Holiday Cyber Crime

What with classes, papers due, and upcoming exams, even those who want to shop in person may find it hard to visit the malls. So, are you planning on shopping online for holiday presents? The federal government's Internet Cyber Complaint Center (IC3), which is a partnership among the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has some holiday shopping tips designed to protect you from those eager to relieve you of your money or steal your identity. For instance, here is the IC3's warning about buying gift cards online:

Be careful when purchasing gift cards through auction sites or classified ads. It is safest to purchase gift cards directly from the merchant or retail store. If the gift card merchant discovers that your card is fraudulent, the merchant will deactivate the gift card and refuse to honor it for purchases. Victims of this scam lose the money paid for the gift card purchase.

For more information about cyber scams, visit the FBI's E-Scams & Warnings webpage. You can sign up there to recieve email alerts about most recent scams by clicking on the red envelope at the top of the webpage.
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NY Times- Justices Are Long on Words but Short on Guidance

In his latest article on the Roberts era Supreme Court, New York Times author Adam Liptak questions whether the Court is trading unanimity and word count for for clarity and guidance. The author suggests that "[i]n decisions on questions great and small, the court often provides only limited or ambiguous guidance to lower courts. And it increasingly does so at enormous length."

To support his premise Liptak states that the Court hears less cases than it has in past terms but the median word count of its opinions has increased dramatically. "The Roberts court set a record last term, issuing majority opinions with a median word length of 4,751 words." The median word length for opinions, including majority and all separate opinions, was 8,265 words. In contrast, the median word length of opinions in the 1950s was only 2,000 words.

For example, the seminal 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education had fewer than 4,000 words while the 2007 Parents Involved v. Seattle decision, which touched on only a portion of the segregation issue, had approximately 47,000 words.

To read the rest of the article or other articles in this series click here.

Plain Writing: It's the Law

The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-274, 124 Stat. 2861) last month, and now Cass Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has issued a memo giving agencies guidance. Here's a post about it: Alex Howard, Sunstein: Plain writing should be seen as an essential part of open government, Gov 2.0 blog, Nov. 24, 2010.

Plain writing is concise, simple, meaningful, and well-organized. It avoids jargon, redundancy, ambiguity, and obscurity. It does not contain unnecessary complexity.

Plain writing should be seen as an essential part of open government.

-- Cass Sunstein

Exam Advice from Students

On Crushing Your First-Year Exams: Advice From Some Who Did, Wall Street Journal Law Blog, Dec. 10, 2009.

Tips are from 2Ls and 3Ls from Berkeley, Brooklyn, Iowa, UVa, and Vanderbilt, and include:

• Take old exams with some classmates and compare what you come up with.
• Review each course again and again, in progressively shorter times.
• Get plenty of sleep.

Miss Coming to School? Try Some CALI Lessons at Home

CALI offers hundreds of lessons, covering a wide range of topics for law school classes. If the UW's snow days have you missing the stimulation you usually get from class, now would be a great time to try some out. (Maybe it would be a good time to try out some CALI lessons even if you're tickled not to have class!)

Earlier today 1L tweeting under the name Amy1LSanders wrote:

On a CALI lesson roll! It's helpful to re-explore concepts from the perspective of another #lawschool prof! @CALIorg

Maybe, like Amy, you'd find some CALI lessons helpful too. Give 'em a try.

Exam Tip from a Professor

Law school exams are unlike exams from other fields. (If you haven't seen any before, take a look at the library's exam archive.) What are you supposed to do with the long hypothetical in an exam? A civil procedure professor writes that professors are trying to get students to:

Know the rules. Give a complete and correct statement of the relevant rules. Use the facts. Don’t just repeat the facts. Argue specific facts in the context of specific rules to persuade the reader. Reach a conclusion.

And she adds: "It’s easy to say, and hard to do." She describes a technique she teaches her students to help them sort out the legal rules and the facts they will use. Elizabeth Pendo, Breaking Down the Blank Page: A Technique for Outlining Essay Questions, The Law Teacher, Fall 2010, at 3. She says her technique helps her students -- maybe it will help you too!


