Law Librarian Blog

ALA Launches Redesigned Website

ALA has executed a major redo of its website. Check out the new features. [JH]

Closing the First Week of the SCOTUS Term

Opening week of the SCOTUS term isn't as interesting and as the final week when the Court issues its last batch of decisions just before taking the summer off. So it took awhile to find something to close the first week of this term.

President Bush discussed his judicial accomplishments and philosophy this week, lamenting about the failure of the Supreme Court to deny human beings due process and to subscribe to his concept of the Rule of Law, Not By Men in these words:

We saw the power of judges in Boumediene v. Bush. There, a 5-4 majority rejected the carefully crafted procedures Congress established for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in response to a prior Supreme Court decision. And for the first time, the Court awarded foreign terrorists held overseas legal rights previously reserved for American citizens.

Looking to the future this week, the Wall Street Journal published articles trying to discern what sort of candidates presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain will nominate to the Bench. Unfortunately neither article is based on interviews with the candidates and relies solely on insider comments and quotes from old speeches.

From Barack Obama: The Present Is Prologue:

"I appreciate the temptation on the part of Justice Scalia...to assume" that if the 18th century text is followed "without question or deviation...all good will flow," Sen. Obama writes in his book, "The Audacity of Hope." "Ultimately, though, I have to side with Justice Breyer's view of the Constitution -- that it is not a static but rather a living document."

From John McCain: Looking to the Framers:

In judicial nominations, Sen. McCain is likely to rely on advice from the Republican legal establishment, which has helped pull the court firmly to the right in recent years. Backers say that as president, Sen. McCain would use his "gut instinct" to make the final cut among qualified candidates.

In response to conservative criticism, Sen. McCain pledged to appoint only judges with demonstrated fealty to conservative doctrine.

Sen. McCain pledged he would "restore humility" to the judiciary with nominees like Justices Roberts and Alito and the late chief justice William Rehnquist.

[JH]

Friday Fun: Defendant Pleads for His Freedom in This Classic Monty Python Court Sketch

It's a "bloody parking offense!" And is a good illustration of what not to do in moot court. [JH]

Will SSRN Ever Crowdsource Its Digital Depository Like Amazon?

Have you noticed that SSRN has some really exciting new features like simple submissions, a "more intuitive, user-friendly" sign-in "modeled after commonly used websites and forms," and redesigned author and abstract pages? You can also export SSRN paper cites into common bib apps like EndNote and share papers through Digg, Del.icio.us, etc. In other words, no-brainer improvements add-ons, certainly nothing to write home about.

CiteReader, an Infometric Tool. I have been playing around with the Company's CiteReader, a work in progress, but useful should you get curious about the download count noise law schools and their profs like to generate. Take a look at the numbers to put some meat on bony claims based on clicking a mouse button: track (1) number of abstract views, (2) number of downloads of SSRN paper(s); and (3) number of citations of the paper(s) in the SSRN database by law school, by prof, by article. Oops!

Amazon-esque Features. The Company has added one useful feature. On a paper's Abstract Page you will find a "People who downloaded this paper also downloaded" display listing other SSRN papers. Full of hubris, the Company writes:

We love this feature, and many users have actually told us they “found” papers relevant to their research through this list. ... As you can see, it is similar to other features on popular sites like Amazon.

So when will SSRN implement a commenting function to Abstract Pages like Amazon does? It might help abstract viewers make more informed mouse click decisions.

Distributing Works-in-Progress, Why? On a more serious note, Online crowdsourcing might even contribute to improving the quality of legal scholarship. Any SSRN user can see that authors upload to SSRN revised versions of their papers. Perhaps the papers were revised because some downloaders have actually read the papers and emailed the authors comments. But wouldn't crowdsourcing these works-in-progress by online commenting be a plus too? Wouldn't it be a more timely and contemporary way to do this? Contemporary as in using social media, as in SSRN not even having to invent the necessary applications to do this ... [sigh of relief] ... (SSRN isn't exactly known for being a design and implementation coding powerhouse, evidenced once again by the new features listed above).

Remember the bad old days when scholars tried to obtain input from other scholars by circulating drafts in the US mail, hoping recipients would take the time to write back a letter with comments and criticism. In library school we learned about this "informal college" of review and its drawbacks -- unknown writers not getting responses from known experts in the field, useful suggestions and corrections received too late to be added before the article had to be published.

