Give it a try:
- Go to Plogress.com
- Click your state (or territory) in the column on the left
- Then choose a Senator or Representative
You’ll be rewarded with a listing, pulled direct from Thomas, of the bills sponsored or co-sponsored by the Congressperson as action is taken – whether introduced, referred to committee, moved from committee, or voted on.
It is a wonderful example of the use of the blog format to provide unique access to information. For example, who knew that Senator Gordan Smith co-sponsored the recently passed senate resolution Expressing continued support for the construction of the Victims of Communism Memorial?
Anyway, a fascinating legislative tracking tool to add to your legal research collection.
Sources: Inter-Alia, Law Librarian Blog
May 27th, 2005
The Democrats of the Oregon House of Representatives have this week started a blog. Avoiding the title pitfalls that befell our own dear BoleyBlogs!, the OR Demos have rather sensibly gone more mainstream with the Oregon House Democrats: The Blog.
BoleyBlogs! is neither a red nor blue blog, so-to-speak, but the very many editors of BoleyBlogs! can’t help but notice the difference in the Oregon House parties’ respective public faces. Demos? Bloggin’ away. Repubs? GOP sidesteps public on hunting bill.
May 27th, 2005
Time to Abolish the Bar Exam? Yes, says Professor Danial Solove of GWU Law School in this Prawfs Blawg post.
Be sure to read the comments, then Professor Solove’s follow-up post.
Source: BarclayBlog
May 26th, 2005
Harvard professor Laurence Tribe has announced in these letters to Justice “Steve” Breyer and to interested readers that he will not be completing and publishing the planned second volume to the 1999 third edition of his influential treatise American Constitutional Law (locally available on Boley Reserve).
Professor Tribe explains his decision over the course of both letters, saying:
I have come to the sobering realization that no treatise, in my sense of that term, can be true to this moment in our constitutional history–to its conflicts, innovations, and complexities. There is a time to write a constitutional law treatise… but this is not such a time. The reason is that we find ourselves at a juncture where profound fault lines have become evident at the very foundations of the enterprise, going to issues as fundamental as whose truths are to count and, sadly, whose truths must be denied. And the reality is that I do not have, nor do I believe I have seen, a vision capacious and convincing enough to propound as an organizing principle for the next phase in the law of our Constitution.
Read the letters here. There is much more in these fascinating and perhaps important letters (15 p.), forthcoming in The Green Bag legal journal as Tribe, The Treatise Power, 8 Green Bag 2d 291 (2005).
Read comments on Tribe’s announcement in:
May 23rd, 2005
Coalition for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Law School and the Legal Profession
Vernellia R. Randall, University of Dayton School of Law Professor, lets us know of the Stop Crisis in Legal Education coalition, seeking to increase the representation of minorities in the legal profession.
Currently, the Coalition is seeking support for proposed “changes in the ABA accrediation rules that would have the following impact”:
- Schools would not be allowed to use an admission policy or practice that has the effect of discriminating unless it is related to satisfactorily completing the school’s educational program. Policies and practices adopted to increase a critical mass of traditionally discriminated against minorities would not violate this change.
- A law school would not be able to use individual test scores in making decisions because LSAC recommends against such use.
- A sound legal education policy would require that each school shall have a critical mass of traditionally discriminated against minorities.
- The law school’s admissions policy and practices would be required to demonstrate how it strives to promote the benefits of diversity as recognized in Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003).
- A law school would only use an admissions test in a manner that conforms to the standards prescribed by the testing agency.
- Law Schools would use other relevant factors in admission process including the potential to add to the diversity of the law school community and the profession.
The coalition encourages individuals and organizations to join in the initiative by:
- Adding your name and/or your organization’s name as supporter of the proposed changes in the ABA Accreditation Standards.
- Sending a letter of support to the ABA ASAP.
- Sending comments on the Council recommendations during the public comment phrase.
Find out more from the Stop Crisis in Legal Education site.
Read the current and proposed ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools and Interpretations.
May 19th, 2005
Frequently-Cited Treaties and Other International Instruments
The University of Minnesota Law Library has published online this quite handy list of treaties frequently cited in law review articles.
Cite checkers and others seeking quick access to these oft-needed, not always easy-to-find treaties can turn to this list for the official title, parallel citations and, when available on EISIL, links to the full-text of the international instrument itself.
Frequently-cited treaties are organized by the following topics:
- General International Law
- International Trade and Economic Law
- Human Rights
- International Criminal Law
- Environmental Law
- Intellectual Property
- European Union
Also, the list provides a convenient collection of abbreviations and sources.
Source: Foreign, Comparative and International Law SIS mailing list
May 18th, 2005
New sources and articles about researching international & foreign law:
The Georgetown University Law Library has created this informative guide to researching international economic law for the school’s Institute of International Law.
The site provides links to the best research guides, links, international instruments, government documents and cases for following seven international economic law topics:
- Commercial
- Competition
- Development
- Economics
- Finance
- Government
- Trade
GlobalLex, publisher of guides and articles to international and foreign law research, and which was last seen on BoleyBlogs! here, has released the following five new articles:
Sources: Law Librarian Blog, here and here
May 15th, 2005
Geographic Boundaries of U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. District Courts
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has released a new, improved and surprisingly useful interactive map of the 12 regional judicial circuits and 94 judicial districts.
For all those times you need a quick link to a federal court or a visual aid to answer the unanswerable (why isn’t there a Western U.S. District for California? Why does Texas have a Western that should be a Central?…), you’ll want to start here.
Source: TVC Alert
May 15th, 2005
6 Lessons in Copyright, Legal Research, and Remedies Added to Library
Updating our post of May 3, we note that CALI, just in time for exams, um… just in time for studying for the Bar or summer courses, announces six new lessons. They are:
- Copyright
- Legal Research
- Remedies
Interested? Here are core links and how to register:
L&C Law Students (especially if you have not yet registered with CALI)
- Go to our CALI page first, where you will find your all-important Authorization Code — the key to registering with CALI and gaining unlimitted access to the lessons.
Everyone Else
May 6th, 2005
RSS: Current Awareness Made Easy
From the good folks at Law Dawg Blawg: Sources of info and instructions for tracking Blogs and news with RSS. Try one out, then sit back and let the summer reading come to you.
Source: Law Dawg Blawg
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