Graphic from Clipart ETC (Source: Good Cheer for 1890: Stories for Young Folks (Boston: D. Lothrop Company, 1889) 88). According to the caption, the woman is writing a letter, not an outline of a law school exam answer, but who's to say? Maybe her letter was analyzing competing claims to Blackacre or remedies for a breach of contract.

Internet's Effect on Supreme Court Reporting

Two Supreme Court correspondents highlighted the difference the Internet has made:

Even just two years ago, Linda Greenhouse . . . had an admittedly old-fashioned approach to reporting on the U.S. Supreme Court. When a ruling was issued, typically around 10:30 a.m., Greenhouse would take the written materials and sit alone in a room until she’d read every word. Then she would return to the Washington, D.C., bureau of The New York Times and proceed to write up her story for the 6 p.m. deadline.

Now, when Dahlia Lithwick is writing about a Supreme Court decision, she starts getting e-mails at 11 a.m. asking when the story will be online.

Journalists Greenhouse and Lithwick Discuss How the Internet Has Affected Supreme Court Reporting, Yale Law School press release, Oct. 27, 2010.

Law Reviews Not as Useless to Courts as Some Thought

At the Conference on Empirical Legal Studies 2010 held at Yale earlier this month, two scholars reported their study of courts' use of legal scholarship:

Chief Justice Roberts recently explained that he does not pay much attention to law review articles, reportedly stating that they are not “particularly helpful for practitioners and judges.” Chief Justice Roberts’s criticism echoes that made by other judges, some of whom, like Judge Harry Edwards, have been much more strident in the contention that legal scholarship is largely unhelpful to practitioners and judges. Perhaps inspired by criticisms like those leveled by Chief Justice Roberts and Judge Edwards, legal scholars have sought to investigate the relevance of legal scholarship to courts and practitioners using a variety of means. One avenue of investigation has been empirical, where several studies, using different, and sometimes ambiguous, methodologies have observed a decrease in citation to legal scholarship and interpreted the observation to mean that legal scholarship has lost relevance to courts and practitioners.

The study reported here examines the hypothesis that legal scholarship has lost relevance to courts. Using empirical techniques and an original dataset that is substantially more comprehensive than those used in previous studies, it examines citation to legal scholarship by the United States circuit courts of appeals over the last 59 years. It finds a rather surprising result. Contrary to the claims of Justice Roberts and Judge Edwards, and contrary to the results of prior studies, this study finds that over the last 59 years – and particularly over the last 20 years – there has been a marked increase in the frequency of citation to legal scholarship in the reported opinions of the circuit courts of appeals. Using empirical and theoretical methods, this study also considers explanations for courts’ increased use of legal scholarship.

David L. Schwartz and Lee Petherbridge, The Use of Legal Scholarship by the Federal Courts of Appeals: An Empirical Study (August 17, 2010). Cornell Law Review, Vol. 96, (forthcoming 2011).

Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice

Informants are an important part of criminal investigations and prosecutions. In exchange for leniency or other benefits, one criminal can provide information that helps to convict others. But the use of informants bears risks for the integrity of the system and the safety of the community. Alexandra Natapoff, a professor at Loyola L.A., explores the practice and recommends reforms in Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice (KF9665 .N38 2009 at Classified Stacks).

Rather than summarize, let me refer you to the detailed table of contents, the publisher's summary, and the introduction.
(In Snitching, Natapoff discusses only criminal informants. "Snitching" does not apply to the testimony of victims, bystanders, or other witnesses.)

I enjoyed the whole book, but if you have limited time, just read the recommendations in Chapter 8.

For more, see Natapoff's blog, Snitching.

(I wrote a longer post about this for Trial Ad (and Other) Notes.)

Library Hours for Thanksgiving

Here are the hours for the Thanksgiving holiday:

Wednesday, Nov. 24: 8am - 5pm
Thursday & Friday, Nov. 25 & 26: Closed

Regular hours resume on Saturday, Nov. 27.

