Moritz Legal Information Blog

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled 5 1/2 hours of oral argument over three days for the three Affordable Care Act challenge cases. The court will hear argument on March 26, 27, and 28, 2012, approximately two years after President Obama signed the bill into law. See the court's March calendar and CNN for more details. There's no word on whether the court ever responded to C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb's letter requesting television cameras in the court room.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice and Moritz alum Paul Pfeifer testified at a legislative hearing earlier this week in favor of repealing Ohio's death penalty law, which he helped create as a legislator in the early 1980s. See coverage from the Columbus Dispatch and the Toledo Blade . The Dispatch article includes a quote from Moritz emeritus professor of criminal law Larry Herman, who also testified. The House Criminal Justice Committee held the hearing on recently-introduced H.B. 160 , which would abolish the death penalty in Ohio.

As the holiday season approaches, more and more people will be driving to the homes of family and friends.  The Department of Transportation's website on "distracted driving" provides a state-by-state map with the laws pertaining to calling and texting while driving. Currently, the state of Ohio has no laws banning texting while driving.  As we posted in July , House Bill 99 , which would ban texting while driving, is currently under consideration. Several Ohio cities, including Columbus and Toledo, have banned texting while driving. News and commentary: Columbus Dispatch WBNS PC Mag CNN

Fatou Bensouda of Gambia was recently chosen to be the next chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. Bensouda, currently deputy prosecutor at the court, will become the second chief prosecutor in the court's brief history, replacing Luis Moreno-Ocampo of Argentina whose nine-year term expires next year. The BBC provides extensive coverage. See also the New York Times and JURIST .

Law books no longer in use are finding new lives.  Reporters, digests, and other books have been repurposed as bags , furniture , and even floors . Hat tip: Legal Blog Watch

Hearings began this week on House Bill 125 , which would prohibit abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.  News: Dayton Daily News New York Times ABA Journal

A group of former National Football League players recently filed another concussion-related lawsuit against the league. The complaint includes allegations that teams routinely administered a blood-thinning drug making it more difficult for players to recognize concussion symptoms. See the complaint at Justia and related article from the New York Times.