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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

Legacy or Ediface Complex? Kentucky's Courthouse Projects Go Pa-Ching!

Posted on September 07, 2008
It's Sunday! You should be reading the new installment of PostSecret instead of court-o-rama but hey, your choice. Kentucky's Chief Justice Lambert, who retired last summer, earmarked money (lots of it) to build new courthouses. Just how much? Here are a few numbers: $14...

Family Court Judge Mediation: Going to the Candidates' Debate

Posted on September 05, 2008
When families squabble, judges often refer them to mediation. When prospective family court judges squabble, can we send them to mediation? It's interesting to see how candidates handle conflict. No matter what position they're running for, they are bound to encounter some...

They Have to Swear on a Stack of Something

Posted on September 04, 2008
May court employees on their lunch hour use the jury room for private bible study? In San Diego, court reporters sued the superior court after the court administrator barred them from using the room for this purpose. The case went to federal court on a constitutional question...

That's a Mighty Long Time

Posted on September 03, 2008
"Forever!" That's how long Kentucky's state court administration decided to retain records. The decision was made after the court was criticized for destroying old records. Now the court storage areas are more cluttered than a hoarder's attic after a swap meet...

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They'll Have to Trade Knives While Standing

Posted on September 03, 2008
We were disappointed to hear that the benches have been removed from Kentucky's Knox County courthouse. According to irate letter-writer Ms. Janice Vinson, the courthouse is a gathering place for many -- those who have court business, sure, but also those who do not have a/c in their homes, knife-traders, people attending community meetings, etc...

Love's Labor Analyzed

Posted on September 01, 2008
We watched fireworks, picnicked, and enjoyed the last days of the pool. But this weekend would not be complete without a link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why? Aside from the obvious thematic element, the BLS is a font of information about work and workers...

Labor Pains

Posted on September 01, 2008
For anyone looking for a job this Labor Day, here are some great court- and policy-related employment resources: NCSC's Employment Opportunities in the Court Community lists federal, state, and local jobs throughout the country. Visit NCSC's court web sites page to learn about opportunities within a specific court...

Can You Afford Deadlock?

Posted on August 31, 2008
Everybody hates deadlocked juries: the jurors who squabble among themselves, the parties who wait out the case in a wobbly state of uncertainty, the judges who encourage closure from the bench, the press who hates to wait for anything longer than 5 minutes...

Saved by the Bar

Posted on August 30, 2008
How well are public defenders portrayed on tv? Disheveled, angry, and losing. A new show uses a top legal mind to help iron out the differences between reality and the defender characters we see on TV. Raising the Bar relies on the consulting and legal expertise of Professor David Feige of Seton Hall...

What If They Had Community Service and Nobody Came?

Posted on August 30, 2008
Community service is a common sentence. We've all seen people picking up litter, working in public libraries, and teaching in public schools to repay their debt to society. In Cincinnati, a protester said no thanks to a community service sentence, opting for jail instead...

Blue Moon over Texas

Posted on August 29, 2008
It's something that happens once in a blue moon, or an average of once every 5 years: a federal judge is charged with a federal crime. A court employee stated that she was assaulted by U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent. He has been charged with abusive sexual contact and attempted aggravated sexual abuse...

What Not to Do, or How Not to Spell Relief

Posted on August 29, 2008
Good ideas: having toilets available to the public. Another good idea: locating such facilities in the courthouse. Really bad idea: getting so drunk that you end up peeing in the courthouse foyer. Too bad it wasn't winter, then he could have written his name in the courthouse yard...

Expungement Enthusiasts

Posted on August 28, 2008
At first glance, the 10th Circuit ruling in the BATF case looks like a Second Amendment case. It has all the ingredients: laws about domestic violence perps' rights to bear arms, Wyoming, the BATF, a state AG, and involves advocates pro and con. In fact, this case is about expungement...

Two and a Half

Posted on August 27, 2008
What can be accomplished in 37 1/2 hours that can't be done in 35? Morgan County, Indiana, court employees are about to find out. Morgan County Courthouse is expanding its weekly run by 2 1/2 hours. No, seriously, we want to know what extra wonderfullness will occur in that extra time each week...

Hoosier Melee

Posted on August 27, 2008
It's not cool to punch the victim assistance worker. As if to debunk our hypothesis that criminal defendants are on their best behavior in court, and that family cases require more security, a courtroom brawl erupted in the Allen County Courthouse. The background: the defendant was charged with voluntary manslaughter for a 2007 fatal shooting...

It Must Have Been a Jury of 8-Year-Old Boys

Posted on August 27, 2008
If you ask a jury of elementary school boys, they'd call for an outright ban on Bratz. The federal jury in the Bratz case stopped short of banning Yasmin, Sasha, Roxxi, Jade, and their plastic pole-dancing friends. It awarded toymaker Mattel $100m in damages...