No New Regs!?! Fewer New Regs, Anyway

Yesterday Governor Chris Gregoire issued an executive order (Exec. Order 10-06) suspending and limiting the state rulemaking process through the end of 2011. The Governor explained:

State rules are essential to protecting the health, safety, welfare and quality of life for Washingtonians. However, in these unprecedented economic times, this action will provide businesses with stability and predictability they need to help with our state’s recovery. The time and effort small business owners would put into meeting new requirements would be better spent in improving their bottom line, and adding new employees. This action will also allow local governments to focus their limited resources on the most critical issues in their communities.

Some rulemaking will continue. The Office of Financial Management issued a memo to state agencies with guidelines. For instance, rulemaking should go forward if it is required by state or federal law or a court order; necessary to manage budget shortfalls; necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare or necessary to avoid an immediate threat to the state’s natural resources. Rulemaking should also go forward if it is beneficial to or requested or supported by the regulated entities, local governments or small businesses that it affects.

On its face, the executive order only applies to agencies that report to the Governor. But the Governor "invite[s] all other elected officials, institutions of higher education, agencies, boards, commissions and other entities with rule making authority to follow the requirements of this Order."

We'll have to see how much difference this makes. There's a lot of room in the exceptions for continued rulemaking -- but this is still quite extraordinary.

UPDATE (2:45 pm)
Some reaction and news coverage:

• Josh Feit, Gregoire Suspends State Agency Power, Publicola, Nov. 17, 2010 (noting opposition by labor and environmental groups)


• Knute Berger, Is Governor Gregoire the New Tim Eyman?, Crosscut, Nov. 18, 2010


• WA governor suspends agency rule making, Seattle Times (AP), Nov. 17, 2010.


• Brad Shannon, Gregoire suspends agency rule-making, The Politics Blog, The Olympian, Nov. 17, 2010 (quoting statement from Washington Toxics Coalition)

Federal Courts Offering Digital Audio Recordings Online

The Third Branch, a newsletter from the Administrative Office of the US Courts, notes that 30 bankruptcy and district courts are planning to post digital audio recordings of proceedings via PACER.

The fee for downloading these files is $2.40 each.

Courts that are currently posting these files are:

• District courts of Nebraska and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Bankruptcy courts of the Northern District of Alabama, Maine, the Eastern District of North Carolina, Rhode Island, the Middle District of Florida, and the Eastern District of Washington

Courts that are preparing to implement recording include:

• the Southern District Court of Alabama
• Bankruptcy courts of Alaska, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Middle District of North Carolina, the Middle District of Tennessee, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Vermont

Courts that will be participating in the near future are the bankruptcy courts in:

• Northern District of California
• the District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Southern District of Indiana
• Western District of Louisiana
• Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Western District of Michigan
• Eastern District of Missouri
• Nevada
• South Dakota
• Southern District of West Virginia

BP Oil Spill Financial Risks and Exposures – A Report from the GAO

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Preliminary Assessment of Federal Financial Risks and Cost Reimbursement and Notification Policies and Procedures, GAO-11-90R November 12, 2010.

The objectives of this study were to provide a preliminary assessment of (1) financial risks and exposures to the Fund and the federal government as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and (2) Coast Guard’s NPFC cost reimbursement policies and procedures for Deepwater Horizon oil spill costs. In addition, we provide a description of the framework for federal monitoring and oversight efforts over the Responsible Parties for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including federal efforts to oversee BP’s and GCCF’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims payments. This product is the first of a planned body of work to evaluate and assess the federal risks and exposures resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

You can find the 57 page report to Congressional requesters here. Or read the summary and recommendations here. Or listen to “Managing Costs Resulting from the Gulf Oil Spill,” a 5 minute audio interview by GAO staff with Susan Ragland, Director, Financial Management and Assurance here.

November Is National Adoption Month

National Adoption Month (November) and National Adoption Day (Nov. 20) are meant to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care. President Obama's proclamation for this year's observance is here.


