Moritz Legal Information Blog

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been igniting controversy for some time. Here is a basic description of the process. In part because of issues raised by fracking, the National Council of State Legislators lists natural gas as one of the top 12 tough issues of 2012 . Recent Ohio events are in keeping with this prediction. Last weekend, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources shut down an injection well and four other well projects will not be allowed to open due to earthquakes in Youngstown. Possible links between fracking and earthquakes have also been observed in Arkansas , Oklahoma , and Great Britain . The earthquakes could lead to new Ohio laws and regulations regarding fracking. State Senator Joe Schiavoni (D-Youngstown) is calling for a special hearing of the Senate Energy & Public Utility Committee on this matter. For some information on Ohio’s current regulatory scheme, see the Topical Summary of Oil and Gas Law compiled by the Department of Natural Resources

On January 1st, the Ohio minimum wage rose by 30 cents, making it $7.70 per hour.  Ohio is one of eight states to see an increase in the minimum wage for the beginning of 2012.  Among these states is Washington, which is now the first state to have a minimum wage higher than $9.00 per hour. Ohio's minimum wage law, Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 4111 News: Youngstown Business Journal MSN Money Chicago Tribune

We've written recently about lawsuits against the National Football League related to its handling of player concussions. An article in today's New York Times discusses the "more than a dozen suits" filed by numerous retired players and their wives, and includes commentary by several sports law experts.

Interesting cases this month about jurors and jury duty: The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered a new trial for a death row inmate due to the behavior of jurors.  During Erickson Dimas-Martinez's trial for capital murder and armed robbery, one juror fell asleep and another was tweeting about the case (and the quality of the courthouse coffee), even after being questioned by the trial judge. Opinion here . Chicago Sun-Times ABA Journal In Manchester, a juror was sentenced to 14 days in a young offenders institution (he served five days) for lying to the court about his whereabouts.  The 19-year-old student told the court he was sick, but was in fact seeing a show in London. The Telegraph Manchester Evening News BBC News

The Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a district court decision granting summary judgment to Kobe Bryant in a case brought on behalf of a spectator at a 2005 Lakers-Grizzlies game. Bryant allegedly pushed his forearm into the spectator's chest and glared at him as Bryant returned to the court after falling out of bounds. The court affirmed the district court's decision granting summary judgment to Bryant as to an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim, but reversed the lower court's granting of summary judgment as to assault and battery claims. The court remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings.

Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's recent statements critical of the federal judiciary have produced some interesting responses. See recent articles by conservative columnist George Will , University of Chicago law professor Eric Posner , and Slate senior legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick . See also the position paper posted on Gingrich's website.

Back in October , we discussed the new PACER app.  Here are several new reviews of the app: Wall Street Journal Law Blog iPhone J.D. Here is the app, which is free for a limited time during the holidays.