How Appealing



Monday, February 18, 2008

“Climate Change & the Constitution: A discussion on how the U.S. Constitution restrains states from enacting global warming legislation; Panelists include Paul Clement, U.S. Solicitor General, and others.” By clicking here (RealPlayer required), you can view this past Saturday’s broadcast of C-SPAN’s “America and the Courts.”

And if you find that a nearly 58-minute broadcast on that subject is not enough, by clicking here (RealPlayer required) you can view the entire 110-minute panel discussion.

Posted at 10:40 PM by Howard Bashman



The Future of Reputation — Now Online for Free!” Daniel J. Solove has this post at the “Concurring Opinions” blog providing a link via which you can download his book for free.

Posted at 10:34 PM by Howard Bashman



“‘Whistleblower’ website shut by US court over bank documents”: Agence France Presse provides a report that begins, “A website designed to let whistleblowers publish sensitive documents has been ordered shut down by a US federal judge at the request of a Swiss bank and its Cayman Islands subsidiary, court documents showed Monday. US District Judge Jeffrey White in California, in an injunction order dated Friday, ordered the shutdown of the website known as Wikileaks.org.”

BBC News reports that “Whistle-blower site taken offline; A controversial website that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously post government and corporate documents has been taken offline in the US.”

Tuesday’s edition of The Guardian (UK) reports that “Whistleblowing website vows to defy court gag.”

The Sydney Morning Herald provides a news update headlined “Court puts kybosh on telltale site.”

And The Register (UK) reports that “US judge arranges summary execution of Wikileaks.org; Many-headed whistleblower site still standing.”

You can view Friday’s order of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California both here and here.

And via “TPM Muckraker,” you can access here the motion that sought to shut down the web site.

Posted at 10:30 PM by Howard Bashman



“Judge Maraman will join Guam Supreme Court”: Tuesday’s edition of The Pacific Daily News of Guam contains an article that begins, “Judge Katherine Maraman will be sworn in to the Supreme Court of Guam Thursday.”

Posted at 10:23 PM by Howard Bashman



“Warner, Scalia, Brundtland earn UVa’s top honors”: Saturday’s edition of The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Virginia contained an article that begins, “Sen. John W. Warner, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and United Nations special envoy Gro Harlem Brundtland have been named the 2008 recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals, the highest external honors given by the University of Virginia.”

Posted at 10:14 PM by Howard Bashman



“Business waits on Supreme Court rulings”: Patti Waldmeir of Financial Times has a news update that begins, “US companies are facing high-stakes litigation at the Supreme Court starting on Tuesday, as the justices begin a two-week session in which they will hear several important business cases from employment discrimination to punitive damages.”

Posted at 10:10 PM by Howard Bashman



“Employer retaliation cases reach U.S. Supreme Court: When can workers sue against acts of retaliation by employers? Two cases slated for hearing this week may help clarify.” Warren Richey will have this article Tuesday in The Christian Science Monitor.

Posted at 10:04 PM by Howard Bashman



“Did the Ninth Circuit’s ‘Plead the Fifth’ Case Get It Right?” Orin Kerr has this post at “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

Posted at 11:55 AM by Howard Bashman



“Roberts on shared Jewish-American legal heritage”: Yesterday’s edition of The Jerusalem Post contained an article that begins, “US Chief Justice John Roberts appeared before the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly at its convention here last week, the first time he has addressed a Jewish body since assuming his role at the Supreme Court in 2005, according to the assembly.”

Posted at 11:25 AM by Howard Bashman



“Tale of ring finally over? State Superior Court overturns decision, rules Porreco prenup valid.” Today’s edition of The Erie Times-News contains an article that begins, “The case of the phony diamond engagement ring has taken another turn. This one indisputably favors well-known Erie auto dealer Louis Porreco. Porreco has won what could be the decisive court victory in the decade-old dispute over the fake ring and the prenuptial agreement he signed with his now former wife.”

Because last week’s ruling of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania was a non-precedential decision, the ruling is not readily available online.

Posted at 7:50 AM by Howard Bashman



“Death penalty panel looks at reasons for reversals; In second meeting, state commission focuses on work by defense, prosecution”: Howard Mintz has this article today in The San Jose Mercury News.

Posted at 7:45 AM by Howard Bashman



“Can there be justice in Guantanamo Bay? The US military commissions could mean that America risks having its own system of justice being put on trial.” Clive Baldwin has this op-ed today in The Times of London.

Posted at 7:44 AM by Howard Bashman



“Lawyer’s penalty too light for some; Gemma Graham prosecuted serious crimes for 20 years while her license was on hold; the handling of her case is questioned”: This article appears today in The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Just ten days ago, the newspaper contained an article headlined “Punishment for prosecutor who was unauthorized to practice for 20 years: Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Gemma Graham was reprimanded and placed on unsupervised probation by the state Supreme Court for the unauthorized practice of law for 20 years.”

Posted at 7:40 AM by Howard Bashman



“Lawyers target GPS data in Jersey courts; Data used in drug case challenged by defense”: This article appears today in The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger.

Posted at 7:35 AM by Howard Bashman



In commentary available online at FindLaw: Donna M. Byrne has an essay entitled “Disclosing the Potentially Dangerous Dyes that Make Gray Salmon Pink: The California Supreme Court Holds that Actions to Enforce the State’s Food Labeling Law Are Not Preempted by Federal Law.”

And John R. Steer and Mark H. Allenbaugh have an essay entitled “The State of Federal Cocaine Sentencing Policy: Will Congress Soon Finish What the U.S. Sentencing Commission Started?

Posted at 6:50 AM by Howard Bashman