Prof. Lisa Kelly is coauthor of Adoption Law: Theory, Policy and Practice (2006), KF545.A7 .M33 2006 at Classified Stacks. A new edition of this important casebook is due out soon. (I have only found one other adoption casebook, a much shorter work that also covers assisted reproduction.)

On National Adoption Day (Nov. 20), courts in 19 Washington counties will "host adopting families as they welcome new members and remove more children from the foster care rolls." The Washington State Courts and the Department of Social and Health Services report in a joint press release:

As of Aug. 1, 2010, there were 9,114 children living in foster care in Washington, with 1,323 of those available for adoption — meaning the courts had permanently terminated their biological parents’ rights to raise them. By comparison, when Washington state courts first began celebrating National Adoption Day in 2005, more than 9,500 children lived in foster care and far fewer (about 1,080) were available for adoption.

DSHS has a page with information about adoption in Washington here.

Government Information on Air Travel

Airport security policies, ticket prices, on-time arrivals, and baggage fees have been featured in the news as holiday air travels near.

The Air Travel link on USA.gov provides "Official information and services from the U.S. government," including links to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Transportation Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The links take you directly to the air travel-related information provided by each agency, saving you from wondering which agency provides the information you're seeking.

USA.gov also provides a lot of other information for citizens here.

New Faculty Publication: Anderson on Indian Water Rights

Robert T. Anderson, Indian Water Rights, Practical Reasoning, and Negotiated Settlements, 98 Calif. L. Rev. 1133-63 (2010), available at http://www.californialawreview.org/assets/pdfs/98-4/Anderson.FINAL.pdf.

In this new article, Prof. Anderson reviews Indian water rights cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and the trend toward government-to-government negotiations.

Law Libraries Are Good for Attorneys

Edward Elkins, a lawyer who offers advice about law school, writes Your Law School's Law Library Is Your Best Friend...Really, Nov. 8, 2010. He begins:

Your law school's law library may be a place where you have spent numeours hours studying for a class, but did you know that it can save you thousands of dollars even after you graduate? Here are some great reasons to get acquanted with your law library while in law school in preparation for your many visits after graduation.

He goes on to explain that a law library's collection of practice manuals, CLEs, and treatises can help a new lawyer figure out how to practice, save money on online services, and prepare for interviews.

All of this is no surprise to us law librarians, but it is something that law students and lawyers can sometimes overlook. Several years ago, Carolyn Elefant, the author of the solo-practice blog MyShingle.com, asked me to write about why solo practitioners should use law libraries. I came up with Eight Reasons Solo Lawyers Should Use Law Libraries, April 25, 2006.

By the way, Carolyn's blog is a great source of commentary and tips if you're interested in solo or small firm practice. She also wrote a book on the subject: Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be, KF300.Z9 E44 2007 at Classified Stacks. She's also the coauthor (with Nicole Black) of Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier, published by the ABA Law Practice Management Section this year, KF320.A9 E44 2010 at Classified Stacks.

Tabs for Your Research Convenience on Lexis and Westlaw

Both LexisNexis and Westlaw offer tabs to help you customize your interface. It can put the sources you use most often at your fingertips.

Westlaw tabs look like this:

You can add a tab. Just look for the "Add a Tab" link on the right:

Then you can choose from sets of resources the West editors have put together for different jurisdictions, research tasks, and topics.

For instance, if you choose GLBT Practice, you find a list of relevant law journals, news sources, and sources for family law, employment law, and civil rights.

LexisNexis tabs look like this:

Well, that's what they probably look like for you right now. But LexisNexis is rolling out a new interface and soon they will look like this:

(We librarians got the new interface a little before students.) Either way, it's the same idea: a tab brings together relevant sources in one place to save you time wading through the menus. If you click on Add/Edit tabs, you can customize your account.

Try out the tabs LexisNexis and Westlaw offer -- you can make your research a little smoother.

What Are Legal Scholars Talking About?

Around the world, law professors and others who study law are getting together at conferences and symposiums to talk about their fields of study. Climate change, legal history in the renaissance, artificial intelligence and the law, how to teach legal writing, foreign state immunity, the new restatement of resititution, race and sovereignty, antitrust economics ... the variety of topics is dazzling.

How can you find out what's going on in this vibrant intellectual community? Visit the Legal Scholarship Blog. This blog posts announcements of upcoming conferences and symposiums. Calls for papers let you know when a journal or conference organizing committee is seeking submissions on a given theme. Each day, the blog also has a post listing colloquia and in-house workshops at law schools around the U.S.

There are lots of ways to use the site. You can browse the posts in the order they appear. You can use the calendar to find events by date. You can use the subjects in the sidebar to see just the posts about, say, environmental law or law and religion. You can also search the site.

Are you interested in becoming a law professor? Take a look at the Teaching page. It links to articles about becoming a law professor plus resources for current professors.

You might notice a familiar big W:
That's because this blog is a joint project of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the UW. We started tracking conferences to serve people right here at the UW and through this blog we can provide information to thousands of others as well.

International Law and Sharia in Oklahoma (and Elsewhere)

On Tuesday, Oklahoma voters passed a constitutional amendment to ban state courts from applying international law or sharia. Here's the summary from the state:

STATE QUESTION NO. 755 LEGISLATIVE REFERENDUM NO. 355
This measure amends the State Constitution. It changes a section that deals with the courts of this state. It would amend Article 7, Section 1. It makes courts rely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using international law. It forbids courts from considering or using Sharia
Law.

International law is also known as the law of nations. It deals with the conduct of international organizations and independent nations, such as countries, states and tribes. It deals with their relationship with each other. It also deals with some of their relationships with persons. The law of nations is formed by the general assent of civilized nations. Sources of international law also nclude international agreements, as well as treaties.

Sharia Law is Islamic law. It is based on two principal sources, the Koran and the teaching of Mohammed.

The full text of the measure is here.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the certification of the measure pending a hearing, scheduled for Nov. 22. Oklahoma Shariah Ban Is Blocked, Wall St. J., Nov. 9, 2010.

News accounts don't indicate a wave of sharia claims in Oklahoma courts. But how might it come up?

• What if a dying man writes a will that says he'd like his estate distributed according to sharia? In Pennsylvania a court enforced it, since the will was also consistent with the state law. Alkhafaji v. TIAA-CREF Individual and Instit. Services LLC, 2010 WL 1435056 (Pa.Com.Pl.), 10 Pa. D. & C. 5th 449 (2010).


• A U.S. court used Saudi Arabian law (sharia) in interpreting a contract because the contract at issue specified that the law of Saudi Arabia would apply. National Group for Communications and Computers, Ltd. v. Lucent, 331 F.Supp.2d 290 (D.N.J. 2004).

Why ban sharia and not canon law or Jewish law or the law of any foreign jurisdiction? We'll probably be hearing more about this in the next couple of weeks.

Research tip: because "sharia" is an Arabic word, it's wise to try different transliterations when you are searching online: sharia, shari'a (or shari`a), shariah, shari'ah. And watch for people named "Sharia." I'm using "sharia" here because it's the easier of the two spellings in Prof. Lombardi's list of publications; the other he uses is shari`a.

Using international law in United States courts has excited some controversy for a while. For a recent essay see Martha Minow, The Controversial Status of International and Comparative Law in the United States, 52 Harv. Int'l L.J. Online 1 (2010).

Here is the puzzle: no one disagrees that United States judges have long consulted and referred to materials from other countries as well as international sources; yet for the past nine or so years, citing foreign and international sources has provoked intense controversy.
* * *
[S]ince 2003, a serious political as well as theoretical fight over judicial reference by U.S. judges to non-U.S. sources has broken out in the opinions of Supreme Court Justices, on the lecture circuit, in law reviews, and in Congress. Intensity of feeling around these debates should not be underestimated. Justice Ginsburg reported a death threat was posted on a website in 2005 against both her and Justice O’Connor in reference to their discussions of international law in the context of judicial decision-making.[48] Justice Ginsburg cautioned that the congressional debates seemed to “fuel the irrational fringe.”

