Moritz Legal Information Blog

Find a great list of 20 Spooky Law Review Articles (at least the titles) posted today by the C-M Law Library Blog.

In preparation for a weekend of spookiness and candy, here are a few sites with discussion of laws and law enforcement relating to Halloween: FindLaw: Keep Your Halloween Party Legal FindLaw: Can I Wear a Mask While Diriving? Ohio Department of Public Safety

Last week, dozens of exotic animals, including tigers, bears, and monkeys, escaped from a private residence after the suicide of the owner.  Most of the animals were subsequently killed by law enforcement officers, and a few were rescued.  In the wake of the tragedy, some are questioning regulations regarding the ownership of wild animals. News and commentary: Discovery News ABC News The Plain Dealer NPR Scientific American Blog

Judge Antonio Cassese, a prominent figure in modern international criminal justice, recently passed away after a long illness. Cassese is credited with playing a substantial role in the founding of two major international criminal tribunals, most notably the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. In 1993, Cassese became the first president of this court, set up by the UN in the aftermath of the 1990s Balkans war crimes. Read his obituary in The New York Times .

A federal district court judge for the District of Columbia has dismissed a complaint brought by a group of U.S. legislators (including Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul) challenging President Obama's authority to order military strikes in Libya. The complaint alleged that the President's actions violated Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution because Congress did not authorize the strikes. See more coverage from JURIST .

Gallup recently released a poll showing that support for legalizing marijuana has reached 50%. This is up from Gallup's first poll in 1969 showing 12% in favor. See analysis from Ilya Somin on the Volokh Conspiracy and a brief discussion of the conservative case for legalization.

President Obama has nominated Los Angeles lawyer Paul Watford to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Watford, 44, clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and is a former United States Attorney. News: Los Angeles Times San Francisco Chronicle Whitehouse.gov

Several news articles have emerged recently about the increased demand for patent lawyers in the wake of the America Invents Act , legislation that overhauled the U.S. patent system. See coverage by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal . Finally there is some good news for the legal job market.

Yes, there is an Android app for use when you are about to be arrested, designed to quickly notify friends, loved-ones, and legal advisors of your circumstances. Apparently it was inspired by an Occupy Wall Street incident. See the review at cnet and download here .

Michael Morton was convicted of the murder of his wife in 1986.  After recent DNA testing showed that another man had committed the crime, Morton was freed from prison.  Yesterday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declared Morton innocent. News and commentary: Austin American-Statesman Houston Chronicle Los Angeles Times

Several Ohio Amish men are accused of breaking into homes and inflicting injuries while cutting off the hair and beards of other Amish. CNN Wooster Daily Record

Liberia will hold elections tomorrow. Presidential candidates include recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient and current president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, dubbed the first woman elected to lead a country in modern African history. In Custodia Legis sets the stage and describes the legal maneuvering that preceded the election. One issue was a constitutional residency requirement. Sirleaf had fled Liberia during a brutal civil war before returning to run for office in 2005. See also a profile of Sirleaf and related articles from the New York Times.

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), the electronic document access system for federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, is now offering a mobile version of its case locator tool. See the recent announcement in PACER's quarterly newsletter. Accessing documents from PACER costs 8 cents per page ( until April, 1, 2012 ) and requires registering for an account. Contact the reference desk for assistance and/or alternative means of access. Thanks to Legal Research Plus for the initial coverage.

Earlier this year, two Ohio prisoners (one on death row) filed a lawsuit alleging violation of their civil rights, due to the fact that Muslim prisoners are not provided meals prepared according to Islamic law (halal).  In contrast, they point out, Jewish prisoners are provided kosher meals. In response, Ohio prison administrators decided to remove pork from prison menus.  This decision, in turn, does not sit well with Ohio pork producers. More news: ABA Journal The Columbus Dispatch Fremont News-Messenger

An Italian court yesterday overturned the murder conviction of Amanda Knox.  In 2009, Knox and her boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, were found guilty of the 2007 murder of Knox's English roommate, Meredith Kercher.  Sollecito's murder conviction was also overturned. News and commentary: Bloomberg Time MSNBC Huffington Post The Seattle Times

HeinOnline recently added a "One Box Search" option in beta form, allowing searches across all HeinOnline collections. Notice the new search box at the top left of HeinOnline's main page above the list of collections. Boolean operators, quoted phrases, and proximity searching are possible, and users can narrow results by date and collection. Consult Hein's syntax guidelines for more details on advanced searching, such as capitalizing the AND, OR, and NOT operators.