iCivics.org

Run your own firm of lawyers who specialize in constitutional law . . . via this computer game for children.

I got sucked into a Google vortex. While researching the Dean of the Law School at Wayne State University (because of an article about how she ran the Boston Marathon while 8 months pregnant) I saw that she and Sandra Day O'Connor were on the board of iCivics, a nonprofit that Justice O'Connor created to improve civics education throughout the country.

It's kinda cute.

Animal Law

Lola, courtesy the Washington Post

A court case will soon decide what the legal value of a pet (or fur baby) in Moynak v. Barking Hound Village.

The story starts with the death of the Moynak's beloved pooch, Lola, after they checked it into the Barking Hound Village Inn, while they went away on vacation. Shortly after picking up Lola, she died. The Moynak's say she was given their other dogs medication (who was also staying at the Inn) and was therefore made ill.

You can read more here.

Some background on what other states do for the loss of a pet as stated in the Washington Post article:

"But when it comes to damages for the death of a pet, state supreme courts have usually knocked down trial and appellate court decisions that award emotional or “non-economic” damages, Favre said, because they view it as a slippery slope. (Separately, a small number of states have enacted legislation on recoverable damages in such cases; Tennessee dog or cat owners, for example, can recover up to $5,000 “for the loss of the reasonably expected society, companionship, love and affection of the pet.”)."

NALSA Symposium Tomorrow!

The 14th Biennial Indian Law Symposium will be held March 30 and 31. This year's topic is ICWA: Old and New Challenges. For this symposium, the McKusick Law Library has created a LibGuide for you that includes the schedule, some additional materials about or relating to the Indian Child Welfare Act, and materials from the Dillon Lecture and past symposiums. You can check it out here. We also have a small display featured in our Native American Collection providing easy access to materials on ICWA.

And as always, if you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to visit us up at the Circulation/Reference Desk!

Compiling a Federal Legislative History

Law Library of Congress via Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division

The Law Library of Congress recently created a beginners guide on how to compile a federal legislative history. In it, they go over:

• Locating an already compiled legislative history
• How to trace federal legislation

And include these other guides:

• How to Locate a United States Congressional Committee Report: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Locate a Published Congressional Hearing: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Locate an Unpublished Congressional Hearing: A Beginner’s Guide
• Debates of Congress: A Beginner’s Guide
• Locating a Congressional Committee Print: A Beginner’s Guide
• Locating Congressional Documents: A Beginner’s Guide
• Presidential Communications: A Beginner’s Guide

 
Happy researching!

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part II: Saving & Retrieving Files

Greetings and Salutations, Law Scholars,

Edison's Electric Pen. Fun facts here and here.

Last we met, we looked at handy note taking apps. This time around, we'll be talking about utilizing apps to save and retrieve these documents in their various formats.

Dropbox: I think DropBox has been a "go to" for a while now; you can save any file format, share it easily with all your other devices no matter the operating system, and your files are available on your devices even when you're offline. It's simple and intuitive, plus 2GB storage = Free.

SpiderOak: While similar to Dropbox, the most notable difference is that it has "Zero Knowledge Privacy." All files and their meta-data are encrypted with your password before it is even saved. The password you use is never stored on their servers, thereby making it impossible for SpiderOak or anyone else to decrypt your information. To quote the website, "To us, your files are simply containers of encrypted data."

Box: Super easy to use, great for sharing, but not as inter-operable as Dropbox, and the prices are not competitive for the amount of storage you get when compared to Dropbox or SpiderOak. However, for a personal account, you can get 10 GB of free storage. Not too shabby!

Microsoft OneDrive: If you do everything from managing your calendar, email, report, and records using the Microsoft Office suite, OneDrive if for nothing else but sheer convenience. It also offers more 5GB of free storage while Dropbox offers only 2GB, and SpiderOak only offering free trials

Clearly, I am glossing over a lot of information and doing some serious name-brand-dropping. Hopefully though, this opens you up to some resources and options to help you discover what will work best for your current needs, and perhaps the future ones too.



Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

Feral Poultry Law

Farm Street Chicken Sanctuary via 365bastrop.com

Beloved roosters and chickens, descendants from long abandoned farms, have found a literal sanctuary in Bastrop, Texas. However, if you are a pigeon, English sparrow, European starling, grackle, ravens, red-winged blackbird, blackbird, cowbird, feral rock dove, or crow, you're fair game. (See City Ordinance Sec. 2.01.007)

For a slew of bad chicken jokes and puns, read the article here.