Author archives

Paper – Faith, Social Action & Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Augustine, Jonathan C., The Substance of Things Hoped for: Faith, Social Action & Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (June 30, 2015). The Substance of Things Hoped For: Faith, Social Action & Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 46 Cum. L. Rev. 423 (2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2802981 “In …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

2015 Wiretap Report: Intercept Orders Rise 17 Percent

United States Courts, June 30, 2016: “The number of federal and state wiretaps terminated in 2015 increased nearly 17 percent over 2014, according to an annual report submitted to Congress by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. As in previous years, drug investigations and telephone wiretaps accounted for the large majority of cases. The …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Mail, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Refugee Law and Policy In Selected Countries

Refugee Law and Policy In Selected Countries, The Library of Congress Global Legal Research Center. March 2016. “This report describes the law and policy on refugees and other asylum seekers in twenty-two geographically dispersed countries and, at the supranational level, in the European Union (EU). The individual surveys cover such topics as participation in relevant …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

EFF – With Canada’s Entry, Treaty for the Blind Will Come Into Force

Via EFF – “A groundbreaking international agreement to address the “book famine” for blind and print-disabled people is now set to go into force after passing another key milestone today. The agreement requires countries to allow the reproduction and distribution of accessible ebooks by limiting the scope of copyright restrictions. The Marrakesh agreement takes aim …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Fossil fuels still dominate U.S. energy consumption despite recent market share decline

EIA: “Three fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—have provided more than 80% of total U.S. energy consumption for more than 100 years. In 2015, fossil fuels made up 81.5% of total U.S. energy consumption, the lowest fossil fuel share in the past century. In EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2016 Reference case projections, which reflect current …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions: First Quarter 2016

“This report provides national summary data on the revenues, expenditures and composition of assets of the largest defined benefit public employee pension systems for state and local governments. This report produces three tables: Tables 1 and 3 include data on cash and security holdings and Table 2 provides data on earnings on investments, contributions and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units 1st Quarter 2016

“The Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units 2016 First Quarter Absorption report provides absorption details for units constructed in the fourth quarter of 2015. The Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This survey measures …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Housing

GAO Reports – 2020 Census, Defense Headquarters, Registering Voters, FOIA, ID Fraud

2020 Census: Census Bureau Needs to Improve Its Life-Cycle Cost Estimating Process, GAO-16-628: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 2016. Defense Headquarters: Geographic Combatant Commands Rely on Subordinate Commands for Mission Management and Execution, GAO-16-652R: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 2016. Defense Headquarters: Improved Data Needed to Better Identify Streamlining …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Economy, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, ID Theft, Internet, Privacy

Motherboard – Terrorism Database Used by Governments and Banks Leaked Online

“…Thomson Reuters’ database, called World-Check, is used by over 300 government and intelligence agencies, as well as 49 of the world’s top 50 banks, according to a company fact sheet. World-Check is designed to give insight into financial crime and the people potentially behind it “We monitor over 530 sanction, watch, and regulatory law and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, EU Data Protection, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

State of North America’s Birds 2016

“This report is based on the first-ever conservation vulnerability assessment for all 1,154 native bird species that occur in Canada, the continental United States, and Mexico. The assessment was compiled by a team of experts from all three countries. Of these 1,154 species, 432 qualified for the Watch List, indicating species of highest conservation concern …

Subjects: Environmental Law

Trends in Retirement Satisfaction in the United States: Fewer Having a Great Time

Trends in Retirement Satisfaction in the United States: Fewer Having a Great Time. April 2016, Vol. 37, No. 4 . Paperback, 16 pp.  EBRI. Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2016″The cross-sectional results in this study show that the share of respondents reporting “very satisfying” retirements dropped from 60.5 percent in 1998 to 48.6 percent in 2012. …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents