Criminal Law Library BlogIn their September 8 article in Bloomberg News, Cary O’Reilly and Linda Sandler write that “[A]s the White House and Congress debate how to regulate financial crisis, judges have assumed the point position of punishing Wall Street for causing the worst recession since the 1930s.” O’Reilly and Sandler point out that while the executive and legislative branches of government continue to discuss the possibilities of implementing various reforms as a response to the financial crisis that began approximately a year ago, “judges are [actually] taking the first steps toward the same goal, punishing executives and issuing rulings with national impact.” In their article O’Reilly and Sandler go on to enumerate specific examples of how some judges have proceeded along this path.
Articles Posted in The Judiciary
New York Commission on Judicial Nominations – Proposed Revisions to Rules – July 2009
In response to criticism it received for submitting and all-male list with only one black of seven candidates to New York Governor David A. Paterson last December to fill a New York Court of Appeals opening created by the retirement of then Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, the New York Commission on Judicial Nominations has released for public comment a number of proposed rule changes, Proposed Revisions to the Rules of the Commission on Judicial Nominations: Title 22 N.Y.C.R.R. Section 7100. The proposed revisions announced in a Press Release by the Commission on July 20; a 45 day comment period on the rules is expected to begin next week.:
Press Release Announce Proposed Rule Revisions
Download fileles of the New York Commission on Judical Nominations
Defining and Measuring Judicial Activism: An Empirical Study of Judges on the United States Court of Appeals
Corey Rayburn Yung who teaches criminal law and procedure at the John Marshall Law School has posted a draft paper (Defining and Measuring Judicial Activism: An Empirical Study of Judges on the United States Court of Appeals) on SSRN. Professor Yung’s scholarship is primarily focused on sex crimes and judicial decision-making. Here is an Abstract of the paper:
July 15, 2009
Abstract: Defining and Measuring Judicial Activism: An Empirical Study of Judges on the United States Court of Appeals
ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. July 10, 2009.
Ten top stories.
July 10, 2009.
Editor’s Note: Check back at ABAJournal.com starting Monday for live coverage of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings. The Journal’s U.S. Supreme Court expert Richard Brust will post highlights from the Senate committee Q&A.
ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. June 19, 2009.
10 Top Stories June 19, 2009.
Layoffs BigLaw Voice Mail to Young Attorneys: ‘It’s Not Good News, But Give Us a Call’
Jun 15, 2009, 01:58 pm CDT
Uncertainty in Law Circles Over New U.S. Supreme Court Ruling for Judges
Uncertainty in Law Circles Over New Court Ruling for Judges
By JOHN SCHWARTZ Published: June 10, 2009 by the New York Times
“Lawyers across the country said that a Supreme Court ruling on conflicts of interest among elected judges could prompt a deluge of requests for judges to recuse themselves from cases.,,,”
New York City Bar Report on the Bronx Supreme and Criminal Courts
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (New York City Bar) has just published its Report on the Merger of the Bronx Supreme and Criminal Courts. Commenting on the Report in his June 11, 2009 New York Law Journal article, “City Bar Report Cites ‘Serious Problems’ With Bronx Merger”, Daniel Wise writes: “The merger of Criminal and Supreme courts in the Bronx has created ‘serious problems’ if additional judicial resources are not made available, a report by the New York City Bar Concluded.” In the Report it is recommended that “strong and immediate attempts” need to be taken to handle a growing backlog of felony cases.
The New York City Bar report was prepared by the Committee on Criminal Courts and the Committee on Criminal Justice Operations, both committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and released on June 10, 2009. Below is an excerpt from the Opening Statement and a link to the complete report:
Opening Statement Excerpt:
ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. May 29, 2009.
Top Ten Stories of the Week ending May 29, 2009:
Layoffs 2009’s Toll: More Than 10,000 Law Firm Layoffs and Lower Pay Trend
May 28, 2009, 10:43 am CDT
Violence Against Women Act Courts Program: Input Needed
From Brenda k. Uekert, Senior Research Associate, National Center for State Courts:
The Court Training and Improvements Program (Courts Program) was created by the Violence Against Women Act of 2005. The specific criteria that will be used to solicit proposals for the Courts Program is currently being considered by the appropriate federal entities. The National Center for State Courts seeks input from courts on your ongoing needs (e.g., domestic violence courts, training, hiring/retaining specialized staff) in the areas of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
We have the opportunity to help shape the solicitation that will introduce the Courts Program grants. We are particularly interested in the topics of domestic violence courts/dockets and training. We would like to hear from you about your current challenges and needs. What specific components of a grant program would help improve your court’s responses to the types of acts noted in the Violence Against Women Act?
Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Background Documents, LC Materials, Two Opinions, And Completed Questionnaire
To help those who are interested in information beyond that available in the popular news media regarding Judge Sotomayor we have assembeled two background documents, two of Judge Sotomayor’s opinions, one from 2002 and another from 2008. Also included is a completed copy of the questionnaire of Judge Sotoamyor prepared for and delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee. All judicial candidates such as Sonia Sotomayor are required to complete and submit a questionnaire as part of the confirmation process. You can view these documents from the links below. The links contain brief title descriptions of the respective materials:
Background on Judge Sonie Sotomayor Prepared by the White House, May 2009