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court-o-rama.org

About the courts.
By Anne Skove, Esq.

Post Frequency: 12/day

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

I Do, He Does, She Does, We Do

Posted on February 13, 2010
There's a big holiday tomorrow Pick one: a) President's Day Eve, b) Lunar New Year, or c) Valentine's Day... If you guessed c, you're right. Courthouse weddings are in season: The Roanoke City Court Clerk clears her calendar this time each year to make room for the marrying kind...

Hawkeye Proposals

Posted on February 10, 2010
They can be cold as the falling thermometers in February if you ask about their weather in July, but some Iowans are hoping to change the way their state justices are selected. HJR 2012, sponsored by Rep. Rod Roberts (R), would appoint one justice from each judicial district, plus one at-large member...

Staying Warm

Posted on February 09, 2010
Here's a bit of comfort blogging for those of you who are snowed in -- courthouses without heat! See the self-explanatory Pa. Courthouse Closes Because There's No Heat, AP (February 8, 2010). A worn Nebraska courthouse stayed open anyway: Hall County Courthouse Without Heat, Tracy Overstreet, Grand Island Independent (February 2, 2010)...

Man Bites Dog

Posted on February 07, 2010
...that's how rare it is to find a judge who is not only interested in court administration, but who also wants to be a court administrator. If approved, that's exactly what will happen to former Judge Joseph J. Musto of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania...

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What's Right with Kansas

Posted on February 07, 2010
We're soooooo tired of hearing about furloughs and closings, so this happy news from Kansas was most welcome. A combination of federal stimulus money plus state legislative funding is keeping Kansas courts open. See Furloughs Deferred; Quick Action Needed from Lawmakers, Governor, Bobbi Mlynar, Emporia Gazette (February 5, 2010), and cross your fingers that the money comes through...

Justice League

Posted on January 31, 2010
Justices were all over the media this week -- Justice Alito channeled Theda Bara, making headlines simply by moving his lips! Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog is on the case. Dahlia Lithwick considers the judicial mind in Ghosts in the Machine: What Happens when Justices Get Personal, Slate (January 30, 2010)...

Wanted: Guinea Pig Court

Posted on January 31, 2010
UC Davis law professor Donna Shestowsky is looking for a few good courts. She writes My research team at the University of California is preparing to conduct a major study, funded by the National Science Foundation, on how litigants choose between various court procedures (arbitration, mediation, and trial)...

At the Movies

Posted on January 29, 2010
What happens to English majors who go to law school? They write fun books (some even -- gasp! -- become bloggers). One such book is Movie Therapy for Law Students (and Pre-Law, Paralegal, and Related Majors), by Maine lawyer Sonia Buck. The book reads like a study guide outline -- which is exactly what it is, albeit in a more entertaining form...

KO'd

Posted on January 14, 2010
We enjoy Kimball Perry's You are there!!! approach, and it works well for this story: Ex-Boxing Champ Picks Prison over Rehab, Cincinnati Enquirer (January 14, 2010). The story includes a clip of Tubbs in better (?) times. The item shows that rehab is not the same as a slap on the wrist -- if it were, there would be no drug addicts in prison...

Fun-o-Rama

Posted on January 14, 2010
Here's some fun (we think) stuff to do: Name all the SCOTUS Justices (including Chiefs) from all time! Brought to you by famed time-waster, sporcle. Learn the FRE hearsay exceptions from singing Lego people. What a shame that YouTube wasn't around when we were in law school...

New Year, New Job

Posted on January 10, 2010
Overwhelmed by careerbuilder.com? Tired of getting scammed by craigslist? Is using monster.com too much like taking a sip of water from a fire hydrant? If you're looking for a job, best of luck to ya. We've been there and it's not easy. Persevere, and take a look-see here: ABA: The American Bar Association always has a ton of classifieds in their numerous publications, but they also post their own job announcements for positions in Chicago, DC, and around the world...

Finding Info

Posted on January 07, 2010
It's been awhile since we've been in the game but still, we are nostalgic when we happen across particularly good ways to find things. In the spirit of sharing (and passable html skills!), they are, in alphabetical (what else?) order: be Spacific: Sabrina Pacifici (her real name, how awesome!) is a librarian and walking library of legal tech issues to boot...

Congrats

Posted on January 06, 2010
Kudos all around, especially to... Local (to us) lawyer John Nalbandian, who was nominated to the SJI board by President Obama. Washington state Justice Barbara Madsen, who will be sworn in as chief next Monday. The Nevada judiciary, for adding mediators to its foreclosure mediation program roster...

Terrible Twos

Posted on December 29, 2009
We missed our very own anniversary! It was two (plus a week or so) years ago today that we first welcomed readers to court-o-rama.org. We started the least dangerous blog in part to amuse ourselves (check!) and in part to entertain Jur-E Bulletin fans...

Year of the Hoax

Posted on December 28, 2009
Well it looks like 2009 was (and still may be, for a few more days) the Year of the Hoax. To name but a few -- That JFK photo was a fake! Thank you, TMZ, for making our afternoon a little more interesting. First, you're all Leader of the free world liked boating with nekkid women! Then, moments later, you're all Not so much! While we do not doubt that JFK perhaps would have *liked* to be the guy in this photo, we now know he was not...

Old Curmudgeons Never Die

Posted on December 28, 2009
...they just stop blogging. That's what self-proclaimed curmudgeon Mark Herrmann did. See his farewell post. Best of luck to Mark! Meanwhile, another curmudgeon (who is not so self-proclaimed, but who will not mind at all if we call him one) is holding a contest for Best Criminal Law Blawg Post of 2009...

See?

Posted on December 19, 2009
As if to prove our point that the focus on white-collar crime has made the WJS soft on crime (!), the Wall Street Journal has decided the system is too tough on juveniles, and for what? Tons of recidivism? Spending enormous amounts of money on a useless machine? Their solution -- getting defrocked business leaders to donate their old suits to troubled teens looking to change their image...

Sign O' the Times

Posted on December 19, 2009
Plea bargaining has long happened in the shadows, making studies difficult. It also tends to happen to people who are in a vulnerable position, not incredibly likely to protest or contest. Thus, plea bargaining stays hidden from view. So it may be a sign of the times when the Wall Street Journal starts worrying about the issue...

Milestones

Posted on December 08, 2009
Tulsa's Veterans Treatment Court celebrated its one-year anniversary. The great Anne Reed has concluded Deliberations! Bad news for us but good news for the pets of Wisconsin: Anne will start her new job as executive director of the Wisconsin Humane Society in January...

No Parking Baby

Posted on December 08, 2009
Challenge a traffic ticket in Indy and you may end up with extra fines. That's one reason why one motorist is challenging traffic court procedure by suing the traffic court. The plaintiff seeks an order prohibiting additional fines, requiring the return of fines already collected by the court, and ending the practice of closing the courtroom to the public...

Judge with No Name

Posted on December 06, 2009
Are the Dancing Itos to blame? Judge Ito seeks anonymity, or at least some peace from having to order a new nameplate every so often. See Judge Lance Ito Gives Up After Thieves Repeatedly Swipe His Nameplate from Court, L.A. Now (November 24, 2009).

Tock Tick

Posted on December 06, 2009
We once possessed a Kit-Kat clock that broke when it leapt (we swear!) from the kitchen wall onto the floor. One courthouse's clocks have not been so rash, but are malfunctioning. Apparently, the chimes cause a short. Now somebody has to climb up there to fix them...

Facebook Fun

Posted on December 05, 2009
Facebook isn't just for wasting hours at a time playing Bejeweled Blitz (although it's that, too). It's also become a way for nonprofits to try to win big money, just in time for the holidays. One contestant in the Chase Community Giving $25,000 give-away is Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts...

Cat-Herding 101

Posted on November 30, 2009
You might remember the New York justice courts debacle. There, a snoopy NYT reporter got all up in arms about rural justice. They weren't reined in! They were out of control! Truly, it was the end of western civilization. See In Tiny Courts of N.Y., Abuses of Law and Power, William Glaberson, NYT (September 25, 2006)...

Sunday News

Posted on November 22, 2009
Yes, Virginia, there *is* still a court-o-rama! We've just been busy, jetlagged, overextended, etc., etc. But that doesn't mean the court news stops! Far from it. Here are a few courts in the news this week: What Maine's new justice center lacks in charm, it makes up for in state-of-the-art-ness...

Discuss

Posted on November 14, 2009
What are trials for? Are they a demonstration (and if so, to whom?) of the rule of law? A way to inform the public? A path (and if so, are there other paths?) to justice? All of the above? Good debate on these points and more from Left, Right & Center this past week.

In re: Spaniel

Posted on November 12, 2009
Is it Bring Your Pet to Work Day? One South Carolina judge claims her dogs are perfectly fit to visit the courthouse. Apparently OK in the old courthouse, the dogs' presence in the newly-built version is causing city council to protest. They are hoping for a new rule allowing only helper dogs in the building...

State of the Commonwealth

Posted on November 09, 2009
Justice is in jeopardy in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Chief Justice Marshall is up in arms over state budget cuts. The cuts, she says, fall disproportionately on the courts. Fifty million dollars lopped off the budget in a single year cannot occur without consequences...

Courthouse on the Haunted Hill

Posted on October 31, 2009
More tales of spooky courthouses! In 1903, a devastating and deadly flood ravaged the town of Heppner, Oregon. Now the spirits reportedly haunt the Morrow County Courthouse, a senior residence, and other buildings. See The Haunting of Heppner: Do Flood-Era Ghosts Walk the Halls? Erin Mills, East Oregonian (October 31, 2009)...

Just the Facts

Posted on October 29, 2009
In our constant battle against urban legal legends, we are always happy to find a new stash of facts. We were alerted to Factual by Grant, a member of Team Factual. According to its rather detailed (Grant's favorite hiking trail is in New Zealand!) About Us section, Factual is a platform where anyone can share and mash open data on any subject, from busking laws to vegan products (yes, Twizzlers are included on the vegan list!)...

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