Law Librarian Blog

What Drives Media Slant?

In What Drives Media Slant? Evidence from U.S. Daily Newspapers, Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro onstruct a new index of media slant that measures whether a news outlet's language is more similar to a congressional Republican or Democrat.  More from the abstract of this very interesting NBER report:

We apply the measure to study the market forces that determine political content in the news.  We estimate a model of newspaper demand that incorporates slant explicitly, estimate the slant that would be chosen if newspapers independently maximized their own profits, and compare these ideal points with firms' actual choices.  Our analysis confirms an economically significant demand for news slanted toward one's own political ideology.  Firms respond strongly to consumer preferences, which account for roughly 20 percent of the variation in measured slant in our sample.  By contrast, the identity of a newspaper's owner explains far less of the variation in slant, and we find little evidence that media conglomerates homogenize news to minimize fixed costs in the production of content.

Largest Law Firms (Still) Hire from Elite Schools

The National Law Journal is reporting that with a few exceptions, the nation's largest law firms continued to rely on renowned private schools in the eastern half of the country to fill their first-year associate ranks in 2006. Read more about it. [JH]

FEC Announces Updated Contribution Limits

From the press release: "The Federal Election Commission today announced revised contribution limits which have been indexed for inflation and are effective for the 2007-2008 elections for President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives."  [RJ]

EPA Won't Close More Libraries Without Consultation

From Library Journal.com: "The Environmental Protection Agency's decision to close five of 26 agency libraries has prompted steady criticism from the American Library Association (ALA) and others, and that criticism has paid off: the agency won't close more libraries without further consultation. "We have re-engaged," a conciliatory, contrite Mike Flynn, of the EPA's Office of Environmental Information, said Saturday at an update session sponsored by the ALA Washington Office at the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle."  [RJ]

DOJ Annual FOIA Report FY 2006

Statistical report of the Justice Department's FOIA activities for 2006.  [RJ]

U.S. Capital Markets Report

The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, an independent, bipartisan committee composed of 22 corporate and financial leaders from the investor community, business, finance, law, accounting, and academia, has issued its Interim Report and recommendations on U.S. Public equity markets competitiveness.  The report has been derided by some as a corporate defense lawyers' "Christmas wish list."  See the National Law Journals story.  [RJ]

Securities Regulation Blog

"Jim Hamilton’s World of Securities Regulation ambitiously attempts to opine on every level of securities regulation (federal, state, international, theoretical) … covering people of all types (e.g., accountants, broker-dealers, foreign issuers, hedge funds, market manipulators) … doing all sorts of transactions and activities (acquisitions, financial reporting, private placements, pyramid schemes).   Its aim is to highlight issues of particular importance to securities lawyers and their clients, and to encourage a dialogue, with emphasis on SEC rulemaking, industry trends, and the many curiosities that inhabit this world."  [RJ]

CRS Report on Competitive Status of US Stock Markets

SARBANES-OXLEY AND THE COMPETITIVE POSITION OF U.S. STOCK MARKETS   
CRS Publication Date:  01/11/2007
Document No.:  RL33796
Author(s):  Mark Jickling, Government and Finance Division

Abstract:  This report provides a context for evaluating arguments about the competitive position of U.S. stock markets. The tables and charts in this report present data that illustrate trends in global markets since 1995. The first set of data gives a sense of how the world's stock exchanges rank in size - in other words, where the competition lies. Subsequent tables set out data on new listings and delistings at the major exchanges, and on trends in international listings. Finally, the record in capital formation is examined: how much have firms raised on the major exchanges through IPOs, through follow-up stock offerings. Some data ongoing-private transactions are also presented.

CRS Reports can be obtained from GalleryWatch.com. Individual reports are available from www.pennyhill.com. [RJ]

Koshollek's Ready Reference Web Resources

In the December 2006 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer, Mary J. Koshollek highlights ready reference sites that are some of the best resources for providing factual, accurate, and up-to-date information on most any topic. Her article divides these sources into a number of categories, including dictionaries, atlases and maps, almanacs, statistics, encyclopedias, calculators, calendars, and timekeepers.

Mary's article is a excellent example of law librarians serving members of the bench and bar. She is director of information and records services at Godfrey & Kahn S.C., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has taught Advanced Legal Research as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School and is a frequent lecturer and author on legal research for professional associations. She serves on the board of the Private Law Libraries, Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries.

