Moritz Legal Information Blog

A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article describes the University of Chicago's new high-tech library, where a robotic crane retrieves books from a subterranean storage space beneath a large, glass-domed reading room. A YouTube video explains how it works. See also this exterior view .

Today, the Ohio Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of State v. Short . In 2006, Duane Short was found guilty of the murders of his estranged wife and her friend. Opinion here . Dayton Daily News Cincinnati.com

Update : The man who barked at a police dog in Mason, Ohio, argued that the barking was free speech. On Friday, a municipal judge ruled that Ryan Stephens had no First Amendment right to bark at the dog. More news and commentary: Cincinnati.com Lowering the Bar Wall Street Journal Law Blog The Volokh Conspiracy (With link to decision )

Check out Constitutional Law Prof Blog for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's take on the 2010-2011 SCOTUS term. At an event in Cooperstown, NY, Justice Ginsburg makes a good faith effort to overcome her perhaps undeserved reputation as "the least funny Justice who talks."

The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) recently announced a new look for its lessons, which will be accessible from iPads and iPhones. Student scores will automatically be saved into an account profile. Copying and pasting will also be possible. Law school students and faculty can now access the new lesson viewer from the beta link within each lesson. A July 13 webcast about the new lessons interface is available on CALI's YouTube Channel.

Three Michigan men are accused of stealing a dead, flattened alligator from a barn, strapping it to a truck, then going mud bogging with it. The owner is credited with photographing the suspicious tire tracks near his barn, finding the suspects, questioning them, then alerting the authorities. The victim forwarded the photographs he took as well as filed a theft report with a Livingston County sheriff's deputy, who eventually spoke with one of the suspects. That person told the deputy that his "friend Douglas Ward" got the alligator and when the deputy asked the speaker his name, he replied, "Douglas Ward," Bezotte said. - The Detroit Free Press Authorities suspect alcohol was involved in the incident. More: The Flint Journal (mlive.com) Hat tip: Lowering the Bar

More news of fast food lawsuits : Wendy's, headquartered in Dublin, is being sued by Pincher's Crab Shack, a seafood restaurant chain in Florida. At issue: the slogan, "You can't fake fresh." Pincher's applied to register the slogan in 2009, and it was registered in 2010. The suit alleges that Wendy's used the same slogan in commercials, and is deceiving the public. The Columbus Dispatch Naples Daily News