It's the Impact, Stupid

Posted on August 27, 2008
Where can a hot dog vendor make $120/hour? How can a fast-food restaurant get 200 customers daily? Where's the best location for a courier service or bail bond company? How can a town make over $123K annually from parking meters? It turns out that close proximity to a courthouse is good for business...

Give Court a Chance

Posted on August 27, 2008
The DNC is killing us with its Mountain Time timeslot. By the time we listen to all the speeches, analysis, and speculation, it's nearly time for Craig Ferguson -- no point in sleeping now! But these hours are nothing compared to the protester court's hours...

Oxymoronic Substance Closes Mail Room

Posted on August 26, 2008
It's probably not a good idea to put an oxymoronic substance such as non-dairy creamer into your coffee. It's an even worse idea to place such a substance into a suspicious-looking envelope with unusual writing on it. These events led to the closing of the mail room in the Palm Becah County South County Courthouse in Delray Beach, Florida...

Dog Midwife Asks for Deferral: Jury Service Tips in York County, PA

Posted on August 26, 2008
One of the strangest excuses from a would-be juror that York County, Pennsylvania, District Court Administrator J. Robert Chuk ever heard was that the woman's dog was about to have puppies, and she needed to be home with her. If your pets are not great with child, though, you may need some tips on surviving jury service...

Luckily, He Wasn't Equipped with a Gun

Posted on August 25, 2008
Paul McCartney is past 64 -- he's celebrating his 66th by driving Route 66. Everyone knows what happened to Desmond and Molly Jones -- they switched places, shared makeup, and life went on. Lucy S. Doe was finally rehabilitated thanks to drug court...

Women Benched in Michigan

Posted on August 25, 2008
The upcoming election is making news everywhere, but in Michigan it could signify a first for the Oakland County Circuit Court. If judicial candidates Gorcyca and Brennan win, women will outnumber men on the bench for the first time ever. Here are a few Michigan numbers to put it all in perspective: 31 years: In 1977 Judge Alice Gilbert became the first woman elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court 2 out of 124: Judge Gilbert was one of two women out of 124 who graduated law school with her in 1954 15-20%: Percentage of women who are equity partners in large law firms 12,100: Number of licensed female attorneys in Michigan 26,790: Number of licensed male attorneys in MIchigan 27%: Percentage of Michigan judges who are female See Women's Presence on the Bench Growing, Ann Zaniewski, Journal Register News Service (August 25, 2008)...

Where Did All the Money Go?

Posted on August 24, 2008
Lest you think that the Miss Appropriation contest is a new event, it appears that it is something of a New Jersey (NOT Wisconsin!) tradition. The court administrator who recently was put on paid leave pending a hearing may be one in a long line of sticky-fingered officials...

Blog of the Week(end): Serving Justice

Posted on August 24, 2008
Would you like fries with that? Serving Justice, Chris Crawford's new-ish blog (new to us because he just let us know about it) defines itself as "about court management, court technology and judicial administration." "Hey," you're thinking, "isn't that what court-o-rama is about?" Well, yes and no...

Pennies from Hell

Posted on August 24, 2008
You'd think that with the budget problems courts are seeing these days they would be thrilled to get any payment of fines and fees. But the Massillon Municipal Court was not happy to receive a traffic fine -- in pennies! A man with two traffic violations is dead-set on paying his $243 fine in cents as a message to the court...

OTR Dissent in Mississippi

Posted on August 24, 2008
Can a dissent be off the record? It can in Mississippi. Last week a majority of the state supreme court denied a fellow justice his dissent. He wrote it, but it was not made public or filed with court documents. The case in question was a wrongful death suit filed by a court employee against the Mississippi State Veterans Affairs Board...

Upset in Madison

Posted on August 23, 2008
There's Miss Wisconsin, Miss Wisconsin National Teenager, and other Misses. In Madison, Wisconsin, there are allegations of Miss Appropriation. Madison's court administrator was arrested and charged with second degree official misconduct, third degree theft by deception, and fourth degree tampering with records...

Zoo Animal Demonstrates Need for Security of Perimeter

Posted on August 22, 2008
How far should court security extend, geographically? Does it begin and end at the x-ray machine in the hall? Does it stop at the front door? The courthouse steps? Anyone who's ever walked a frightened client to her car knows that court security needs to include the parking area...

Vermont Court Budget Dwindles

Posted on August 21, 2008
"Not constitutionally required." If it's in this category, it could be gone from Vermont's court budget to make room for constitutionally mandated services. This is the case in Vermont, but we hear it around the country. Budget cuts are as popular as the Jonas Brothers, and will not be going the way of the Croc any time soon...

Remembering Ester

Posted on August 20, 2008
What would happen if the widow of a former Black Panther was selected as a juror in a civil trial? What if it was Rodney King's case against the city of L.A.? Who would make your juror list? Would you pick a mediator? Would you select a female minority? An Asian-American? The daughter of migrant workers? A mother? Someone who worked closely with the courts? Ester Soriano was all of the above...

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