Author archives

Matthew Hale – 17th century English jurist approvingly cited by Alito

Via Moira Donegan – @MoiraDonegan [Columnist covering gender and politics @guardianUS] – “Matthew Hale, the 17th century English jurist approvingly cited by Alito in the draft Dobbs opinion, is the creator of “Hale instructions,” text that was read to juries in rape trials for centuries cautioning them not to believe women. The practice was ended …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Alito’s Plan to Repeal the 20th Century

The Atlantic: “…Alito claims to be sweeping away one of the great unjust Supreme Court precedents, such as Dred Scott v. Sanford, which held that Black people had no rights white men were bound to respect, or Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld racial segregation. But in truth, Alito is employing the logic of Plessy, allowing …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Precedent and the Rule of Law

Lewis, Sebastian, Precedent and the Rule of Law (27 10, 2021). 41 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 873 (2021), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4077240 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4077240 “Courts may reason using precedents in various ways, but not all of them satisfy the rule of law. This article provides two ways that are compatible with this ideal, and …

Subjects: Courts, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research

Federal Retirement Plans: Frequently Asked Questions

CRS Report – R47084|Federal Retirement Plans: Frequently Asked Questions, May 22, 2022: “This report answers common questions related to federal retirement plans. The vast majority of the civilian federal workforce is covered by either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS), depending on date of entrance into federal service. …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

The Resurgence of the Abortion Underground

The Experiment / Podcast Produced by The Atlantic and WNYC Studios/ A transcript of this episode is available.  “There’s a common story about abortion in this country, that people have only two options to intentionally end a pregnancy: the clinic or the coat hanger. They can choose the safe route that’s protected by Roe v. Wade—a …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Medicine

The Power of Parks to Address Climate Change

“As a warming planet leads to worsening risks and impacts, American cities are taking matters into their own hands. Cities are not only pledging to slash carbon emissions in the coming decades. They are also figuring out how to be more resilient. Because one thing is clear: disadvantaged communities that have been historically neglected will …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Health Care

ACS Reaction to Draft SCOTUS Opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health

American Constitution Society, May 3, 2022, Washington, D.C. – “Today, Roe remains the law of the land and until a final decision is handed down by the Supreme Court, those seeking abortion care should not be deterred from accessing the healthcare they need. If the draft opinion published last night by Politico is ultimately issued …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care

Draft opinion – Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights

Politico: “The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

Be Smart. Shop Safe. We created this guide to help you shop for safe, secure connected products.

“Welcome to Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included buyer’s guide. Our goal is to help you shop smart—and safe—for products that connect to the internet. In 2017, when we first started *Privacy Not Included, we didn’t know if people would be interested in a guide about the privacy and security of connected toys, gadgets, and smart home …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Health Care, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

10 key passages from Alito’s draft opinion, which would overturn Roe v. Wade

Politico: “Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion, which would overturn Roe v. Wade, wages a frontal assault on the reasoning of the landmark 1973 opinion that found a federal constitutional right to abortion. Alito’s draft is labeled as a proposed majority opinion, though the wording of the court’s ultimate ruling and the line-up of justices who …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care