Moritz Legal Information Blog

For those of you looking for the latest news and details on new research databases, websites, and legal information resources, look no further than the Moritz Law Library's own digital newsletter, Opinio Juris. The latest issue can be found here ,  and back issues through January 2006 can be found here .

Pop Quiz: What do the Beatles and Justin Bieber (and Prince, Whitney Houston, Adele, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Kanye West) have in common? These musical acts rely on the most common rhyming couplet in pop music history, rhyming the words "do" and "you." Why should law students care? Well, judges are not without their idiosyncrasies, including writing the occasional rhyming judicial opinion. Why not make the most of a clerkship and seek out these judicial officers. Justice Michael Eakin , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is one such example of a judge known for his rhyme style . Here's a small sample: Our appellant decided she ought to invest In two breeding emus, but their conjugal nest Produced no chicks, so she tried to regain Her purchase money, but alas in vain. Here are more examples of judicial humor and style at its finest. Ready to try your hand? Grab one of our rhymin

This weather does not make for great (or even good) outdoor fitness opportunities. Well, unless you like to ice skate up High Street. If you're looking for some motivation to get outside and move around just a bit, consider this very cool list of athletes-turned-lawyers: Meet Your Fellow Lawyers That Used To Be Amazing Olympic Athletes Canadian Lawyer Leads Team to Gold Medal in Olympic Curling Event Top 5 Athletes Who Became Lawyers

Five years ago we blogged about the pros and cons of buying a Kindle 2. The Kindle Paperwhite is now the latest and greatest, and the question has shifted somewhat: buy a Kindle or buy a Nook or buy an iPad or something else? If it helps you make your decision, check out the Columbus Bar Association's free lunch meeting " The Paperless Office ." The presenters will share with you currently available and reasonably priced hardware and software that can make your office paperless! Whether you want to go full or partially paperless, this session will show you how to begin the process. For those who can't make it downtown, read  Should a Kindle be Part of Your Toolkit? on Lawyerist.com and Five Ways Lawyers Can Utilize the Kindle from the Wisconsin Law Journal.   And if you've purchased any e-reading device of late, remember you can always borrow e-books from the law library's collection. For info on how, check out our e-books research guide .

Some of you may remember when many European countries adopted the Euro as their currency, dropping the French franc, the Deutsche Mark , and the Italian lira.  Some suggested the Americas might respond with the Amero .  Few likely imagined an entirely decentralized digital currency -- now available in the form of bitcoin. Bitcoin raises a wide range of legal issues, from taxation to money laundering.   Curious?  Read this report to the Library of Congress outlining various countries' approaches to regulating bitcoin.  Better yet, attend the Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal's free upcoming symposium entitled "In Bitcoin We Trust?"   To brush up on the basics, try bitcoin.org .

From Slate.com : When a celebrity dies, some fans take it harder than others. Most find ways to grieve—from flowers and tributes at a fallen star’s home to Facebook remembrances. But moving on is more difficult for some. And for those that a Twitter salute isn’t enough, you can always take action—legal action. In a French court, Michael Jackson fans sued and prevailed against Mr. Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Rather than monetary damages, the fans are hoping their new status as victims will allow them access to Michael Jackson's gravesite, which is closed to the public.

The Olympics are in full swing in Sochi, and we here at the library wondered, "what kind of U.S. legislation exists related to the Olympics?" The best database to look to for the answer? ProQuest Congressional . (The name sort of gives it away, doesn't it?) Because this database has so much material in it, I limited my search to Bills and Laws:   Skimming the results, one can look back and see U.S. Congress members' perspectives on the Olympics: Against Holding Year 2000 Olympics in People's Republic of China (sponsored by Dennis DeConcini  of Arizona) Resolution Against Holding Year 2000 Summer Olympics in China (sponsored by Bill Bradley of New Jersey) Exempt from Antitrust Laws TV Networks Broadcasting the Olympics (sponsored by Thomas McMillen  of Maryland) Play Fair at the Olympics Act (Sponsored by Janice Schakowsky of Illinois)   Last but not least, in January 1980, Representative Robert Bauman proposed the following: "To

The United States now has its first official bookless library . Let us know if you'd like the reference librarians to start acting like Apple store employees!

If you open your own practice, you are effectively your own boss. This means you set your own schedule. Sounds great in practice, but in reality, you just might need a little scheduling help to stay on track, especially if you're still developing a client base. For those who think like artists but work as attorneys, why not try Storyline's free " Productivity Schedule ." If that doesn't hit the mark, try Time Management and Technology , Help Me Get Organized , or Project Management for Lawyers , all based on an Ohio State Bar Association CLE.

I'm sure you all watched the big game yesterday, Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl . I can't think of anything cuter, and the best part of all is that they now have a fantasy league . It's too much. From Variety : Puppy Bowl penalties include all the NFL puns you can think of, including paws interference (instead of pass interference), rough sides (instead of off sides) and dog-collar tackle; as well as some unique to Animal Planet, such as whining, napping, howling, illegal bathing and premature watering of the lawn. So you can see why I was thrilled to find out about the Cbus connection to this year's puppy bowl: Penguins on loan from the Columbus Zoo ! From the Dispatch : “They’re supposed to be the cheerleaders,” explained Heather Price, one of the zoo’s animal-program specialists. “They had pompoms and little megaphones and blocks of ice, even though they’re from Africa. If the thought of working with animals forever is appealing, consider checking out Caree