Criminal Law Library BlogTop Ten Stories of the Week ending May 22, 2009:
Trials & Litigation
‘Reply All’ Was a Mistake, Peeved Partner Tells Quinn Emanuel Associate May 19, 2009, 03:53 pm CDT
Articles Posted in Commentary and Opinion
Who Were the Most Important Legal Thinkers in American Law in the Past Century?
Brian R. Leiter the John P. Wilson Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Law, Philosophy and Human Values at the University of Chicago has conducted a poll to determine who people think were the most important legal thinkers in american law in the past century. There were 180 votes cast. Professor Leiter has post the top 25 on his blog, Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports. When looking at the list don’t forget to scroll down and read the comments which are also thought provoking. As one would expect on such a list there are always questions about why so-and-so was or was not included.
Obama Delivers Critique Defending His Decision to Close Guantanamo
In Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Online News, Keith Perine writes: “…Obama, speaking with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as a backdrop, defended his order to close the detainee prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and outlined several tenets of his own counterterrorism strategy. The president tried to reframe the complex problem of how to treat the Guantánamo detainees as one that requires pragmatism above politics and bipartisan deliberation over partisan attacks.
“As president, I refuse to allow this problem to fester. I refuse to pass it on to somebody else,” Obama said, in one of several thinly veiled digs at the George W. Bush administration. ‘It is my responsibility to solve the problem. Our security interests will not permit us to delay. Our courts won’t allow it. And neither should our conscience.’ ” To see the entire article, including an account of a rebuttal speech by former Vice President Cheney, delivered from the American Enterprise Institute, click here.
Update: OCLC Policy On Record Use
Late in October 2008 rumors were circulating around the lbrary community that OCLC was in the process of updating its Guidelines for the Use and Transfer of OCLC Derived Records These rumors proved true; OCLC published its new policy on Sunday November 2, 2008. The reaction to these changes was sufficiently “swift and harsh” that on November 19, 2008 OCLC removed the original updated version and released a second updated version on November 19. Since that time reaction has continued to be animated, resulting in a continuing series of meetings, proposed changes, commentaries etc.
What is the present status of this discussion? To help answer that question Phyllis Post, who attended the May 2009 OCLC Members Council Meeting where a presentation was made by OCLC, has provided a brief but most helpful update which I received as an e-mail. With the permission of Phyllis I am posting her message below:
Colleagues,
The Jury Expert May 2009
Volume 21, Issue 3 May 2009.
A publication of the American Society of Trial Consultants.
LEAD ARTICLES:
Pruning Prisons: How Cutting Corrections Can Save Money and Protect Public Safety
The Justice Policy Institute, an advocacy organization based in Washington DC, has just issued a report, Pruning Prisons: How Cutting Corrections Can Save Money and Protect Public Safety, which argues that states can improve public safety and save millions of dollars by investing in community based alternatives to incarceration. Quoting from the Introduction: “as the United States grapples with harsh economic realities, states and localities continue to cut budgets, shed jobs, and trim institutions that are not cost effective. Among the least cost effective are prisons and jail systems. Bulding on these observations the remainder of the of the report outlines a number of findings and recommendations supported by charts and other data .
More from the Introduction:
The United States’ prison system continues to grow every year. Over 2.3 million people are incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails. As state prisons hold nearly 60 percent of the people incarcerated, yearly increases in the prison system are most keenly felt by states.
Safeguarding Library Collections at the Dawn of the 21st Century
In a recent e-mail Robert Richards, a Law Librarian and Legal Information Consultant from Philadelphia, mentions a recent Associatiion of Research Libraries (ARL) preservation report, “Safeguarding Collections at the Dawn of the 21st Century: Describing Roles & Measuring Contemporary Preservation Activities in ARL Libraries,” http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/safeguarding-collections.pdf .. More details are at http://www.arl.org/news/pr/preservation-14may09.shtml The report is organized around three main sections: Preservation Functions; Networked Digital Environment; and Collaboration. Within each section, background and analysis are provided and recommendations offered for consideration by ARL
CLLB Information Security Newsletter. Volume 2 Number 5 May 2009.
Volume 2 Number 5 May 2009.
Rogue (Fake) Anti-Virus Software: How to Spot It & Avoid It!*
From the Desk of David Badertscher
Employee Web Use: What is OK and What is Not
A White Paper from MessageLabs.
Although this white paper was written primarily for IT managers we think it has considerable broader applicability and are therefore posting it here.
Summary:
Meghan McCain: Why I Love Guns
Meghan McCain, John McCain’s daughter, writing in the Daily Beast discusses her love of guns. Here are some excerpts from her posting.
According to Meghan: “…I find it empowering, especially as a woman, to fire off a few rounds….Lets get something straight: Individual responsibility and personal liberty are inherent Republican philosophies. And nothing could be more essential in protecting those ideals than the Bill of Rights. Its no accident the second of the first 10 amendments protects the right to bear armsand has done so for more than 200 years. Obviously, I realize the Second Amendment has been heavily scrutinized. Its simplicity is sometimes mistaken for ambiguity. But it stands as a fundamental right, ensures the conditions for a ‘free state,’ and rewards responsible, trained citizens with the freedom to protect themselves. Thats what the NRA is truly about: providing Americans who choose to take advantage of their Second Amendment rights the appreciation for the serious responsibilities and safety precautions necessary to ensure gun owners safety and the safety of others.”
Although some of us don’t especially love guns or agree with her interpretation of the Second Amendment, Meghan does have a right to express her opinion. See her entire posting at http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-05-14/trigger-happy/ and don’t forget to read the comments.