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Miscellaneous

court-o-rama.org

About the courts.
By Anne Skove, Esq.

Post Frequency: 12/day

Last Entry: March 25, 2011 at 00:00:00

What Does Stand for?

Posted on May 24, 2009
Real justice, or restorative justice? We think RJ stands for both. A review of Sunny Schwartz and David Boodell's Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption and One Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All shocks and educates with its stark facts and figures...

Memories -- Are They Enough?

Posted on May 23, 2009
Should a person's life hang (no pun intended) on jurors' memories? Without written copies of instructions, that's exactly what happens. Critics of the Louisiana criminal justice system (don't get us started) say jurors simply cannot recall 30-40 pages' worth of jury instructions...

Ain't No Party

Posted on May 22, 2009
There are many, many things that one should not take into a courthouse: switched-on cell phones, firearms, and party supplies. Does that stop anyone? Apparently not. Some people are starting the long weekend early, and in all the wrong places. In Salt Lake City, a teenager brought mini bottles of alcohol and at least one prescription pill to court...

Interbranch Success in WV

Posted on May 21, 2009
Getting the best minds in the room is essential when solving a problem. Getting all three branches of government in the room helps, too. That's what happened in West Virginia, where strides are being made to reduce jail overcrowding. The state court administrator is a former executive director os the state Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, so he brings a lot to the table...

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Caseflow Management: (Not) Too Sexy!

Posted on May 20, 2009
Were Right Said Fred Canadian, they would *not* be too sexy for their car, shirt, or song. Somehow, Canada seems to embrace the non-sexy in a way the U.S. can't. This is why, when one looks for articles in the mainstream press about caseflow management, one finds nothing from the U...

Write Globally, Read Locally

Posted on May 17, 2009
What happens to reports from national research organizations? Are they like trees falling in unpopulated forests? Are they the sound of one hand clapping? We ask not only because we were once part of such an organization, but because it's a legitimate question -- do these reports make a difference? Does anyone read them? Who? Supposing They do read them -- do They follow up with action? Case in point: the recent NACDL study about prosecuting misdemeanors...

Future-rama

Posted on May 16, 2009
What's the future of state court research? A forthcoming essay in a forthcoming Justice System Journal asks Will state courts research essentially run out of novel topics or new ideas? See On the Future of State Courts Research, Jeff Yates, Voir Dire (April 17, 2009)...

The Least of the Most

Posted on May 15, 2009
No wonder few people get our least dangerous blog subtitle: only 21% of randomly sampled adults in this country are even aware that there are three branches of government. Ranking them in terms of dangerousness is probably way beyond them. This is according to a recent NCSC/Princeton Survey Research Associates International study, Separate Branches, Shared Responsibilities...

What Women Want

Posted on May 13, 2009
What do women want in a Supreme Court Justice? Not surprisingly, women are more likely to want President Obama to appoint a woman to the highest court's bench. A recent Gallup poll suggested that 38% of women surveyed believed such an appointment is essential or a good idea...

Jacket Required

Posted on May 11, 2009
Courts try to make sure participants look their best -- or at least passable. Signage, flyers, and straight talk send out the message: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Trial. Now Michigan's highest court will answer the question: can judges dictate how witnesses dress? The case at hand involves a Muslim woman who refused to remove her veil for religious reasons vs...

Inmate and Family Reunion: Only a Mediation Away

Posted on May 10, 2009
When inmates are released, the system (sometimes) prepares them to enter the workforce and somehow live a better life. But how are inmates prepared to reunite with their families? In Maryland, community organizing czarina Lorig Charkoudian has the answer: mediation...

Out with the Mold

Posted on May 07, 2009
Do the crime, see the slime! Elbert County Colorado's old justice center was moldy. But see New Mold-free Justice Center Open in Kiowa, Denver Post (May 6, 2009). (Hey, it's late!)

Activist Judges

Posted on May 06, 2009
Does a state court of last resort overstepping its bounds when it grants an injunction that will affect thousands of people in the jurisdiction? Can state courts hold up cases while federal measures that might affect them kick in? What if the petitioner only asked for an order affecting itself, but the court decided to broaden it to include all those affected? Is this activist judging at its most egregious? Has the chief justice, a former legislator, forgotten where she is? One of our favorite state court chiefs issued a temporary restraining order that will prevent over 5,000 South Carolina homes from being foreclosed upon before residents have a chance to take advantage of the new federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HMP)...

Oh, the Irony!

Posted on May 06, 2009
West Bountiful just got a little less so. See West Bountiful Court Consolidates with Davis County Justice Court, Bryon Saxton, Standard-Examiner (May 6, 2009).

