Law Librarian Blog

Committee Against Torture Report

The Committee Against Torture (CAT) has issued it's report on its 39th and 40th session. The report covers the various activities of CAT as well as several discussions related to reports submitted by various government entities.  [RJ]

AALL Day on the Hill: Legislative Advocacy Leadership Training 2009

From the announcement:

On Friday, July 24, 2009 from 8:30am – 5:00pm, a group of your colleagues and peers will meet in Washington, D.C. for AALL Day on the Hill: Legislative Advocacy Leadership Training 2009. We want you to join in the action! The AALL Government Relations Office and the Government Relations Committee are pleased to offer you a unique opportunity to spend a day in Washington, D.C. to learn advocacy skills, network with colleagues, and meet with your Congressional delegation on Capitol Hill. With the 111th Congress gearing up to tackle new issues and a new president coming into office with a message of change, we need YOU to help get law library issues on the minds of your legislators!

By attending this year’s Advocacy Training, you’ll hear from the Government Relations Office staff and Government Relations Committee Chair Steve Mirsky, network with colleagues, and learn about our legislative agenda and new advocacy skills from Washington, D.C.’s own “Advocacy Guru,” Stephanie Vance. Ms. Vance has more than 15 years of experience as a lobbyist and a congressional aide and she will impress you with her knowledge and wonderful enthusiasm for advocacy. After spending the morning learning the skills you need to successfully advocate for law libraries on the federal, state, and local levels and in the workplace, you’ll be able to jump right in and meet with your congressional delegation in the afternoon. Following the tremendous success of the full-day training in 1999, we know this event will be educational, exciting and fun.

Our goal is to have participants from each chapter and every state so that we can develop chapter leadership, broaden support for our legislative work and train a larger number of highly skilled advocates. Please consider joining us in Washington, D.C. Building relationships is key to becoming a successful advocate, and what better place to learn how to build relationships with your lawmakers than in our Nation’s capital? Please register by contacting Emily Feldman at ejf33@law.georgetown.edu.

Seven Minus Four Equals Not Enough, Or How Recusals Could Render the Illinois Supreme Court Powerless in Legal Malpractice Appeal

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that four Illinois Supreme Court justices have been asked to withdraw from hearing an appeal of a legal-malpractice case against Corboy & Demetrio, one of the Chicago's top personal-injury firms, because the justices have received political contributions from the Chicago firm's attorneys.

Should all four justices step aside, there would be only three justices left to hear the case -- rendering an appeal meaningless because the Illinois Constitution requires four votes for any Supreme Court ruling to be official, and the state constitution has no provision for appointing interim justices should a justice withdraw. [JH]

Forty Years Ago Today, Engelbart's Landmark Public Demonstration of NLS Took Place

"If in your office you were provided with a computer display backed up by a computer that was alive for you all day and was instantly responsive to every action that you have, how much value would you derive from that?" -- Doug Engelbart

That's how Doug Engelbart started his 90-minute live public demonstration of a collaborative workspace called NLS (oN Line System) on December 9, 1968. Simply amazing. This historic presentation was a session in the of the Fall Joint Computer Conference held in San Francisco, and it was attended by about 1,000 computer professionals. For some (many, most, everyone) in the audience, jaws must have dropped. Mine did the first time I viewed the now-famous video.

The innovations demonstrated that day included the computer mouse hypertext, object addressing and dynamic file linking, as well as shared-screen collaboration involving two persons at different sites communicating over a network with audio and video interface.

At the time of the presentation, Engelbart and his team of 17 researchers at the Augmentation Research Center, Stanford Research Institute, had been working on the NLS for six years.

Here's the video of the entire demonstration, clipped into nine parts from YouTube with my lame annotations. It has an undeniable science fiction quality. Why not take a long lunch to view it. [JH]

Part 1 of 9: Demonstration of Text Processing, Display Controls, File Creation (with basic metadata) and Storage

Part 2 of 9: Text Manipulation

Part 3 of 9: View Parameters - Construction of Text File with Hyperlinks to Jump Forward and Backward

Part 4 of 9: Hardware Workstation Controllers: Mouse, Standard Keyboard and Special Keyset

This is the first public explanation and demonstration of a mouse. I believe the mouse was made out of wood with sensors and two wheels to control the pointer's location. Note also the one-hand equivalent of a standard keyboard, a 5-key piano-chord keyboard with 31 key combinations that could be used to produce characters.

