Moritz Legal Information Blog

The American Bar Association this month launched the Media Alerts on Federal Courts of Appeals web site . The new site is intended to inform the media and the public of important cases in the federal appellate courts. “It represents a collaborative effort to broadly disseminate timely, accurate and unbiased information about noteworthy and legally significant cases in the federal courts of appeals. The site will be updated daily with postings on key decisions and alerts on upcoming cases.”

Google announced this month that users will be able “to find and read full text legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, appellate and supreme courts" using Google Scholar . According to Google , "Google Scholar allows you to search and read opinions for US state appellate and supreme court cases since 1950, US federal district, appellate, tax and bankruptcy courts since 1923 and US Supreme Court cases since 1791." Users interested in doing case law research will probably find the advanced search screen easier to use than the basic search. This is an exciting development for those interested in free public access of legal information; however, legal professionals should probably keep their LexisNexis and Westlaw accounts for the time being. Google has not provided information about how it collects this case law, so we do not really know how comprehensive its collection is. We also do not know how frequently the case law information is updated. These shor

Happy Thanksgiving , everyone!

On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species , a controversial work that provides the foundation for theories of evolutionary biology. It also played a role in The Scopes Trial , which famously addressed the tension between creationism and evolution in American classrooms.

Here's another one for all you golfers out there: The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia recently determined that the Happy Gilmore golf shot is a breach of the standard of care required of a golfer playing on a course with other golfers. Just something to keep in mind the next time you hit the links... From Legal Blog Watch

It's that time of year again...this weekend the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Michigan Wolverines in their annual Big Ten showdown . For more on the history of this impressive rivalry, check out this page , created jointly by OSU and Michigan Libraries.

On Tuesday, The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov was published , nearly thirty years after the author's death in 1977. The debate over whether this work should be published focused on the author's own wish that the manuscript be destroyed and his son, Dmitri's reluctance to destroy what could prove to be a major literary contribution. For more examples of works published posthumously, check out this list from Wikipedia .

Reading historical documents can be pretty interesting, but what about hearing historical speeches? Here is a compliation of quite a few historical audio recordings , including selections from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and Winston Churchill. From Concurring Opinions

Ok, so you already are in a fantasy football league, and you agonize over your March Madness bracket picks, well now there's a new game in town, and it's perfect for law students. Welcome to FantasySCOTUS.net , the online fantasy league that asks you to predict the outcome of cases currently pending before the Supreme Court. The site was just established this term, but it looks like it will be a fun game for anyone interested in following SCOTUS decisions. From Legal Blog Watch

The National Archives and Records Administration has compiled a list of 100 landmark documents in American History . This impressive collection includes such monumental works as George Washington's First Inaugural Address , Marbury v. Madison , and Thomas Edison's patent application for the light bulb . From beSpacific

The National Constitution Center has launched a great new website -- Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline . Loaded with interactive features, this site contains a huge amount of information on a wide range of topics, including voting rights, war powers, religious freedom, federalism and much more. From Librarians' Internet Index

CNN's list of the twelve most annoying types of people on facebook ...how many of your friends fit into one of these categories? From Law Librarian Blog

Today is Veterans Day , a day when we honor all American military veterans. For more information on this important day, visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website, which includes a historical overview of Veterans Day and other information.

There is a new research guide available for anyone doing work on jury instructions. This guide "helps you find the standard and pattern jury instructions issued by state and federal judiciaries, as well as other sources when those standard instructions do not cover your situation." From CM Law Library Blog

Doing some research on SCOTUS? Look no further than these excellent sources, which will provide you with all the information you'll need: Supreme Court of the United States Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute The U.S. Courts Oyez FindLaw U.S. Supreme Court Opinions Justia Supreme Court Center The Supreme Court Historical Society American Bar Association (ABA) From Ross-Blakley Law Library Blog

Looking for a good book to read or want to keep your friends up to date on the good things you've been reading lately? Then check out goodreads.com . It's a lot like a virtual book club, where you can rate books that you have read and check out what your friends and others have been reading and what they recommend. If you're looking for something a little more substantive, be sure to check out the Moritz Book Club, which you can sign up for on TWEN!

We're now just 100 days away from the Opening Ceremonies for the 21st Winter Olympics which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada. Although we are still months away from competition, NBC has already launched it's website for the games . It's a great place to learn more about the events, athletes, and the city of Vancouver as we countdown to opening day.

As both the seasonal flu and H1N1 continue to spread, Google has realized that certain search terms provide a pretty good indicator of where flu outbreaks are occuring and how many people are becoming ill. The Google Flu Trends tracker allows you to see trends in the spread of the flu both in the U.S. and around the world. From beSpacific