Avvo Adds Doctors

Avvo launched its directory of lawyers in June 2007. On Nov. 1, it went live with a directory of doctors.

Avvo's short career hasn't been without controversy: early on, the Seattle company was sued by lawyers who did not like having ratings posted. Judge Lasnik (W.D. Wash.) dismissed their suit. (See this blog post.) The DC Bar opposed Avvo's use of its data. See Web Directory Of Attorneys Upsets D.C. Bar, Wash. Post, March 9, 2009. (I'm not sure what the upshot of that was. The Avvo Blog had this comment the same day.)

The lawyer directory lists licensed attorneys, notes disciplinary history and certain local awards (e.g., being named a "Superlawyer" by a magazine), and offers an opportunity for clients and colleagues to rate and comment on lawyers. An individual lawyer may also claim his or her profile and add information -- e.g., a picture, practice areas, and experience. The listings have become quite robust.

Avvo also has a forum where anyone can ask legal questions which are answered by licensed attorneys. And you can browse or search past questions and answers.

Now Avvo is extending this model to doctors. It says that it has listings for 90% of licensed physicians.

The Avvo Rating is our effort to evaluate a doctor's background, based on the information we know about the doctor. The rating is calculated using a mathematical model that considers the information shown in a doctor's profile, including a doctor's years in practice, advanced training, disciplinary history, professional and academic achievements and industry recognition - all factors that, in our opinion, are relevant to assessing a doctor's qualifications.

Since the doctor directory is so new, few doctors have comments or ratings by patients or colleagues, but those will come.

A couple of years ago, I met some people who worked for Avvo. One said that lawyers had been nervous about being rated, but that it turns out that most clients rate their own lawyers pretty high. People might grumble about lawyers in general, but they like their lawyers. A lawyer said that when Avvo came out, he told a few of his clients about it and said they could comment on him -- and he was pleasantly surprised at what they said.

For links to other lawyer directories on the web, see this guide.

Celebrate Washington State's Birthday

On November 11, 1889, Washington State was admitted to the Union by Presidential proclamation, concluding with:



How might you celebrate our State's birthday? You might take a virtual tour through materials describing life, law, and government in Washington Territory.

HistoryLink.org, Washington State's online history encyclopedia, is a great place to start. Milestones in Washington history is a guided tour through significant events in the State's history. Or just browse the FAQ page for a quick review.

Check out the territorial timeline provided by the Secretary of State's office. Washington's Digital Archives displays images of its Top 10 Treasures, including

• returns from the Territory's first election in 1854
• the first case heard by the territorial Supreme Court and
  
• the 1889 telegram from the U.S. Secretary of State to the territorial Governor announcing the Presidential proclamation on statehood.

For information on the legal sources produced by the territorial government, consult Washington Territorial Legal Materials, in 2 Prestatehood Legal Materials: A Fifty-State Research Guide 1323 (2005). KF240.P688 2005 at Reference Office.

Or, perhaps like the co-author of that chapter and writer of this blog post, you will enjoy having the day off because coincidentally, Nov. 11 is your birthday!

As a child I was impressed by the parades that took place in my honor. It was only later that I understood that I shared my special day with a national holiday. I loved watching the men in uniforms ride big, beautiful horses--finally the phrase "veterinarians' day" made sense!

Still later, I got my facts straight--veterans were being honored for their military service. My accomplishments and those of the thousands of animal doctors around the county pale in comparison.

So celebrate Nov. 11 for any and/or all of these occasions!

Contested Elections

Today the Seattle Times reports that Patty Murray and Dino Rossi are prepared to keep Washington voters in suspense long after election day passes.

Relive one of the most intensely contested elections with titles about Bush v. Gore from the Gallagher Law Library.

National American Indian Heritage Month

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. (A list of legislative and executive documents is in this blog post from the Law Library of Congress.)

Our Indian law research guide gives you leads to all sorts of resources, from the very basic (American Indian Law in a Nutshell, KF8205.Z9 C36 2009 at Reference Area) to treaties, federal administrative materials, and tribal codes. Looking for tribal court decisions? See this chart.

Play it Safe:Tips for Protecting Your Personal Belongings

Law students are busy people. With reading, briefing, writing papers, mock trials, finals looming and the holidays fast approaching, a law student's life can be hectic. Add the loss of your laptop, iPad, cell phone or other personal item and your life could get just a little bit worse. No one wants to worry about the theft or loss of personal items, and although it is not a common occurrence in the law library, it can happen. Here are some tips so it won't happen to you.

The UW police department has crime prevention and safety tips on its website. You can learn everything from parking lot safety tips to preventing laptop theft.

You can protect your electronic devices by registering them with the UW police department. It only takes a few minutes and can save you time and worry in the case of loss or theft.

Additionally, if you don't want to pack up your laptop every time you have to run to the copy alcove or bathroom, you can purchase a laptop security cable from the University Bookstore. Call the Tech Center for more information at (206) 545-4382.

Play it safe so you don't have to worry.

Positive law codification - U.S. Code

The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a codification of the federal laws in force. Some of the titles (e.g., title 17) have been enacted as positive law by Congress. When Congress amends these, it amends the U.S.C. directly. Other titles (e.g., title 42) are compiled from individual statutes and have not been enacted as a whole. When Congress amends these, it amends the original public law.

The U.S.C. titles that are not positive law are prima facie evidence of the law, but the official real-deal law is the original enactment in United States Statutes at Large. That's why you sometimes see citations to § 202 of the Social Security Act, rather than 42 U.S.C. § 402, where it's codified. Congress currently is working on enacting two more titles as positive law: H.R. 1107 (title 41, Public Contracts) and has H.R. 3237 (title 51, national and commercial space programs) have both passed the House and are pending in the Senate. The Law Revision Counsel -- the official in charge of codification -- explains why this project is important: Peter Lefevre, Positive law codification will modernize U.S. Code, The Hill's Congress Blog, Sept. 28, 2010. For more (if you think the inner workings of codification are as interesting as I do), see my short article: Mary Whisner, The United States Code, Prima Facie Evidence, and Positive Law, 101 Law Libr. J. 545-56 (2009), available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=1517999.

Drop Your Ballot in the University District

If you don't want to mail your ballot, King County Elections has set up eleven ballot drop boxes. Three are in Seattle - and the good news is that one is in the University District on the corner of NE 50th St. and University Way NE. The list of other King County locations is here. Ballot drop boxes will remain open until 8 pm, Tuesday, November 2.
Don't live in King County? Snohomish County also offers ballot drop boxes. Pierce County is the only county (out of 39) that still maintains polls, but drop off sites are an option.

New Faculty Publication: Prof. Helen Anderson on Brief-Writing Advice

Helen A. Anderson, Changing Fashions in Advocacy: 100 Years of Brief-Writing Advice, 11 J. APP. PRAC. & PROCESS 1-17 (2010).

Prof. Anderson's latest article examines

the changing nature of the brief during the early twentieth century and the transition from an abstract or outline to a fully fleshed prose argument.

She reviews what a brief is or has been and advice on brief-writing proferred by judges, textbook authors, and others. Her research indicates that the modern appellate brief is a "relatively recent invention" and she concludes by observing "that the wisest advisors have always urged appellate lawyers to use both logic and narrative as they attempt to persuade the judges before whom they appear."

CRS Report: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": A Legal Analysis

The Congressional Research Service issued a 16-page report in September analyzing the constitutional challenges to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The report is now available on OpenCRS. In March 2010, CRS issued “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:” The Law and Military Policy on Same-Sex Behavior.

Previous versions of both reports are also available.

For other sources of CRS reports, see the Gallagher Law Library guide.