News release: “United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of President-elect Donald Trump’s “chaotic” transition. The lawmakers asked GAO to examine conflicts of interest related to… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: November 2016
GAO Report on Whistleblower Protection
Whistleblower Protection: Additional Actions Would Improve Recording and Reporting of Appeals Data, GAO-17-110: Published: Nov 28, 2016. Publicly Released: Nov 28, 2016: “How can we better protect federal whistleblowers? The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 seeks to strengthen the rights of and protections for federal whistleblowers. We found that the Merit Systems Protection Board—which… Continue Reading
Immigration Now 52 Percent of All Federal Criminal Prosecutions
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “Immigration remains the major focus of all federal criminal enforcement efforts. The latest available data show that criminal prosecutions for illegal entry, illegal re-entry, and similar immigration violations made up 52 percent of all federal prosecutions in FY 2016. During the 12 months ending September 30, immigration prosecutions totaled 69,636. This… Continue Reading
New on LLRX – Comparative Criminal Procedure: A Select Bibliography
Via LLRX.com – Comparative Criminal Procedure: A Select Bibliography – This expansive, comprehensive and up-to-date guide by Lyonette Louis-Jacques, Foreign and International Law Librarian and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago D’Angelo Law Library, references resources that include books, loose-leaf, online, database and e-government sites, services and resources. Continue Reading
BLS – Highlights of women’s earnings in 2015
BLS Reports November 2016: “In 2015, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings that were 81 percent of those of male full-time wage and salary workers. In 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, women’s earnings were 62 percent of men’s. Since 2004, the women’s-to-men’s… Continue Reading
Campus Speech and Harassment
Tsesis, Alexander, Campus Speech and Harassment (November 23, 2016). Minnesota Law Review, Vol. 101, 2017. Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2874919 “A theoretical question that runs through the debate on the constitutionality of campus speech codes asks whether free speech values are best preserved by categorical rules or balancing factors. Whether campus codes are constitutional… Continue Reading
WSJ – The Need to Read
Thank you Will Schwalbe: “Reading books remains one of the best ways to engage with the world, become a better person and understand life’s questions, big and small…Books are uniquely suited to helping us change our relationship to the rhythms and habits of daily life in this world of endless connectivity. We can’t interrupt books;… Continue Reading
Search platform allows investors to identify investments in deforestation funds
“Deforestation Free Funds is a search platform that enables people to find out if their money, in the form of individual investments or an employer-provided 401(k), may be causing tropical deforestation through investment in companies that produce, consume, or finance palm oil – the fastest growing cause of rainforest destruction today. Palm oil is not… Continue Reading
Report – IBM and Ponemon Study Reveals Organizations Remain Unprepared to Respond to Cyberattacks
PRNewswire – “Resilient, an IBM Company and the Ponemon Institute unveiled the results of the annual Cyber Resilient Organization study, which found that only 32 percent of IT and security professionals say their organization has a high level of Cyber Resilience – down slightly from 35 percent in 2015. The 2016 study also found that… Continue Reading
Call To Action App – Locate and contact your Congressional Rep
“Calling the district office of your Congressional rep is the most effective way to get government to listen to you, according to political staffers. Calls are taken more seriously and make a greater impact than emails or written letters. Because your Congressional rep serves fewer constituents than a Senator, a call to your rep is… Continue Reading
Enforcement Policy Statement on Marketing Claims for OTC Homeopathic Drugs
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is issuing this Policy Statement to provide guidance regarding its enforcement policy with respect to marketing claims for over-the-counter (OTC) homeopathic drugs. It applies only to OTC products intended solely for self- limiting disease conditions amenable to self-diagnosis of symptoms and treatment.The Commission believes this Policy Statement is appropriate in… Continue Reading
The Secret Ballot At Risk: Recommendations for Protecting Democracy
“The right to cast a secret ballot in a public election is a core value in the United States’ system of self-governance. Secrecy and privacy in elections guard against coercion and are essential to integrity in the electoral process. Secrecy of the ballot is guaranteed in state constitutions and statutes nationwide. However, as states permit… Continue Reading