So one has to ask the question, what is the point of e-distributing works-in-progress in SSRN without crowdsourcing via something called the "World Wide Web"? To date it appears to be the narcissistic self-stroking of law prof egos based on absurd download counts. If their articles aren't being cited, at least they are being read downloaded, right? Or from an infometric perspective, at least SSRN's CiteReader provides a psychiatric fix for the academic delusions produced by drinking that info-antic Kool-aid. [JH]

Is the US Supreme Court's Legal Influence Waning?

The New York Times American Exception series examines commonplace aspects of the American justice system that are virtually unique in the world. In a recent installment, Adam Liptak reports on the Supreme Court's fading influence worldwide.

A Blow to the Rule of Law Movement? Probably not. Reasons cited for the decline include (1) the rise of new and sophisticated constitutional courts in other nations, courts that are more liberal than the Rehnquist and Roberts courts, and (2) the diminished reputation of the United States attributed by some to the unpopularity of the Bush administration around the world. For more, check out U.S. Court Is Now Guiding Fewer Nations. [JH]

TS-SIS Awards Committee Seeking Nominations for the Renee D. Chapman Award

The Renee D. Chapman Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions in Technical Services Law Librarianship is presented at AALL's annual meeting to an individual or group in recognition of achievement in an area of technical services, for services to the Association, or for outstanding contributions to the professional literature.

All members of AALL are invited to submit names for consideration by the TS-SIS Awards Committee. Nominations should include the nominee's full name and address. If the nominee is retired, submit the name, last place of work, and home address. Someone other than the nominee should sign the letter of nomination. The letter should accompany a list of projects, programs, or publications of the nominee and should describe the nominee's work with respect to qualification for the Award.

The application deadline is February 1, 2009. Factors considered in selecting the recipients of the Award include such things as the publishing, presenting, or sharing of innovative techniques or research, analysis or commentary; the development of software, hardware, or other mechanisms that significantly enhance access to collections; and the contribution of service to the Technical Services SIS as a whole. Achievements may be in the area of acquisitions, cataloging and classification, materials processing, preservation, automation, or technical services administration.

For further information see the Chapman Award section of the TS-SIS Handbook

Please email your nominations to any member of the TS-SIS Awards Committee.

Linda M. Sobey
Chair -TS-SIS Awards Committee
linda.sobey@famu.edu

Joyce M. Janto
TS-SIS Awards Committee Member
jjanto@richmond.edu

Melody  B. Lembke
TS-SIS Awards Committee Member
mlembke@lalawlibrary.org

September Edition of AALL's Washington E-Bulletin

The September Edition of the Washington E-bulletin is now online.  Highlights include:

• New York Times on the Loss of Federal Electronic Government Information
• Senate Subcommittee Addresses Secrecy and the Rule of Law
• House Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FOIA Ombudsman
• Judge Orders VP Cheney to Preserve Records
• Senator Says Government Spending Site Fails to Post Updated Information
• Secrecy Report Card Shows Expansion of Government Secrecy
• Poll Finds Public Supports Constitutional Separation of Powers
• Government Printing Office Nominated for “Green” Award

[RJ]

Nominations for the LPSS Marta Lange/CQ Press Award Due by December 5, 2008

The annual Marta Lange/CQ Press Award recognizes an academic or law librarian who, through research, service to the profession, or other creative activity, makes distinguished contributions to bibliography and information service in law or political science. This award honors Marta Lange, 1990-91 Law and Political Science Sections (LPSS) Chair, whose exceptional talents as a leader were enhanced by a wonderful collegial spirit. Her bright career, cut short in a fatal automobile accident in 1992, was an inspiration to others and a model of professional service.

Award: $1,000 cash and a plaque donated by CQ Press.

Criteria: Nominees should have achieved distinction in one or more of the following areas:

• Planning and implementation of a model bibliography/information services program in a law or political science library.
• History of contributions to the field through research, publications and other activities displaying active participation in the advancement of law/political science librarianship.
• Service to the profession through ACRL or related regional and national organizations.
• Promotion or development of an education program for law and political science librarianship that has served as a model for other courses and programs

Submissions: Electronic submissions are required.  Nominations should include a letter of nomination including the name, address, and phone number of both the nominating party and the nominee as well as a narrative supporting the nomination, and a current vita. E-mail the nomination documentation to the award committee chair, Leslie Homzie, Boston College, at homzie@bc.edu

Does Anyone Understand the Financial Industry Bailout Act?

