Moritz Legal Information Blog

For those of you who are currently under a lot of stress smoking maybe your release valve, for others it is another point of stress; regardless of which side you take Ohio has passed a new smoking law. This posted page by the ODH (the Ohio department of Health) has links to the text of new law and an FAQ (frequently asked questions). However, the ODH has “agreed that no citations, warning letters or civil fines would be imposed upon ‘any business, organization, proprietor, employer, employee or individual’ until rules are drafted, which must be done no later than June” (see this Columbus Dispatch article from Friday, December 08, 2006 for more information).

George Washington University Law Professor Daniel Solove has posted a very funny Guide to Grading Exams . Although the techniques discussed by Professor Solove are not used here at Moritz, many former law students from other schools will undoubtedly enjoy a scholarly explanation of the law exam grading process.

A significant change to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2007. Rule 32.1 will prohibit courts from restricting citations to unpublished court decisions issued after January 1, 2007. The new rule can be viewed here . From Tech Law Prof Blog .

Library and Archives Canada has created an online exhibit called Detecting the Truth - Fakes, Forgeries and Trickery : This website will let you discover why and how people have changed documents, paintings, maps, books, stamps and money throughout history. It will also show you the techniques and tools that experts such as conservators, archivists and librarians at the Library and Archives of Canada use to spot a fake. From Library Boy .

beer, Santa, and commercial speech Mistletoe & the Law Comedians Think Humor Books Aren’t Very Funny Players Sue NBA Over New Balls, Tighter Calls

From the American Constitution Society website : On December 5, 2006, ACS and the Federalist Society co-sponsored A Conversation on the Constitution: Perspectives from Active Liberty and A Matter of Interpretation with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia. In this conversation, which was moderated by ABC News Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg the Justices discussed the interpretive methodologies described in their books, and conversed on the Constitution itself. Nine hundred lawyers, law students, judges and journalists attended the event. Video of the discussion is available at the American Constitution Society website . From The Volokh Conspiracy .

The Iraq Study Group Report is now available from GPO Access . It can be downloaded here .