UHLC Nota Bene

The Justice who once said, I do not think the Supreme Court lives in a vacuum. It reads the newspapers. I suppose it is influenced by the reaction of a society to its decisions; at least I hope it is. I think it should be. Is . . . 5. Antonin Scalia!! ( See Nomination of Judge Antonin Scalia: Hearings Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary , 99th Cong., S. Hrg. 99-1064, at 34 (1986).) [Make of it what you will.]

In this week's episode, a look back at a comment on the desirability of the Supreme Court's responsiveness to public reaction to its decisions. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this week's exciting installment of "Which Justice Said That?". And, without further ado, let's get right to this week's quote: During the hearings on his nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States of America, this nominee declared, I do not think the Supreme Court lives in a vacuum. It reads the newspapers. I suppose it is influenced by the reaction of a society to its decisions; at least I hope it is. I think it should be. Now: Which . . . Justice . . . Said That?! Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. Stephen G. Breyer Anthony M. Kennedy John G. Roberts, Jr. Antonin Scalia Clarence Thomas Feel free to put your guess in the Comments section below. Come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to this episode of "Which Justice Said That?" !!

Law school exams are right around the corner, and there are lots of resources available to help you prepare. This short guide includes just a few these items. Remember law students, you will survive your law school exams- don’t panic! UHLC students can search past exams by course name or professor name at http://www.law.uh.edu/student/ . You will need your cougarnet username and password to gain access. Taking an old exam can be a great way to prepare, and it is especially helpful to go over your answers with a study group, so you can use each other’s knowledge to fill in gaps. Also at http://www.law.uh.edu/student/ there are exam tips from Tamsen Valoir. These tips are especially good for preparing for essay exams.  The O’Quinn Law Library also has a number of books about preparing for exams, many are listed below. If you are looking for a study guide for a specific course, ask a reference librarian, we will be happy to show you what’s available in that subject area. An...

Last year, the New York State court system announced a new 50-hour pro bono requirement for new attorneys who wish to be admitted to the bar. The requirement, now codified at N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 22, § 520.16, demands that all applicants admitted to the New York State Bar after January 1, 2015, “complete at least 50 hours of qualifying pro bono service prior to filing an application for admission with the appropriate Appellate Division department of the Supreme Court.” The statute further specifies that that “qualifying pro bono service” must be supervised, and assist in the provision of legal services without charge for persons of limited means, not-for-profit organizations, or individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or promote access to justice (N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 22 § 520.16(b)-(c).   For New York applicants, work in law school clinics and court clerkships or externships will count toward the required hour, and may be complet...

The idea that information must be free, that is without restriction, is a mantra among open government folk and librarians. A companion quote is “. . .and this is especially true concerning cool information.”   I recently stumbled (hat tip to Boing Boing ) upon some real cool information that, while not entirely free, is being let out of its cage to touch the grass for the first time. The National Security Administration (NSA, aka “No Such Agency” or “Never Say Anything”) is responsible for the American intelligence community’s “Signit” (Signal intelligence) operations. They are America’s code breakers. These are the guys who “supposedly” listen to every long distance phone call out of the country and read everyone’s email. This agency is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign radio signals. They have a huge complex in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC on a heavily patrolled stretch of road where I used to drive my kids around so that they would nap. I ...

Contract law is boring and hard--I blame Prof. Kingsfield for this—and gets a bad rap as far as the first year curriculum goes. Torts and Criminal law have great fact patterns,everyone wants to own real estate someday so there is an incentive to learn Property law, and Constitutional law has become politics by another name so everyone has an opinion. Only Civil Procedure can match Contracts for dullness (I will redeem Civ. Pro. in a different post). I am telling you now that Contract law can be interesting. You are just reading the wrong books.  Foundation Press has published a series of books with the title [Insert Legal Subject] Stories in which law professors give the reader a little more context on famous and influential cases.   In the volume Contract Stories ( KF801.A7 C66 2007 ), famous cases like Hadley v. Baxendale and Hamer v. Sidway are given “the rest of the story” treatment. The text of the actual opinion isn’t included, but a lot of background informa...

To help recently graduated alumni to meet the needs of a demanding legal environment, the University of Houston O'Quinn Law Library will hold its second annual free CLE workshop on April 27, offering special training in Texas legal research, information on free or low cost online sources, and the application of the latest information technology.  This workshop carries three Texas CLE credits.  Law librarians and other attorneys are also welcome.  For details and registration please click here .

Need a little help with your legal writing projects?   Try the iWrite Legal app!    This app, developed by a legal writing professor at Suffolk University Law School , is intended to help law students and legal professionals become better legal writers.   The app includes three different sections: Legal Writing Tips. Legal Writing Checklists, and Additional Resource.   The Legal Writing Tips section includes a number of short paragraphs about important aspects of legal writing such as sentence length, transitions, and surplus words.   The Legal Writing Checklists section of the app prompts authors to think about the important issues related to particular steps in the legal writing process.   The checklists cover the initial stages of writing, revising, editing, and proofreading. For instance, if you are at the revising stage, the checklist asks “Did you logically develop your ideas, going from general to specific?” and “Have you used headings and...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , which is responsible for most federal environmental regulations and enforcement, has a comprehensive website, with information useful for everyone ranging from the general public researching environmental law to businesses interested in environmental compliance. The "about EPA" tab will allow users to access staff directories, responsibilities, and organizational information for the EPA's headquarters offices and the ten regional offices. The main page has a convenient map that allows access to EPA related information for each state. The "Laws & Regulations" tab at the top of the page will allow users to link to "Laws & Executive Orders ," which will provide information and sources pertaining to environmental acts such as the "Clean Air Act" or the "Clean Water Act" and users can get the PDF of the entire act and access related regulations. The "Policy & Guidance...