Apparently the ABA doesn't. The National Law Journal is reporting that the Association has asked Carlton Fields to draft a "white paper" on what the bailout plans means. The analysis will be completed this week by Carlton Fields partner Sandra Porter, and the firm will do weekly updates. Research tip: start with the resources compiled at USA.gov. [JH]

Is the Palin E-Mail Hack Indictment Legally Flawed?

According to WSJ's Law Blog, David Kernell, the 20 year-old son of Mike Kernell, chairman of Tennessee’s House Government Operations Committee pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he hacking into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo email account yesterday. See LLB's earlier post, Hacked Email Account: Was Palin Conducting Official State Business Using Personal Yahoo Email Account?

But is the indictment legally flawed? Check out what Orin Kerr (George Washington) has to say on The Volokh Conspiracy. One commenter to Kerr's post observes, "In this case, the indictment alone is probably sufficient punishment. It'll cost the young man's family at least $50-$100,000 in legal fees to get the case dismissed." [JH]

ELS: More Garbage In, More Garbage Out

Empirical legal studies has become the fasting growing research trend in legal scholarly circles these last few years. Will it fall into the dustbin of scholarly fads that get law profs tenure but have no other consequences like critical legal studies, or will it actually produce results beyond the barracks of the legal academy like the law and economics movement? 

Don't know but one thing is clear, much of the work is the product of amateur number-crunchers whose statistical skills don't extend much beyond Excel 101. "This enthusiasm [in quantitative empirical analysis] has not always been accompanied by careful analysis of what the tools and resources of quantitative analysis can tell us about law and legal doctrine," writes Carolyn Shapiro (Chicago-Kent). Case in point, in Coding Complexity: Bringing Law to the Empirical Analysis of the Supreme Court [SSRN] (a critical analysis of the  U.S. Supreme Court Database created by Harold Spaeth) Shapiro demonstrates that some studies unwittingly reflect the limitations of the tools and resources used rather than providing insight into the workings of courts. For more on garbage in, garbage out, see also LLB's earlier post, Tulane Law Review's Flawed Empirical Study.

Most universities has stats profs don't they? Harvard's Law School Library is on the right track, see Statistical Consulting Now Available at the Law Library. [JH]

Survey of Library Innovators Exposes Profession's Pressure Points

In What We Need Chrystie Hill and Meredith Farkas survey examines the challenges many librarians face as they look for innovative ways to serve our constituents.  The survey examined 300 LJ's Movers & Shakers recognized between 2002 and 2007.  Time, money and management appear to be the biggest hurdles faced. Hill and Farkas end with three thought provoking chanllenges:

1. We'd like to challenge the Movers & Shakers themselves to find their own ways toward creativity, innovation, and path-breaking while tackling the routine. 
2. We'd like to challenge library directors and administrators to lead us and our colleagues better in strategic, succession, restructuring, or reorganization planning.
3. We challenge all of us to acknowledge how much more we are alike than different in our desires to help, serve, and make an impact on our colleagues and in our communities.

Remember, the deadline to nominate librarians for LJ's next round of Movers & Shakers is November 10. [RJ]

Google's Project 10^100

To mark Google's 10th anniversary, the search engine giant has launched Project 10^100, a call for the best ideas that can change the world by helping as many people as possible. Google has set aside $10 million to help fund the five best ideas as voted on by the people and an advisory board.  Here's the Project 10^100 video:

Google Circa January 2001: And a little more self-congratulatory fodder from the Company, Google's oldest available index.  No Gmail. No Gchat. No Gmaps. Oh my. 

Endnote. Compare LLB's earlier post on the event, Search is Google, Google Is Search: The Corporate SE Giant Will Be Ten Years Old on Sunday, September 7th, with the Company's 10th anniversary page. [RJ]

Law Professor Blogs Network Launches Native American Law and Clinicial Law Blogs

Last month, the Law Professor Blogs Network launched two new blogs:

• Native American Law Blog is edited by Timothy Pleasant and Deena DeGenova (both are Concord Law School profs). Note, for example, the blog's recent post, Native American law research - where do you go?
• After a long hiatus, Clinical Law Prof Blog is back online and is now being edited by Amy Graham and Naima Manley (both are Public Interest Fellows & Staff Attorneys at Michigan State) with the help some great contributing editors.