Florida Counties Seek Mediators

Posted on May 06, 2009
No, you don't need to sit in the lotus position and say om -- that's *meditation*! The County Mediation Program for Florida's 14th Circuit (Bay, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties) will hold a free mediation training in June. For contact info and more see Court Mediator Program Seeks Volunteers, News Herald (May 5, 2009)...

Fandom

Posted on May 04, 2009
Facebook addicts take heart! There's now more to the social networking site than Pop Pies, long-lost high school friends, and a way to kill any free time you may have. Yes, court-o-rama has come to Facebook! Click here to be a fan.

Turnoffs

Posted on May 04, 2009
Taking a cue from Screen Turnoff Week (the event formerly known as TV Turnoff Week, until it became clear that kids don't watch much TV any more), Michigan is thinking about cutting jurors off from all things online. That includes Twitter, Facebook, and court-o-rama (now on Facebook!!!)...

Goodbye CJ Cappy

Posted on May 03, 2009
We were surprised and sad to hear about the death of Pennsylvania's retired Chief Justice Cappy. As chief justice, Cappy brought an open mind to the bench. He searched for new ideas to age-old problems. As a result, Pennsylvania implemented (among other things) an innovative and unique approach to malpractice cases...

Our Pick

Posted on May 03, 2009
I sometimes remind my native born friends that justice is like oxygen: while you are breathing it, you barely notice it. Cut off the supply, and you will notice the loss more quickly than you realize. -- Margaret H. Marshall, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court of Justice...

Shh...

Posted on May 02, 2009
They might hear you! But the good news is They're listening less. See Wiretap Applications Decline in 2008, U.S. Courts press release (April 27, 2009). Happy Free Comic Book Day to all!

Wanted or Not? The (Extremely!) Reluctant Juror

Posted on May 02, 2009
Thanks to court-o-rama's better half who alerted us to this nut. (Warning: link contains crude language, disgusting imagery, and radical anti-jury-service sentiments!) The bad news is, his plot ultimately succeeded -- he did not have to serve. Are we rewarding bad behavior? OTOH, who in the world would want him on the panel? Meanwhile, Mr...

Get Me to the Courthouse on Time

Posted on May 02, 2009
Getting married in the morning? Check to see when the courthouse opens. More couples are choosing courthouse weddings for economic reasons. In Jackson County, Oregon, the fee is just $25. The rotten economy has combined with deployment of locals in the military to make courthouse weddings the new white...

Tiptoeing through the Torts

Posted on May 01, 2009
Not long ago, the New York Review of Books ran a review of Philip K. Howard's lament, Life Without Lawyers. (See Shall We Get Rid of the Lawyers?, Anthony Lewis, NYRB, vol. 56, no. 6, April 9, 2009.) The reviewer asked whether people really tiptoe through the law -- because he himself did not...

Retirement Surprise

Posted on April 30, 2009
Who's the first SCOTUS Justice to announce retirement under the Obama administration? It's Souter! See Souter to Retire from Supreme Court, msnbc (April 30, 2009).

Minor Crimes, Major Report

Posted on April 29, 2009
The NACDL has issued a new report, Minor Crimes, Massive Waste: The Terrible Toll of America's Broken Misdemeanor Court. From NACDL: The explosive growth of misdemeanor cases is placing a staggering burden on America's courts. Defenders across the country are forced to carry unethical caseloads* that leave too little time for clients to be properly represented...

In Fairness

Posted on April 29, 2009
We hate to plaster other people's woes here, but once we've done it to one person we feel we must (in fairness) mete out equal treatment under the blog. Moreover, we try to find the teaching moment. Here in Ohio, the Hamilton Municipal Court Clerk plead guilty to reckless operation of a motor vehicle...

Saved by the Bill

Posted on April 29, 2009
Rural Iowans will not have to travel far to find a magistrate after all. See Rural Justice, court-o-rama (April 26, 2009). Part of the problem here (and, we suspect, in many places) is blind reliance on consultants. Consults consult. They might recommend, but they do not dictate...

An Alternative Approach to Fairness: New Recusal Rules

Posted on April 28, 2009
By now, we've all heard the arguments pro and con for electing judges. The trouble is, where elections are occurring, it's hard for even the best intended to explain to voters that they will soon be merely re-voters. Rather than change the way judges are selected, Michigan has set forth proposed new recusal standards...

Pandemic Pandemonium

Posted on April 27, 2009
Do courts need to worry abuot swine flu? If so, what do they do first? The answer to the first question is, of course, yes. The answer to the second is a bit more complex. Yet, courts have been thinking about this issue for some time now. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has compiled a list of benchbooks and other resources related to public health as part of its Public Health Law Program...

Rural Justice

Posted on April 26, 2009
Frugal is making do with what you have. Cheap is thinking no one will notice if you cut corners. When cutting back, be sure to do so carefully. You might accidentally cross the line between frugal and cheap. In Iowa, cutbacks are turning into an access issue for rural residents...

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