Great job! [JH]

Libby Trial Exhibits

From the U.S. Department of Justice: "Due to public interest in this case, the Department of Justice is releasing the government exhibits in the format admitted in the court. The Department recognizes that these documents are in some cases not in an accessible format. If you have a disability and the format of any material on the site interferes with your ability to access some information, please email the Department of Justice webmaster at webmaster@usdoj.gov."  [RJ]

Cast Your Vote for CAGW's Porker of the Year

Cast your vote for Citizens Against Goverment Waste's 2006 Porker of the Year! And the Nominees are: 

• Rep. Alan Mollohan
• Sens. Thad Cochran and Trent Lott
• Sen. John Thune

Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: A Guide for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors

New report from the National Institute of Justice:

"Now essential to modern life, computers have also become increasingly important to criminals, who steal information, commit fraud, and stalk victims online. Even if a crime was not committed online, law enforcement may discover critical evidence from an offenders' digital media. For this evidence to be admissible, however, police must demonstrate proper collection and handling. In the courtroom, prosecutors must overcome the twin barriers of skepticism and lack of technical understanding. To help navigate this complex process, NIJ's technical working group of national experts prepared this special report."  [RJ]

2006 State Juvenile Justice Legislation

Survey of State Juvenile Justice Legislation from National Juvenile Defender Center.  [RJ]

Learning-Disabled Law Graduates Sue Maine Board of Bar Examiners

The Portland Press Herald is reporting that Bruce Montgomery and Toby Jandreau are suing the Maine Board of Bar Examiners, claiming that learning disabilities prevent them from passing the bar examination without extra time and other necessary accommodations. The Maine Bar Examiners responded to the charges by saying Montgomery and Jandreau's conditions were not sufficient to require accommodation.  [RJ]

CRS Report on GHG Reduction Options

CLIMATE CHANGE: DESIGN APPROACHES FOR A GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION PROGRAM
CRS Publication Date:  01/16/2007
Document No.:  RL33799
Author(s):  Larry Parker, Resources, Science, and Industry Division

Abstract:  Because a stalemate has persisted on strategies to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly because of cost uncertainties, attention has increasingly focused on options to address these concerns and to move the debate forward. These options range from incremental mechanisms within a tradeable permit program, such as banking and borrowing of credits, that have a minimal effect on overall emission reduction targets goals to more fundamental proposals, such as a carbon tax, that would take climate change policy in a new and somewhat uncharted direction. This paper explores these options to address the cost issue in four parts. First, the basic economic tradeoff between controlling the quantity of GHG emissions and the program's compliance costs is introduced and explained. Second, the five dimensions of the cost issue that have arisen so far in the climate change debate are identified and discussed. Third, a representative sample of proposed aproaches to address cost concerns is compared and analyzed according to the five cost dimensions identified previously. Finally, the proposed options are summarized and opportunities to combine or merge different approaches are analyzed.

CRS Reports can be obtained from GalleryWatch.com. Individual reports are available from www.pennyhill.com. [RJ]

2007 State of the Union Address Resources

State of the Union 2007 [Transcript] [Webcast]

2007 State of the Union Policy Initiatives: Fact Sheet and Full Report covering:

• ENERGY: Twenty In Ten: Strengthening America's Energy Security
• HEALTH CARE: Affordable, Accessible, And Flexible Health Coverage
• EDUCATION: Building On Results: A Blueprint For Strengthening NCLB
• IMMIGRATION: President Bush's Plan For Comprehensive Immigration Reform
• HIV/AIDS: Leading The Worldwide Fight Against HIV/AIDS
• MALARIA: The President's Malaria Initiative Is Saving Lives
• DEFENSE: Strengthening Our Military
• SPENDING REFORMS: Reforms To Spend Tax Dollars Wisely

Press Briefing on the State of the Union Speech

Democrats Response to the State of the Union

Analysis from CNN

Analysis from the NY Times

Analysis from the Washington Post

[RJ]

AAUP Draft Report Criticizes New Orleans Universities for Post-Katrina Layoffs

From the Chronicle: "A special committee of the American Association of University Professors sharply criticizes several New Orleans universities in a draft report of its investigation of layoffs, program cuts, and other steps the institutions took in the wake of Hurricane Katrina." [JH]

Professional Readings: On "Libricide"

Burning Books
by Haig Bosmajian

List Price: $39.95
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2006
ISBN: 0786422084

For over 2000 years, book burners have laid their torches to millions of books condemned as heretical, blasphemous, immoral, obscene, subversive or seditious. Books have been reduced to ashes in church yards, college yards, school furnaces, public squares and city streets. The goals of the book burners have been to extirpate history, to intimidate and stamp out opposition, to create solidarity, and to cleanse society of controversial ideas. Too often, book burning foreshadows violence against those who originated or shared the ideas. This work provides a detailed account of book burning worldwide over the past 2000 years. (Book burning is meant literally, not as a figurative reference to book banning.) The book burners are identified, along with the works they deliberately set aflame. An important aspect of this study is its examination of the metaphoric language that "justified" the destruction; books being burned were tares, pestilence, plagues, cancers, and poison. Such language is a central part to the control the burners hope to exercise over those who might otherwise read the books and become part of the exchange of ideas. Also considered is the primeval pull of the book burning ritual, which in its simplicity leads to the destruction of ideas and the uniformity of thought most often associated with totalitarian regimes.

Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction
by Rebecca Knuth

List Price: $39.95
Publisher: Praeger Publishers, 2006
ISBN: 0275990079

Whether the product of passion or of a cool-headed decision to use ideas to rationalize excess, the decimation of the world's libraries occurred throughout the 20th century, and there is no end in sight. Cultural destruction is, therefore, of increasing concern. In her previous book Libricide, Rebecca Knuth focused on book destruction by authoritarian regimes: Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the Chinese Communists in Tibet. But authoritarian governments are not the only perpetrators. Extremists of all stripes--through terrorism, war, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and other forms of mass violence--are also responsible for widespread cultural destruction, as she demonstrates in this new book.

Burning Books and Leveling Libraries is structured in three parts. BLPart I is devoted to struggles by extremists over voice and power at the local level, where destruction of books and libraries is employed as a tactic of political or ethnic protest. BLPart II discusses the aftermath of power struggles in Germany, Afghanistan, and Cambodia, where the winners were utopians who purged libraries in efforts to purify their societies and maintain power. BLPart III examines the fate of libraries when there is war and a resulting power vacuum. The book concludes with a discussion of the events in Iraq in 2003, and the responsibility of American war strategists for the widespread pillaging that ensued after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. This case poignantly demonstrates the ease with which an oppressed people, given the collapse of civil restraints, may claim freedom as license for anarchy, construing it as the right to prevail, while ignoring its implicit mandate of social responsibility. Using military might to enforce ideals (in this case democracy and freedom) is futile, Knuth argues, if insufficient consideration is given to humanitarian, security, and cultural concerns.

Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century
by Rebecca Knuth

List Price: $44.95
Publisher: Praeger Publishers, 2003
ISBN: 027598088X

"Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings," declared German poet Heinrich Heine. This book identifies the regime-sponsored, ideologically driven, and systemic destruction of books and libraries in the 20th century that often served as a prelude or accompaniment to the massive human tragedies that have characterized a most violent century. Using case studies of libricide committed by Nazis, Serbs in Bosnia, Iraqis in Kuwait, Maoists during the Cultural Revolution in China, and Chinese Communists in Tibet, Knuth argues that the destruction of books and libraries by authoritarian regimes was sparked by the same impulses toward negation that provoked acts of genocide or ethnocide. Readers will learn why some people--even those not subject to authoritarian regimes--consider the destruction of books a positive process. Knuth promotes understanding of the reasons behind extremism and patterns of cultural terrorism, and concludes that what is at stake with libricide is nothing less than the preservation and continuation of the common cultural heritage of the world. Anyone committed to freedom of expression and humanistic values will embrace this passionate and valuable book.

U.S. Court Uphold "Orphan Works" Law

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision to dismiss Kahle v. Gonzales, which argued that legal changes made in the 1990s had vastly extended copyright protections at the expense of free speech rights. The court rejected the argument made by the Internet Archive that copyright protection of orphan works, or books and other media that are no longer in print should be rolled back. [RJ]

State Legislative Bill Tracking and Update Services

Excellent resource from the National Conference of State Legislatures:

"Every state offers free public access to bill status and/or bill text via the Internet.  However, a number of states offer additional bill tracking features on legislative websites.  The user identifies bills he or she is interested in tracking, provides an e-mail address, and then receives an e-mail notification whenever any action is reported on the bill.  At least 17 states offer this type of free e-mail subscription service.  Other states provide for bill tracking through the creation of personalized lists, but do not provide e-mail updates.  Some states also offer enhanced bill tracking information for a fee–providing either more detailed information or real-time updates, in addition to free tracking.  In addition to bill tracking services, several states provide e-mail notifications of other types of legislative information.  And a growing number of states are providing updates via RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary), a service that alerts users to new content on the web, such as committee notices, new actions on bills or news updates."  [RJ]