I hope you take a moment to check them out. See also the Network-wide RSS feed page for the latest posts pubished by our Network's 50-plus blogs. Several new blogs are in the works and the Network's RSS feed page is the first place to see them when they go into production. If you would like to propose writing a blog for the Network, please contact Paul Caron (Cincinnati) and me. [JH]

Opening: Human Rights Archivist, University of Texas Libraries, Austin

The Human Rights Archivist is responsible for planning and coordinating the work of the University of Texas Libraries program for the collection and preservation of analog and digital archives and manuscript collections that document human rights conflict worldwide, and for providing access to the collections.  Tasks include:  managing special projects for the identification and acquisition of digitized print and audiovisual materials and of web-based human rights resources; building a digital archival repository for human rights resources; processing of traditional archives and manuscript collections; appraising and acquiring human rights archives and published content; providing reference service and building access tools; supervising student assistants. The position is based at the University of Texas Libraries' Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection , and reports to the Benson Collection Archivist.

Through service to international human rights scholars, activists and students, the University of Texas Libraries identified a need to preserve and make accessible the historical record of genocide and human rights violations. To this end, the Libraries will expand traditional archival programming as well as collect and preserve in digital form the record of genocide and human rights conflicts worldwide. Collecting and cataloging fragile or transient Web sites of human rights advocacy and genocide watch, and audio and video documentation, formats that are especially endangered, will form two cores of the Libraries' digital archival preservation programming.

Required Qualifications:  MLS or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited program. At least two years of formal experience in processing and management of archival collections.  Experience with Encoded Archival Description (EAD), MAchine Readable Cataloging (MARC), and Describing Archives Content Standard (DACS).  Reading knowledge of Spanish, French, or other languages.  Availability for international travel. Supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications:  The Human Rights Archivist should be an experienced and motivated archive professional with a demonstrated record of innovation and public service.  This position will focus strongly on digital archival content, so knowledge of and familiarity with XML-based metadata standards (such as MODS, PREMIS, METS, etc.) are highly desirable.  Certification by the Academy of Certified Archivists is preferred.  Demonstrated leadership, ability to work within a team, and cross-cultural experience are necessary, as is the ability to work with library and academic professionals at the University and with international scholars and activists in the human rights community. The successful candidate will have significant experience processing archives and manuscript collections and be familiar with both analog and digital preservation.  Knowledge of national and international human rights history is preferred to accomplish the successful identification and appraisal of valuable content.  Demonstrated initiative, creativity, flexibility, and the ability to facilitate change and to meet deadlines are all desired in order to break new ground in information service to the scholarly and activist communities. Demonstrated public speaking, teaching, interpersonal, and writing skills will enable the archivist to accomplish effective outreach and public service for the Libraries innovative human rights programs. 

Salary and Benefits:  $45,000 negotiable depending on qualifications and experience.   No state or local income tax.  Standard state benefits package including annual vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, retirement plans, and health insurance options (comprehensive major medical, dental, vision, life, and disability).  Deferred compensation and tax sheltered annuity programs also available.

Recruiting Schedule:  To receive full consideration, complete application materials are due by October 24, 2008. Interested candidates must complete an online Application of Employment . Please refer to job posting # 08-09-23-01-0080  and follow applicant instructions given online which include submitting the following additional materials:  a letter of interest, a full resume, a statement of salary requirements and the names, addresses (including email) and telephone numbers of three professional references.  Send these additional materials to Alma Rodriguez (alma@austin.utexas.edu) via email.  An email confirmation will be sent within 1-2 working days to candidates who have submitted both the online application and who have emailed the additional materials as instructed.

The University of Texas Libraries has a strong commitment to diversity and encourages applications and nominations from traditionally underrepresented groups. An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer

It's International Professional Legal Management Week

Promoted by the Association of Legal Professionals and co-sponsored by related associations like AALL, the objectives of the Professional Legal Management Week, Oct. 6-10, 2008 are to provide awareness, understanding and education about the legal management profession, and to increase knowledge of the diverse roles within the profession. Promotional Materals.

Hat tip to AALL Spectrum Blog. [JH]

The Key Word is Thinking: Google-Generation Law Students Get Search Logic Lecture from CJ Roberts

Chief Justice John Roberts has issued a warning to law students -- do not rely unthinkingly on Internet sources for legal research. To illustrate his point, CJ Roberts criticized  the use of simple word searches to find "precedents" that have little or no doctrinal connection to the issues at hand.

"There is, I believe, a lot of value in thinking outside the box, but the key word is thinking. ... You cannot think effectively outside the box if you don't know where the box is." -- Chief Justice John Roberts.

In other words, don't "cut and paste analyses right into your briefs." Quoting Westlaw ad copy for one on it's practice library products.

