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American Lawyer Blog

New from American Lawyer is the AmLaw Daily blog, with a focus on practice and law firm news. Tip to LawBeat. See: AmLaw

Duke Redux - Back to the Court of Public Opinion

This story has its roots in the charges of sexual assault brought against members of the Duke University lacrosse team in 2006.  Charges were eventually dropped, and Nifong, the district attorney who oversaw the case, was disbarred.  In February, members of the lacrosse team and their families brought suit against Duke and the City of Durham, seeking monetary compensation for the damages they sustained during the prolonged period of time during which they were tried in the news and in the court of public opinion.  They are represented by Robert Bork, Jr., son of the nominee for the Supreme Court who failed to win approval from the Senate in hearings that gave us the verb "borked." 

The lawyers representing the lacrosse team members are keeping a blog detailing the procedural course of the lawsuit and, as is usual in blogs, larding their entries with statements of personal opinion.  Duke and its co-defendants requested that the court sanction the attorneys for violating the North Carolina Code of Professional Conduct by making statements "disseminated by means of public communication which would have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudication" on the lawsuit. Essentially,  Duke contended that Bork's blog would taint the jury pool in the jury trial defendants have requested.  Last week, US district court judge James Beaty denied their motion.

This case is an interesting look at the impact of Internet-mediated information on the course of justice.  Judge Beaty did not sanction the blogging attorneys, but issued guidance to both sides as to how they should conduct their relations with the media.  For more information, see the article in the April 14 issue of The National Law Journal

Blog Pick: b-screeds

Tom Bruce, the man behind Cornell's Legal Information Institute, authors a new blog enigmatically called b-screeds. The blog focus is on access to legal information, technology, and research. b-screeds

Blog pick: Ms. JD

From the blog: "Serving women in law school and the legal profession, Ms. JD is an online community that provides a forum for dialogue and networking among women lawyers and aspiring lawyers."

Red, White and Blog

Check out Obama Blog,  BlogHillary and the McCain Blog .  Which candidate (or rather, candidate's staff) has best mastered the fine art of blogging?

Hat tip: Law Librarian Blog

Islamic Law In Our Times

Blog Recommendation: Islamic Law In Our Times. Haider Ala Hamoudi, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law writes a very interesting blog on Islamic Law. 

Broward Judges Featured in Blog

The JAA blog is making waves. A Judge in circuit court in Broward arguably would not have stepped down without JAA publicity, according to The National Law Journal via Law.com. Story.

Sources for following Pakistan news

Library Boy points to legal blogs that are covering the state of emergency and detention of judges and lawyers in Pakistan, among them Pak Lawyer and Slaw.ca, the collaborative Canadian legal blog.

Happy birthday, Law School Innovation blog!

The Law School Innovation blog recently turned one year old.  This post rounds up some highlights of the nearly 250 posts that were created since its inception. If you haven't been reading along, it serves as a good introduction to the blog.  Beyond the perennial question of whether laptops should be allowed in classrooms, it discusses issues like whether paperless classrooms are inevitable or desirable, apprenticeship as part of legal education, and ethical aspects of selling one's vote in the US News rankings survey.

The Blogging Cabinet Secretary

NPR's All Things Considered featured an interview today with Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who was the first cabinet secretary to begin blogging professionally.  He talks with Melissa Block about why and how he blogs--he says he writes the posts himself--what he's learned about the process since he began in August, and how it has contributed to shaping his opinions.

Leavitt's blog is called simply Secretary Mike Leavitt's Blog. For some interesting reading, check out his recent posts about SCHIP and their comments.  Leavitt has given his blogging experience a six-week evaluation, in which he notes a problem common to many bloggers: he doesn't post as regularly as he aspires to.

The other blogging cabinet secretary is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who team blogs at Leadership Journal.  His blog partners include representatives from US Customs & Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration, and FEMA.

(Note: if you're reading this before 7pm eastern time on Tuesday 10/23, check the NPR link again later, as the audio will not be available until then.)