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Showing posts from May, 2014

Mental Health Laws - State-by-State Surveys

With shooting rampages cropping up in the news every few months, you may wonder (as did an author at Slate.com ), "Under what circumstances can a family member, social worker, or law enforcement officer have a person involuntarily committed because they represent a danger to society? With the recent spate of shootings perpetuated by people with known mental illness, do those laws need updating?" The laws vary by state, but you can find them on a handy website here . To determine which states have the strongest or weakest laws regarding civil commitment, this site recently (February 2014) rated them.

Congressional Information Service (CIS) Microfiche

We (Moritz Law Library) subscribe to receive microfiche from the Congressional Information Service (CIS). What is the stuff we receive? All kinds of federal legislative material. (Cleveland-Marshall's law library has created a handy guide on the topic.) You can find this material online through ProQuest Congressional (because CIS is part of ProQuest, a private company), but sometimes the fiche might be more useful or convenient. To search our fiche collection, just search the index  here . To get help with the fiche reader, check with the reference desk or ask for assistance at the circulation desk.

The Supreme Court's Invisible Red Pen

Supreme Court watchers have recently noted errors in opinions by two Justices, errors the Court has corrected.  The  Wall Street Journal reported that Justice Scalia mischaracterized a prior case. And the Washington Times reported that Justice Kagan made a historical error. These individual mistakes and the subsequent changes may seem minor -- they do not necessarily impact the outcome of the cases.  But it appears, as the New York Times reports, that the Supreme Court often edits opinions -- not always announcing these changes.  This New York Times interactive graphic illustrates several edits. A new task for the legal researcher:  look for alternative versions of SCOTUS opinions!

Free Beer and Wine Tastings Coming to Ohio Soon

Coming from Michigan, I was surprised the first time I went to an Ohio wine tasting and found that I had to pay for the tasting samples.  But thanks to a new law, some beer and wine retailers will soon be able to hold free tastings. As always, you can check out every version of the new legislation (set to take effect on July 10th of this year) at the Ohio Legislature website : SB 173 (As Introduced) Fiscal Notes and Local Impact Statement Status Report And news coverage: WBNS-10TV Dayton Daily News

X-Post Facto

X-Men: Days of Future Past  is released in theaters tomorrow. The film's plot is based off of the 1981 Uncanny X-Men story arc of the same title. In both, an X-Men team member must travel back in time in order to change history to prevent the eventual arrival of an anti-mutant future. Law and the Multiverse (a legal blog first mentioned here by Matt Cooper ) provides an analysis of the legal atmosphere of the comic book's story. Very pertinent to the Days of Future Past story, time travel is also covered in questions of double jeopardy and the statute of limitations . If you are curious about law in relation to superheroes, you can find more from the authors of Law and the Multiverse in their book The Law of Superheroes . (Someone at the circulation desk can get it out of the display case for you.) If you have further questions about X-Men lore, you can see Matt Watson at the circulation desk.

Guardians ad Litem: Who Watches the Watchers?

You may be familiar with a recent ward of page and screen, Lisbeth Salander, a.k.a. the girl with the dragon tattoo.    Salander suffered at the hands of an abusive and controlling guardian, drawing attention to an often overlooked area of law. This week, the Columbus Dispatch shines a light on legal guardianship in a series entitled Unguarded , exposing a system in need of reform.   For example: “ A Dispatch analysis of more than 700 Franklin County guardianship cases opened during a three-year span beginning in 2007 found that in more than a third of the cases, a medical or mental-health professional determined that a patient was incompetent in less than 30 minutes. More than 1 in 5 of them had never before seen the patient.” If you’d like to learn more about Ohio’s guardian ad litem law, the Supreme Court of Ohio offers an Ohio Guardian ad Litem Education Program , and the Ohio Bar Association offers this basic explanation . If you are a local attorney

Raging Bull

From Reuters , The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday revived a copyright lawsuit against movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. concerning an early screenplay for what became the iconic boxing movie "Raging Bull." The court held on a 6-3 vote that Paula Petrella, daughter of deceased screenwriter Frank Petrella, could pursue a lawsuit against MGM for infringing the copyright of a 1963 screenplay upon which she says the movie was based. The case has been remanded for further action, and the Los Angeles Times has a bit more explanation. Care to read the slip opinion ? Check out SCOTUSblog for more updates as they develop.