An audio file of Roberts’ speech is available here. You might want to bookmark it for your next legal research lecture. Hat tip to Slaw's Simon Fodden! [JH]

Is the Orphan Works Bill Dead?

Yup. Public Knowledge's co-founder Gigi Sohn gives a a blow-by-blow account in her very interesting post, The Orphan Works Bill: "Wait Til Next Year!" [JH]

HeinOnine Introduces Drill-Down Citation Indexing and Linking to It's Law Journal Library

HeinOnline is introducing a new feature to help researchers assess the relative influence of law review articles based on citation frequency. Start with a topic search in the law journal library. Results will display the number of times each retrieved article has been cited by other law review articles in HeinOnline. From there, select the citation list for a cited article because you can drill down into that search subset to perform a case name search. From there, you can view the cases in articles that cite the influential article you selected to research. Check out HeinOnline's screencast. Hat tip to Jan Novak and her Cleveland-Marshall Law Library's very good CM Law Library Blog.

The Power of Persistence. Back in 1980, I sat in a meeting with Bill Hein and a technologist from the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute in Chicago. Bill was describing what he wanted to do to digitize his product line and provide access to digital collections. At the time, the media under discussion was "video disk" technology. The hurdle was the sad state of OCR software applied to imaged text. I left the meeting thinking that even if the issues were resolved, online vendors like Lexis would so dominate the market that Bill's investment in time and financial resources would end up being a net loss to his company's bottom line. Here's another great HeinOnline service that proved me wrong.

Just a personal note of appreciation for Bill's persistence. His vision and his company's employees are providing options that one supposedly bright young thing just out of an forward-looking IT-oriented library school thought, "this ain't gonna fly." [JH]

New on LLRX.com

From LLRX:

• LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips - We're All Journalists Now: The Transformation of the Press and Reshaping of the Law in the Internet Age
• The Government Domain: Political Fact-Checking Websites, by Peggy Garvin
• Researching Medical Literature on the Internet - 2008, by Gloria Miccioli
• Commentary: New FBI Anti-Terror Guidelines, by Beth Wellington
• Criminal Law Resources: DNA Post-Conviction Resources, by Ken Strutin
• E-Discovery Update: Producing Spreadsheets in Discovery – 2008, by Conrad J. Jacoby
• Why and What Lawyers Should Consider Outsourcing, by Ron Friedmann
• The Art of Written Persuasion: The Problem with the Case Method and the Case for the Problem Method, by Troy Simpson
• LLRX Court Rules, Forms and Dockets, continually updated by law librarian Margaret Berkland

[RJ]

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

The AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers Committee is soliciting articles in three categories: 

Open Division: For active and retired AALL members and law librarians with five or more years of professional experience. Papers are due by March 2, 2009;

New Members Division: For recent graduates and AALL members who have been in the profession for less than five years. Papers are due by March 2, 2009

Student Division: For students in library, information management or law school.  Participants in this division need not be members of AALL.  To submit in this category, you must have been enrolled in law school, or in a library school, information management, or an equivalent program, either in the Fall 2008 or Spring 2009 semester. Papers in the Student Division are due by April 15, 2009.

The winner in each division receives $750 donated by LexisNexis, plus the opportunity to present the winning paper at a program at the 2009 AALL Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.  Winning papers are also considered for publication in Law Library Journal. 

For more information, a list of previous winners, an application and instructions on how to submit your article, visit the AALL website.

Opening: Cataloging Librarian, George Washington University Law Library

The Jacob Burns Law Library is reopening its search for a cataloging librarian with foreign language skills to perform original descriptive and subject cataloging, and to edit shared cataloging copy for older legal materials in a variety of foreign languages. Other responsibilities include providing authority control for headings, solving cataloging conflicts between catalog records and the collection, and participating in the library’s cooperative programs. This is a new cataloging position designed to address the increasing number of foreign language print materials in the library’s research collection.

QUALIFICATIONS: MLS (or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited institution; two to three years of current experience in cataloging, to include original cataloging for materials in French and one additional romance language; working knowledge of AACR2R, LC classification schedules, LCSH, LCRI’s, CSB, MARC formats, and OCLC Connexion; experience with an automated integrated library system; and excellent communication skills. PREFERRED: Cataloging experience in an academic, law, or national library; experience creating authority records; strong service orientation; ability to exercise initiative; and demonstrated ability to work well independently and collegially.

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2008, and will continue until the position is filled. To be considered for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and the names of three professional references via postal mail to Leslie A. Lee, Assistant Director for Administration; The George Washington University, Jacob Burns Law Library; 716 20th Street, NW; Washington, DC 20052; or email to llee@law.gwu.edu; or fax to 202-994-1430 (fax). Only complete applications will be considered.

The George Washington University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Who is Downloading Podcasts?

A recent Pew Internet Project Data memo reports that 19% of all Internet users say they have downloaded a podcast so they could listen to it or view it later. This most recent percentage is up from 12% in Pew Internet's August 2006 survey and 7% in their February-April 2006 survey. Here's the Report's findings on podcast downloading demographics:

Men continue to be more likely than women to download podcasts; 22% of online men compared with just 16% of online women report ever having downloaded a podcast. However, men and women are equally likely (3%) to download podcasts on a typical day. Age differences are more defined with regard to podcast downloading than they were in 2006 when all age groups, except for those 65 and older, were almost equally likely to download podcasts. Now, the dividing line is around the age of 50, with Internet users under 50 years old significantly more likely than older users to download podcasts. Fully 23% of those under 50 say they have ever downloaded a podcast and 4% downloaded one yesterday, compared with 13% and 1% of their older counterparts. Since 2006, younger generations have more fully embraced the technology, their percentages nearly doubling in 2006.

[JH]

SCOTUS Retirement Watch and Likely Picks By President Obama or President McCain

Who's going to retire? Who's on the short list of likely SCOTUS nominees by President Obama or President McCain? Check out the ABA Journal and Washington Post for details. [JH]

Playoffs & Prizes

It's early October. And that can mean only one thing: the start of the baseball playoffs? True, but I'm actually referring to something else: the announcement of this year's Nobel Prizes. Yesterday, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three European scientists who discovered the viruses that cause AIDS and cervical cancer. Earlier today, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to one American and two Japanese scientists for their work exploring the hidden symmetries between elementary particles that are the deepest constituents of nature. Prizes in chemistry, literature, peace, and economics will be announced later this week and next Monday. You can hear about them first on Nobelprize.org, the official website of the Nobel Foundation. It has comprehensive, first-hand information about Nobel Laureates (past and present) and makes available interviews, Nobel Lectures, speeches, articles, and more. [RLS]

Law School Ranking Nonsense from The Princeton Review, 2009 Edition

In the publishing industry, no law school ranking title trumps The Princeton Review in publishing nonsense. The 2009 edition of The Best 174 Law Schools is now available. The publisher has "surveyed more than 18,000 students at 174 law schools, in additon to collecting data from school administrators, to create 11 ranking lists." Note well, the publisher usually updates the descriptive school entries based on some of the survey data only once every two or three years, so ... here's a sample:

Best Professors: Boston

Best Career Prospects: Michigan

Best Classroom Experience: Texas

Toughest to Get Into (the only ranking based solely on school-reported data): Yale

The Categories

• Best Career Prospects
• Best Classroom Experience
• Best Environment for Minority Students
• Best Quality of Life 
• Candidates for Center for American Progress Fellowships? (Or, Students Lean to the Left)
• Candidates for Heritage Foundation Fellowships? (Or, Students Lean to the Right)
• Most Competitive Students
• Most Diverse Faculty
• Most Welcoming of Older Students
• Professors Rock (Legally Speaking)
• Toughest to Get Into

[JH]

SCOTUS as Public Policy Battleground

Interest groups pursue their goals in a variety of venues, including the courts. At the US Supreme Court, the predominant method of interest group participation is the amicus curiae brief. Since the 1960s interest groups participating as amici curiae have increased remarkably, with briefs now present in over eighty percent of cases given full treatment by the Court. In Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision (Oxford UP, 2008), Paul M. Collins explores how organized interests influence the justices' decision making, including how the justices vote and whether they choose to author concurrences and dissents.

Based on his statistical analysis, Collins finds that amicus briefs are efficacious because they provide the justices with information that helps them locate their policy preferences. All justices respond to the presence of amicus briefs, even those briefs that are not congruent with their ideological predispositions;  Liberal briefs are more influential for liberal justices than conservative briefs, while conservative briefs are much more influential for conservative justices than liberal briefs. [JH]

ASIL Launches i.lex

i.lex: The Legal Research System for International Law in U.S. Courts, is an online database of select U.S. court cases and related materials produced by the American Society of International Law to serve as a resource for identifing and understanding how international law is interpreted and applied by U.S. courts at both the federal and state level. Hat tip to Legal Research Plus. [JH]

AALL Creates New Annual Meeting/Workshop Grant Category

The AALL Grants Committee has created a new Annual Meeting/Workshop Granting category, beginning with the 2009 award year. The category applies to "experienced members (5 or more years) who have a proven record of professional accomplishment and service to AALL." Like the grant for Students/New Members with less than 5 years of professional experience this one covers the Annual Meeting registration fee or the registration fee for workshops presented at the Annual Meeting. For more information, visit the AALL Grant Committee’s website. [JH]

U.S. Government Manual, 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 edition of the United States Government Manual is now available on GPO Access. As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.

A typical agency description includes:

• A list of officials heading major operating units.
• A summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government.
• A brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority.
• A description of its programs and activities.
• Information, addresses, and phone numbers to help users locate detailed information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and other matters of public interest.

[RJ]

Opening: Circuit Librarian, Fifth Circuit, New Orleans

The Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit invite applications from qualified persons for the position of Circuit Librarian. The Fifth Circuit Library supports 225 federal circuit, district, bankruptcy, and magistrate judges throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Library currently employees 23 staff members in nine branch libraries throughout the Circuit. This position is duty stationed at the Court’s headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Circuit Librarian is responsible for long-range strategic planning, policy development and implementation, budget oversight, human resource management, library automation, acquisition of legal subscriptions and publications, development and delivery of electronic tools and resources, planning and managing of library space and facilities, and overseeing the provision of legal research in all information formats and the training of library users in all research sources.   

An applicant must have an M.L.S./M.L.I.S. from an ALA-accredited program. A J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school is desirable but not required. The position requires a minimum of ten years of legal library experience, with demonstrated management and supervisory skills in public service or business which provided a thorough understanding of organizational, procedural, and human aspects in managing a complex organization. A comprehensive understanding of library operations and management concepts is essential, including experience with the SIRSI Unicorn Integrated Library System or other ILS, Westlaw, and Lexis. Additional desirable qualifications include specialized education in public or judicial administration, training in court management, knowledge of automated systems, strong analytical skills, polished oral and written communication skills, creativity, and initiative.   Application may be made by sending 6 copies of a résumé and salary history to:  Mr. Gregory A. Nussel Circuit Executive United States Courts, Fifth Circuit 600 Camp Street, Room 300 New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

The starting salary range for this position is $126,618 - $157,999 annually, plus full federal benefits. Pay will be set based on experience and current salary, pursuant to regulations. The deadline for receipt of résumés is October 31, 2008.   The selected applicant must undergo a background check and provide educational transcripts. The Fifth Circuit is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The person selected will serve at the pleasure of the Court.   For additional information, please visit www.ca5.uscourts.gov

OJ Simpson Jury Press Conference Video

In an unusual move to get back to their regular lives, jurors in the OJ Simpson kidnapping trial held a press conference. Here's a snippet. [JH]

See also CCN's coverage of the jury press conference and its video archive of the trial. [JH]

SCOTUS Back in Business

This week's agenda thanks to SCOTUSBlog. According to the National Law Journal's 2008-2009 U.S. Supreme Court Preview, "following a blockbuster term involving guns, Guantánamo Bay and the death penalty, the U.S. Supreme Court opens its doors to a new term with less drama, more cases initially and many challenges having potentially major implications for business, the environment, injured consumers, job bias victims and law enforcement." [RJ]

Editor's Note: Check out the Law Professor Blogs Network's new Constitutional Law Prof Blog. Edited by Steven Schwinn (John Marshall-Chicago,) Ruthann Robson (CUNY) and Nareissa L. Smith (Florida Coastal), the blog is launching as SCOTUS gets down to the business of it's 2008-2009 term. [JH]

Where Are the Strong Female Voices in the Legal Blogosphere?

