July 2008

JURIST!

In addition to the major commercial websites for legal news such as the ABAJournal.com, FindLaw and Law.com , check out JURIST.  JURIST is the only law school-based website for legal news.  In 1996, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Professor Bernard Hibbitts created the website as “Law Professors on the Web.” The website was initially a clearinghouse of online legal materials authored by law professors. The website’s current name JURIST was officially adopted in 1997.

Contents of JURIST include U.S. and world legal news, opinions of recently decided U.S. and foreign cases, videos and live webcasts on legal topics, and op-eds on legal news from law professors and special guests.  There is also an archive of content on numerous topics posted to JURIST.  JURIST has been nominated for a 2008 WEBBY, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

[Posted July 30, 2008]

Two RWU School of Law Alumnae Seen at the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting and Conference!

From July 12 to July 15, several of the RWU School of Law librarians attended the 101st American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Meeting and Conference held in Portland, Oregon.  Founded in 1906, AALL has over 5,000 members from law firms; law schools; corporate legal departments; courts; and local, state and federal government agencies.  AALL was formed on July 2, 1906 during the annual meeting of the American Library Association.  The meeting that year was held in Narragansett, Rhode Island!  Twenty-four librarians responded to the call by A.J. Small, a curator of the Law Department of the Iowa State Law Library, to meet at the American Library Association’s annual meeting to consider forming a separate organization of law librarians.

Of note was that some of the law school librarians got a chance to talk with two alumnae of the law school! Whitney Curtis (1996) and Aperna Sherman (2005) are both happily employed as academic law librarians.  Both also worked as Library Student Assistants while they attended the law school.  If you are interested in law librarianship as an alternative career to practicing law, any one of the librarians will gladly chat with you about the profession.

David Pogue , personal-technology columnist for the New York Times, was the keynote speaker.  Each week, he contributes a print column, an online column, and an online video.  ”Pogue’s Posts” is his daily blog for the New York Times.  His spoke to the audience about the technological advances that will have the most impact on society in the coming years.  According to David, they are voice over the Internet, on-demand TV programs, wireless everywhere, and Web 2.0.  He concluded his presentation with a four minute satirical medley on the music wars.  This medley is available on YouTube.  While at YouTube, listen to Pogue’s ”I-Phone: The Music Video!”

[Posted July 25, 2008]

“RWU School of Law 2008 Commencement Speaker Linda Greenhouse Retires”

Linda Greenhouse, RWU School of Law 2008 Commencement speaker, recently retired from the New York Times as a correspondent covering the U.S. Supreme Court to write and teach at Yale Law School.  Her article in the July 13 issue of the New York Times is a reflection of her thirty years covering the U.S. Supreme Court. Another New York Times item written by Ms. Greenhouse is her selection of three defining opinions issued by the Court.  They are the 1992 opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Bush v. Gore opinion resulting from the 2000 Presidential Election, and the opinion recently issued by the Court in the Second Amendment case District of Columbia v. Heller.

[Posted July 18, 2008]

Sports Law Blogs

For news of legal scholarship or current legal developments in the world of sports, blogs are a great resource in addition to articles in law reviews, newspapers and magazines.  Two informative blogs are the Sports Law Professor and Sports Law Blog.  The Sports Law Professor is authored by Professor Jeffrey Standen of Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.  His blog is “Dedicated to the complete integration of sports and law (so that one day we won’t know the difference).” Also at the blog site is a great list of links, mostly non-legal, to various sports sites.  There is an RSS feed to receive recent postings.  Contributions to the Sports Law Blog are by various law professors and attorneys.  In addition to the legal commentary, there are numerous links to sports journals and law reviews as well as a wide range of other sports blogs and websites.

[Posted July 8, 2008]

Celebrating the Fourth of July in Bristol, Rhode Island!

Check out the Bristol Fourth of July Committee’s website for information about the events scheduled during Bristol’s 223rd Annual Fourth of July Celebration.  Established in 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Celebration is the oldest continuous celebration of its kind in the United States.  On July 3 beginning at 9:40 p.m., there will be a fireworks display in Bristol Harbor.  On July 4, Patriotic Exercises will take place beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Independence Park with the Military, Civil and Firemen’s Parade starting at 10:30 a.m.  WLNE-TV/ABC6 will be broadcasting the parade.

[Posted July 1, 2008]