Part 5 of 9: Hardward Display System -- $5,500 for video hardware

Part 6 of 9: Software Design Features

Part 7 of 9: File Sharing: Messaging, Message Searching, and On-the-fly Hypertext Linking

Part 8 0f 9: Weighted Controlled Vocabulary Searching of Stored Files

Part 9 of 9: System Development

Note reference to Arpanet (20kb/sec latency of less than 1/10 second)

LLB's Top Christmas Present for Librarians

Dennie Heye on Service Mentality

"I always hate it when people try to make their problem mine."

For over ten years Dennie Heye has worked in large organizations and has had his share of Dilbert-like experiences. His blog, The Obnoxious Librarian From Hades, is his way of venting frustrations and amusing others at the same time. Posts from the blog are now available in book form, print for a modest credit crisis adjusted price and e-book for free.

Not only is the book full of humorous insights into providing library service, bad meetings, managers and other topics, it offers great workplace advice. For example, I can't wait to use one of Heye's communication tips, use a white font on a white background.

The Obnoxious Librarian From Hades is the top 2008 Christmas gift for librarians! [JH]

Understanding FRE 502: Analysis and Resources

The Federal Evidence Review has developed a FRE 502 Resource Page that provides background and key links covering the application of the new attorney client privilege rule. Resources include the text and an overview of FRE 502, primary legislative materials, cases and Federal Evidence Blog postings. See also the Review's background paper, Understanding New FRE 502 (Attorney-Client Privilege And Work-Product Doctrine). Very useful. [JH]

ARL Back on Lexis

According to WisBlawg, the American Law Reports are once again available on Lexis.  Remember to notate the change on your ALR guides.  [RJ]

First Beta of Windows 7 May (or May Not) Be Handed Out Tomorrow

A public beta of Microsoft's next operating system, Win7, may be released tomorrow according to Beta News' Scott Fulton. But if it is, it will not be widely distributed. All I want to know is (1) how many GB of memory will I need to run Win7, 4, 6, 10 GB, and (2) can I keep my current computers running long enough to avoid having to buy Vista machines which, of course, means keeping them operating until Win7 SP2 is released. [JH]

Helping those Amicus writing patrons

Wanted to direct some attention today to a short read on Slate concerning Amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court. As the article points out filing Amici before the case is accepted makes it much more likely that it will actually be read by the Court but many "liberal" leaning clients do not file Amici briefs pre-cert, the ACLU is an example (who only files in extraordinary circumstances). {bb}

Webcast on Social Networking for Lawyers Set fro Tuesday, Dec. 9

From West Legal Ed Center:

"If you’re a legal professional and you’re not taking advantage of social networking yet, the time is now. Legal blogs, Web sites and publications have been buzzing for months about the benefits social networks offer a lawyer’s practice. 

“It’s important to understand that as a lawyer you have to do more than just stay in the library, be in the courthouse or negotiate contracts,” says Ed Poll, founder of LawBiz Management Company. “There’s more to the practice of law than just applying the craft. Social networking needs to be part of a lawyer’s workday.”

Poll, and management consultant David Nour, will present a free live webcast on West LegalEdcenter titled, “Social Networking for Lawyers” on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern.
They can explain how to develop a meaningful online presence on soc! ial networking sites that enhance a lawyer’s visibility and search engine ranking, as well as bring in new business.

“It’s really important for lawyers and law firm leaders to understand that their clients are into social networking and this may be just that tool that they are looking for to connect,” Poll says. “Lawyers need to know what’s happening in the technology world, even if they’re not gung-ho on implementing every aspect of it.”

Hear Poll’s suggestion for getting started in social networking, in this audio clip (:42).

Register for the free webcast on West LegalEdcenter.com.

Top 10 CALI Legal Research Lessons, Fall Semester 2008

1. Introduction to Secondary Resources by Brian Huddleston.
2. Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade by Sheri Lewis.
3. How to Find Case Law Using the Digests by Brian Huddleston.
4. Anatomy of a Case by Brian Huddleston.
5. Updating/Validating Case Law Using Citators by Rebecca Trammell.
6. American Law Reports by Kimberli Morris.
7. Periodicals Indexes and Library Catalogs by C. Andrew Larrick.
8. Introduction to Search Logic and Strategies by Sarah Gotschall.
9. Legal Research Methodology by Wendy Scott & Kennard Strutin.
10. Finding Statutes by Kit Kreilick.

Source: All Time Lesson Runs Since 2008-08-01. [JH]

Rebuking John Yoo, Berkeley City Council and DOJ Style

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Berkeley’s City Council will vote on whether to demand the United States charge Berkeley law prof John Yoo with war crimes because he authored the notorious tortune memos for the Bush Administration. Of course, this action is merely symbolic. Also utterly symbolic, the City Council will decide whether to "order" Boalt to offer alternatives to Yoo’s courses, so no student will be forced to take a class from him if they don’t want to. Neither action, if passed,  will have any affect of the Law School's policies.

Yoo's torture memos, however, remain the subject of a DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility investigation. According to The Public Record, OPR investigation "is likely to recommend that the memo’s authors, Jay Bybee and John Yoo, be rebuked for the way in which they interpreted a law that formed the basis of the memo." [JH]

First Full-Length Study of the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations Published

Beginning in December 1947, as part of the Truman administration's loyalty program, the federal government engaged in a massive effort to publicize the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations (AGLOSO). In the process, it threatened, damaged, or destroyed nearly 300 organizations, all of which were listed without any notice, evidence, or hearings. The AGLOSO list, which was dominated by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, also placed a huge damper on political dissent throughout the nation.

Robert Goldstein's American Blacklist: The Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations (Kansas, October 2008) is the only full-length study of the AGLOSO lists and its critical role in the post-World War II Red Scare. The author draws heavily on previously classified FBI, Justice Department, and other documents. HIghly recommended. [JH]

New Backruptcy, Civil and Criminal Procedure Rules Effective Dec. 1

Congress has taken no action on the amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Procedure, approved by the Supreme Court on April 23, 2008. Accordingly, the following amendments to the rules will take effect on December 1, 2008:

•Bankruptcy Rules 1005, 1006, 1007, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1015, 1017, 1019, 1020, 2002, 2003, 2007.1, 2015, 3002, 3003, 3016, 3017.1, 3019, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4006, 4007, 4008, 5001, 5003, 6004, 7012, 7022, 7023.1, 8001, 8003, 9006, 9009, and 9024, and new Bankruptcy Rules 1021, 2007.2, 2015.1, 2015.2, 2015.3, 5008, and 6011;

•Supplemental Rule C(6)(a); and

•Criminal Rules 1, 12.1, 17, 18, 32, 41, 45, 60, and 61.

Announcement here and text of rules here. Hat tip to AbsTracked. [JH]

Guantanamo and Its Aftermath: U.S. Detention and Interrogation Practices and Their Impact on Former Detainees

New report from the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley:

"This sobering report by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley adds a new chapter to the chronicle of America’s dismal descent into the netherworld of prisoner abuse since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Carefully researched and devoid of rhetoric, it traces the missteps that disfigured an internationally admired nation and tainted its self-proclaimed ideals of humane treatment and justice for all. Through the voices of detainees formerly held at U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the report provides new insights into the lingering consequences of unjust detention and the corrupted processes developed in the desperate months following 9/11."  [RJ]

UNAMI issues its 13th report on the situation of Human Rights in Iraq covering the first half of 2008

From the press release:

"The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issued its 13th report on the human rights situation in the country covering the period 1 January – 30 June 2008. During the reporting period, Iraq has witnessed substantial improvements in general security conditions, with a marked drop in violent, high-visibility, high-casualty attacks by militias or criminal gangs, but the human rights situation in the country still remains serious. 

The report highlights the situation of detainees across the country that remains of serious concern, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Many detainees have been deprived of their liberty for month or even years, often under harsh physical conditions, without access to defense counsel, or without being formally charged with a crime or produced before a judge. Continuing allegations of widespread torture and ill-treatment of inmates are of particular concern. Slow bureaucratic procedures, insufficient resources, degraded infrastructure and lack of effective accountability measures result in inordinate delays in processing detainees’ cases."   [RJ]