C.C. Holland assesses the apparent disparity in law blogger demographics and raises important issues in so far as the majority of high-profile legal blogs in academia or the practice of law are written by men. Yes, I was quoted in the Law.com article but that's not why I am linking to Where Are All the Female Law Bloggers? [JH] 

U.S. Courts RSS Feeds

RSS feeds now available from the U.S. Courts website include:

• Newsroom
• Video News Archive
• The Third Branch: Newsletter of the Federal Courts
• Federal Rulemaking
• Hurricane Season 2008: Court Status Updates

Hat tip to AbsTracked.  [RJ]

Tulane Law Review's Flawed Empirical Study

A flawed empirical study published in the Tulane Law Review has draw the ire of the blogging community as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court Justices.  In, The Louisiana Supreme Court in Question: An Empirical and Statistical Study of the Effects of Campaign Money on the Judicial Function, authors Vernon Valentine Palmer and John Levendis argue their "empirical and statistical study of the Louisiana Supreme Court demonstrates that the court has been significantly influenced—wittingly or unwittingly—by the campaign contributions from litigants and lawyers appearing before it."  One (BIG) problem, the article "was based on empirical data coded by the authors, but the data contained numerous coding errors."  According to Tulane's Dean Ponoroff "because of the miscalculation in the underlying data, the reliability of some or all of the authors' conclusions in the study as published has been called into question." The Tulane Law Review has posted an erratum on its website apologizing for the mistake.  [RJ]

Final Report in DOJ Firing Scandal

The Office of the Inspector General has released its final report on the removal of nine U.S. attorneys from the Department of Justice. No charges are expected in the dismissal of attorneys, according to the NY Times.  However, the investigation found significant evidence that political partisan considerations were an important factor in the removal of several of the U.S. Attorneys.  The report concluded that the process the Department used to select the U.S.Attorneys for removal was fundamentally flawed, and the oversight and implementation of the removal process by the Department’s most senior leaders was seriously lacking.
[RJ]

Opening: Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Director of the Law Library, Louisiana State University Law Center

The LSU Law Center invites applications for candidates for its Law Library and Information Services Director.  The directorship is a tenured or tenure-track position with a rank and salary commensurate with the successful applicant's experience and competitive with those available at the nation's other outstanding law schools.  An active role in teaching legal research, including advanced legal research, is possible if the director is interested in such a role.  An ABA accredited law degree and an ALA accredited library degree are required, along with significant experience in an academic law library.

The LSU System is composed of ten institutions spanning Louisiana, one of which is the LSU Law Center, an independent campus in the system.  The law library director reports to the Chancellor and the Faculty of the Law Center.  Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, is a Research I University, with an enrollment of over 30,000 students.   The campus is located on 2,000 acres in the southern part of Baton Rouge, and is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River.   Baton Rouge, with a metropolitan area population of more than 756,000, is the capital of Louisiana.

In the last seven years, the Law Center has increased its operating budget by over 50%; reduced the size of its student body by 10% to approximately 576 J.D. students; increased the LSAT entering credentials of its first year class from 149 (25th percentile), 153 (median), and 156 (75th percentile) to 154, 156, 159; completed an extensive renovation in excess of $17 million dollars of its physical plant; and hired ten new faculty members;

The LSU Law Center is the only United States law school that offers a common law, federal law, and international law curriculum comparable to other outstanding American law schools and an extensive civil law curriculum reflecting Louisiana's unique French and Spanish legal heritage.  Every graduate is trained in both the common law and the civil law, and receives both the traditional American Juris Doctor degree and a Graduate Diploma in Civil Law.  LSU Law also offers a LL.M. and a Master of Civil Law degree to U.S. and foreign law graduates.  On the international front, the Law Center offers a Comparative United States/European curriculum in its well-established Lyon, France, Summer Program.   Distinguished judges, practitioners and academicians drawn from the United States, Europe, and other nations teach annually in a cycle of three-week courses enriching our students' appreciation of the civil law tradition and of comparative modes of legal analysis.  The Law Center is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

In 2008, the LSU Law Center received substantial funding to support the expansion of its Clinical Legal Education program.  The clinical program offers students the opportunity to represent live clients, as well as externship opportunities with courts, other governmental agencies, and community organizations.

The Law Library and Information Technology Services departments have and must continue to play a central role in supporting these and other developments and trends.  Indeed, in direct response to the Law Center's Operational Plan, both groups have been among the principal beneficiaries of the Law Center's unprecedented state, federal, and private financial support.

We are looking for an individual who will maintain the tradition of excellence in the Library's collection and acquisitions programs (including the Civil and Comparative Law fields in which the Library has been among the preeminent law libraries since the 1960's), and who will bring superb management skills to the direction of a customer service oriented team.

Candidates should submit a resume and at least three references.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  The LSU Law Center is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity.  Applications or inquiries should be sent to:

Professor Wendell Holmes
Chair, Search Committee
225/578-8711
LSU Law Center
E. Campus Road
Baton Rouge, La. 70803
Wendell.Holmes@law.lsu.edu

The Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer.