Category «Civil Liberties»

A Multi-Level Bayesian Analysis of Racial Bias in Police Shootings at the County-Level in the United States, 2011–2014

A Multi-Level Bayesian Analysis of Racial Bias in Police Shootings at the County-Level in the United States, 2011–2014, Ross CT (2015) A Multi-Level Bayesian Analysis of Racial Bias in Police Shootings at the County-Level in the United States, 2011–2014. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141854. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141854. “A geographically-resolved, multi-level Bayesian model is used to analyze the data …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Joint ProPublica New York Times investigative report on error prone law enforcement drug testing

Tens of thousands of people every year are sent to jail based on the results of a $2 roadside drug test. Widespread evidence shows that these tests routinely produce false positives. Why are police departments and prosecutors still using them? by Ryan Gabrielson and Topher Sanders, ProPublica Graphics by Fathom. Photography by Todd Heisler, The New …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research

EFF – FBI Must Not Sidestep Privacy Protections For Massive Collection of Biometric Data

Iris Scans, Palm Prints, Face Recognition Data, and More Collected From Millions of Innocent Citizens – “The FBI, which has created a massive database of biometric information on millions of Americans never involved in a crime, mustn’t be allowed to shield this trove of personal information from Privacy Act rules that let people learn what …

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

Victimhood and Agency: How Taking Charge Takes its Toll

Mueller, Pam, Victimhood and Agency: How Taking Charge Takes its Toll (May 1, 2016). Pepperdine Law Review, Forthcoming. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2804124 “This project addresses an unexplored tension in the civil justice system with regard to victims. The civil justice process generally depends on victims taking action – but “active” victims may face …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research

Google posts latest diversity report

Official Google Blog: “It’s been two years since we first shared our workforce demographics and helped spark a conversation about the need to improve diversity at Google and across the tech industry. Today we’re updating google.com/diversity with our 2015 demographics, and sharing some areas where we’ve seen progress in building a more diverse and inclusive …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Legal Research, Search Engines

GAO Report – Gun Control: Analyzing Available Data Could Help Improve Background Checks Involving Domestic Violence Records

Gun Control: Analyzing Available Data Could Help Improve Background Checks Involving Domestic Violence Records, GAO-16-483: Published: Jul 5, 2016. Publicly Released: Jul 5, 2016. “Most of the 50 states submit domestic violence records—misdemeanor crime of domestic violence (MCDV) convictions and domestic violence protection orders—to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for …

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

House Homeland Security Report – Going Dark, Going Forward: A Primer on the Encryption Debate

June 29, 2016: “Terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have sparked a public debate on the use of encryption in our society because the attackers used encrypted communications to evade detection, a phenomenon known as “going dark.” Today, the Majority Staff of the House Homeland Security Committee released a new report entitled, Going Dark, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Privacy

Jurist Commentary – Overcriminalization & Mass Incarceration

Donnie Bethel, Stephen Cooper, Overcriminalization & mass incarceration: SCOTUS’ Decision n the Hobbs Act Will Increase Both, JURIST – Professional Commentary, June 26, 2016, http://jurist.org/hotline/2016/06/Bethel-Cooper-mass-incarceration.php. “People of all persuasions, political parties and philosophies have awakened to the terrible toll the crises of overcriminalization and mass incarceration have wrought on America. Perhaps, as reported by The …

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

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

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