Category «Civil Liberties»

SCOTUS Statement Concerning the Leak Investigation Jan 19, 2023

I am updating this post with the most recent article in response to the “we do not have any idea who did it” investigation [hint – they did not quiz the justices and spouses]. CNN –  Supreme Court embarrassed by the opinion leak is embarrassed again Follow up to May 2, 2022 Politico article – …

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

Fed announces pilot climate scenario analysis

ClimateWire: “The Federal Reserve is requiring the largest American banks to assess how a major hurricane in the northeastern United States would affect their real estate portfolios as part of a broader regulatory exercise to measure the financial threats of climate change. The Fed released new details Tuesday about its anticipated “pilot climate scenario analysis,” …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System

The 5 Best Sites to Find Cruelty-Free Brands

MakeUseOf: “As animal rights gain greater traction, more people are seeking to make the switch to cruelty-free products. The term “cruelty-free” means that a company’s products are not tested on animals. However, finding cruelty-free products can still be a challenge. When you mention this preference, most retail staff tend to direct you to natural, clean, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, Internet

How Google’s Ad Business Funds Disinformation Around the World

Pro Publica: “In one instance, Google continued to place ads on a publication in Bosnia and Herzegovina for months after the U.S. government officially imposed sanctions on the site. Google stopped doing business with the site, which the U.S. Treasury Department described as the “personal media station” of a prominent Bosnian Serb separatist politician, only …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Securities Law

Database States – No database is neutral

The Baffler -Sanjana Varghese: The UK, as it turns out, is not particularly adept at securing its data. In 2009, a group of British academics released a report calling the UK a “database state,” citing the existence of forty-six leaky databases that were poorly constructed and badly maintained. Databases that they examined ranged from one …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Are book bans discrimination?

Washington Post – Biden administration to test new legal theory: “The federal government has opened an investigation into a Texas school district over its alleged removal of books featuring LGBTQ characters — marking the first test of a new legal argument that failing to represent students in school books can constitute discrimination. The Education Department’s …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Biden’s New Open Government Plan Lays Out a Progressive Regulatory Reform Agenda

Center for Progressive Reform: “In case you missed it, the Biden administration capped off 2022 with the release of a new “open government” plan that aims to improve access to federal data and information, better engage the public in the regulatory process, and streamline delivery of government services and benefits. While the 21-page document — …

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

Survey finds ‘classical fascist’ antisemitic views widespread in U.S.

ADL – Antisemitic Attitudes in America: Topline Findings – “Widespread belief in anti-Jewish tropes, at rates unseen for decades – Over three-quarters of Americans (85 percent) believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, as opposed to 61 percent found in 2019. Twenty percent of Americans believe six or more tropes, which is significantly more than the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Legal Research

EEOC on the lookout for tech-fueled employment bias

FCW: “The federal agency responsible for enforcing employment discrimination rules plans to sharpen its focus on algorithmic and other tech-related employment discrimination.  The new strategic enforcement plan released by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission on Tuesday covers priorities for fiscal years 2023-2027, and is open for comment through Feb. 9, 2023. The document states that …

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

The Right to Equal Protection and Fourth Amendment Rights Are Distinct Rights

Courts Must Protect Both: “On behalf of MACDL, Attorney Wood and a team of attorneys from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr recently filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Judicial Court to fully enforce people’s rights not to be targeted for stops based on their race, regardless of whether the police have reasonable suspicion. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

The Supply and Demand of Legal Help on the Internet

Hagan, Margaret, The Supply and Demand of Legal Help on the Internet (October 17, 2022). Margaret D. Hagan “The Supply and Demand of Legal Help on the Internet,” Legal Tech and the Future of Civil Justice, edited by David Freeman Engstrom. Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4250390 “Faith in technology as a way …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Search Engines