Monthly archives: January, 2014

NSA and GCHQ activities appear illegal, says EU parliamentary inquiry

Nick Hopkins and Ian Traynor, UK Guardian: “Mass surveillance programmes used by the US and Britain to spy on people in Europe have been condemned in the “strongest possible terms” by the first parliamentary inquiry into the disclosures, which has demanded an end to the vast, systematic and indiscriminate collection of personal data by intelligence agencies. The inquiry by the European …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Patriot Act, Privacy

EU – Common Fisheries Policy reform

“Despite several improvements after the 2002 overhaul of the common fisheries policy (CFP), there was a general consensus that the CFP urgently needed further reform, because it had failed to make fishing sustainable, as EU member states’ fleets still catch far more than marine ecosystems can replace. Today, 88% of Mediterranean stocks and 39% of Atlantic …

Subjects: Economy, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Delaware Public Benefit Corporations 90 Days Out: Who’s Opting in?

Delaware Public Benefit Corporations 90 Days Out: Who’s Opting in? by Alicia Plerhoples, Georgetown University Law Center, 2014. UC Davis Business Law Journal, Vol. 14, Forthcoming.  “The Delaware legislature recently shocked the sustainable business and social enterprise sector. On August 1, 2013, amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law became effective, allowing entities to incorporate as a public …

Subjects: Legal Research

Transcript: NSA Deputy Director John Inglis

“National Security Agency Deputy Director John C. “Chris” Inglis has spent most of his time recently defending the NSA from revelations by former contractor Edward Snowden. Snowden disclosed that the agency was gathering phone records of millions of Americans. Inglis retires(d) Friday [January 10, 1014). Before stepping down, he talked to Morning Editionco-host Steve Inskeep about running …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy

EPIC Settles FOIA Case, Obtains Body Scanner Radiation Fact Sheets

“EPIC has received the documents that were the subject of EPIC’s Freedom of Information Act appeal to the D.C. Circuit in EPIC v. DHS (Body Scanner FOIA Appeal). The agency had previously withheld test results, fact sheets, and estimates regarding the radiation risks of body scanners used to screen passengers at airports. EPIC challenged the lower court’s determination that the factual material was “deliberative” and therefore exempt …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Costs of Keyword Searching, Data Analysis, Not Recoverable, Federal Circuit Rules

Catalyst E-Discovery Search Blog – by Bob Ambrogi | December 18, 2013 “To what extent can the costs of e-discovery be recovered by a prevailing party in federal court? The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has just issued an opinion that provides a detailed analysis of that question, concluding that the answer hinges on which costs fall …

Subjects: Copyright, Courts, E-Records, Legal Research

Rebalancing the Global economy

The Lauder Global Business Insight Report 2014 – Rebalancing the Global Economy “In this special report, students from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies examine current trends and recent developments shaping today’s global marketplace. The articles cover a wide variety of topics ranging from technology, innovation and brand building to infrastructure, entrepreneurship and social impact. A …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Paper – The Shooting Cycle – A Study of Mass Shootings in America

The Shooting Cycle – Josh Blackman, South Texas College of Law; Shelby Baird, Yale University, January 5, 2014. Connecticut Law Review, Vol 46, 2014. “The pattern is a painfully familiar one. A gunman opens fire in a public place, killing many innocent victims. After this tragedy, support for gun control surges. With a closing window for reform, politicians and activists quickly …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Office of the Taxpayer Advocate 2013 Annual Report to Congress

“The Annual Report to Congress creates a dialogue at the highest levels of government to address taxpayers’ problems, protect taxpayers’ rights, and ease taxpayers’ burden. The report identifies at least 20 of the most serious problems facing taxpayers and offers recommendations to fix them. Some of the issues, like tax reform and IRS’s need to expand …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Agencies Release Public Sections of Resolution Plans

“The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on Friday made available the public portions of resolution plans for 116 institutions that submitted plans for the first time in December 2013, the latest group to file resolution plans with the agencies. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires that bank …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legislation