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With all the news and interest in the Democratic National Convention which begins on Monday, we thought that some of you would be interested in seeing, Renewing America’s Promise, Report of the Platform Committee for presentation to the 2008 National Convention. It was approved on August 9, 2008. To see the Platform click on the link below:

Report of the Platform Committee as Approved on August 9, 2008 for Presentation to the 2008 National Convention

All four of the recommendations submitted by the Criminal Justice Section to the ABA House of Delegates were unamiously approved on August 11, 2008:

Brief descriptions of the final versions of the recommendations are included below. Those seeking addtional information can contact the Criminal Justice Section at http://www.abanet.org/crimjust:

104A Recommends that Rule 32 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure be amended by the addition of subsections (c)(3) and (c)(4), that would call for availability of information received from parties and non-parties to ensure that both the government and the defense have an opportunity to review information to be considered by the sentencing court in determining the appropriate punishment.

From: Findlaw Breaking Legal Documents, June 12, 2008.

Justices Rule Guantanamo Bay Detainees Can File Suit in Federal Courts

BOUMEDIENE V. BUSH

A calendar arranged by topic of CLE trainings and other public legal events. To see the calendar click here.

News and Views from the American Library Association (ALA):

Libraries toppled in devastating Chinese earthquake

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in western China on the afternoon of May 12 killed more than 40,000 people and left another 5 million homeless. In the week after the quake, the Library Society of China posted information on damage to libraries in the region on its Chinese-language website. The library building in Beichuan County collapsed, burying five staff members under the debris, but all were rescued after being trapped for more than 70 hours. The Chinese American Librarians Association has set up a website for donations to support earthquake recovery efforts in China

From: Findlaw Opinion Summaries May 20, 2008.

Court: Paper Money Discriminates Against Blind Users

AM. COUNCIL OF THE BLIND V. PAULSON

Top Ten Stories:

Careers How Rookie Lawyers Can Avoid Big Mistakes

May 8, 2008, 06:48 am CDT

Diamond, Mark P. “Six Critical Steps to Manageing Electronically Stored Information Under FRCP,” : Findlaw for Legal Professionals.(April 8, 2008).

SIX CRITICAL STEPS TO MANAGING ELECTRONICALLY STORED INFORMATION

“(Mark Diamond) – Litigation always, has been, and will continue to be, a reality of doing business. What is changing, however, is discovery and its focus on electronically stored information (often abbreviated ESI). Recent amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure concerning the discovery of ESI coupled with the explosive growth of electronically stored documents are exposing organizations to new risks and costs during litigation and the subsequent discovery”

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

CRIME AND HUMAN RIGHTSHOW POLITICAL PARANOIA, PROTESTANT FUNDAMENTALISM, AND CONSTITUTIONAL OBSOLESCENCE COMBINED TO DEVASTATE BLACK AMERICA: THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY 2007 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS*

MICHAEL TONRY pages 1–34

The following was posted on the LAW.COM: Legal Blog Watch on March 3, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant:

“Everyone in the blawgosphere knows that David Lat is Above the Law. Everyone, that is, except Facebook, which apparently has its own laws that even a blogger of Lat’s stature can’t transcend. Facebook recently banished David Lat from its site, without explanation, according to Daniel Solove at Concurring Opinions. Fortunately, the suspension didn’t last long — as of this afternoon, Lat reports that Facebook responded to Lat’s appeal and reinstated his account.

Lat’s sudden suspension has triggered a discussion among legal bloggers over what type of process is due customers of Facebook prior to ejection from the site. This isn’t the first time that a user’s expulsion from a Web site has generated controversy. Last year, a Second Life user challenged the site’s suspension of his account, with the judge invalidating the Terms of Service as an unconscionable contract of adhesion. But given Lat’s status as an A-list law blogger, his experience has attracted more discussion from the legal blogosphere.