Correlation versus Causation

What's the difference between correlation and causation when it comes to statistics? If you're relying on statistics to prove your point in court, it's a question you must understand. According to stats.org ,  an action or occurrence can cause another (such as smoking causes lung cancer), or it can correlate with another (such as smoking is correlated with alcoholism). If one action causes another, then they are most certainly correlated. But just because two things occur together does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense. Unfortunately, our intuition can lead us astray when it comes to distinguishing between causality and correlation. For example, eating breakfast has long been correlated with success in school for elementary school children. It would be easy to conclude that eating breakfast causes students to be better learners. It turns out, however, that those who don’t eat breakfast are also more likely to be absent or tardy — and

National Bike to Work Day!

The incredible fall-like weather had made Columbus's Bike to Work Day lovely. Last year's weather  wasn't too shabby: a high of 80 degrees and a low of 55 degrees. (Bookmark that historical weather page if you ever have a trial question come up about weather conditions during a particular incident (e.g., a car crash).) In honor of the day, here are two of our historical posts about bicycling (including one about a possible career path).

Ohio Supreme Court Glossary of Legal Terms

From the helpful blog of the Hamilton County Law Library, "CNO  launched the court’s first interactive online glossary designed specifically to help the public understand the legal terms that courts and lawyers frequently use." Hamilton County Law Library notes the interactive online glossary is useful for the public, but consider how often you turn to Google to look up a definition from a casebook. Next time you're scratching your head about the implications of a "per curiam" opinion, why not turn to an authoritative source instead?

Watch Ohio House Sessions

"Members of the Ohio State Marching Band were a huge hit at the Statehouse during the Ohio House Session on Wednesday, May 7." You can watch a brief video here , but if you want to watch the full house session, the video is part of the Session Video Library on the Ohio legislature's website.

Celebrate Graduation Responsibly

Punk in Drublic is not just a great album , it's also what some might experience post-graduation. But celebrate responsibly, and try to keep shenanigans to a minimum for your health and safety and to avoid any Character and Fitness issues . But is it legal to be punk in drublic, er, drunk in public? As all law grads know by now, the correct attorney answer is, "it depends." An Arizona appeals court recently ruled public intoxication cannot be a criminal offense. And Jacksonville, Florida, changed its open-container laws after homeless men arrested for drinking in public complained that the rich, powerful, and famous attending the Super Bowl in that city could drink in public with impunity. What about Ohio? Open containers are prohibited on streets  for now. Cincinnati Democrat Eric Kearney introduced a bill (SB116) a year ago to create areas exempt from this prohibition, but at present, the matter is still in committee . And public intoxication? Good news: so lon

While You're Out, We're Still Here

Exams are winding down and graduation is right around the corner. You might be headed into the workplace this summer, but don't forget the law library is our workplace. That means you can contact us even when you're not in the building. Call the reference desk (614-292-9463), and if we don't answer we'll get back to you shortly. (A law librarian is at the desk 10am-5pm, Monday-Friday.) You can also send an email ( lawlibref@osu.edu ) or chat with us ( http://moritzlaw.osu.libguides.com/AskALibrarian ). We can help you find things you've been asked to track down; we can also give you some thoughts on how to approach a research project to ensure you get your employer what he or she needs.

Oh, the places you’ll go! Oh, the people you’ll sue!

In honor of our graduating 3Ls, let’s consider the author of that time-honored grad gift, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!   When you think of links between Dr. Seuss and the law, copyright issues likely spring to mind, like this case involving a Dylan-inspired rendition of Green Eggs and Ham .   But Whoville knows abound whenever Dr. Seuss is around.   To explore the Seussian legal world, see the New York Law School Law Review’s March 2013 symposium “Exploring Civil Society Through the Writings of Dr. Seuss.”   You can listen to the program here or watch videos here .   Topics include personal rights of identity, the nature of war, and business and society. An early congratulations to the class of 2014!  

The Photocopier Deposition

I'm not immune from the bandwagon, and in this case there are two I've hitched to: adoration for the Upright Citizens Brigade (from which Amy Poehler sprung) and grimaces/amusement at the reenactment of a cringe-worthy deposition that turned on this key question: "When you say 'photocopying machine,' what do you mean?" The  word-for-word reenactment , albeit with full dramatic license, is particularly interesting as it originated from a legal dispute right here in Ohio. For a little background and editorial comment from one of the attorneys involved, check out this article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer .