Moritz Legal Information Blog

The dates for U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  are fast approaching, scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. While under the court's longstanding policy there will be no live audio or visual coverage, the court recently announced that it plans to make audio recordings available in the afternoon of each argument day. Typically audio files are available on Fridays of argument weeks. Audio files and written transcripts will be available on the court's website . To access court filings and other resources related to the health case cases, see SCOTUSblog .

Today, a three-judge trial chamber of the International Criminal Court unanimously issued a decision finding that Democratic Republic of Congo militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo committed war crimes. The court found Dyilo guilty of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15 into his militia, and actively using them in hostilities. See more details from the BBC and JURIST , which indicate that this is the court's first trial verdict since its inception ten years ago. See also video of today's proceedings.

An update in the case of the men accused of cutting the beards of fellow Amish men : all 12 defendants have pleaded not guilty, and plan to challenge the constitutionality of the hate crimes law. Washington Post northwestohio.com Canton Repository

In January, we discussed Ohio's fracking shutdown after a number of earthquakes around Youngstown. The shutdown has led to a shift in Ohio's brine disposal rules. On Friday, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources a new regulatory framework , including a prohibition on new wells in earthquake-susceptible pre -Cambrian rock formations. As the Columbus Dispatch reports, some remain concerned, in part because there is no mandate for seismic surveys before a well is drilled.

Old Maps Online , a collaboration of  The Great Britain Historical GIS Project based at the University of Portsmouth, UK and Klokan Technologies GmbH, Switzerland, is a portal to digitized historical map collections. The site provides links to maps of various parts of the globe, including historical maps of Ohio. For instance, see an 1804 Ohio map and an 1872 Ohio railroad map  from the David Rumsey Map Collection .

A Massachusetts "hockey dad" may have taken winning too seriously.  He is accused of shining a laser pointer into the eyes of players on the opposing team.  His daughter's team won, but the victory is bittersweet:  the father has been charged with disturbing the peace.  Boston Globe Fox Sports

What procedures should channel the power exercised by the executive branch? In recent remarks, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder defended the use of lethal force against American citizens abroad, noting that “the Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process.” The New York Times summarizes Holder’s arguments, which seem to rely on his interpretations of Congressional action in the form of the Authorization to Use Military Force ( Public Law 107-40 ). In a very different context, a recent Ohio Supreme Court opinion analyzed whether a state agency fulfilled procedural requirements imposed by the Ohio Revised Code. In a 4-3 opinion, In re Application of Buckeye Wind, L.L.C. , the Court upheld the Power Siting Board’s decision to authorize construction of a new wind farm, despite some security and environmental concerns. While Ohio’s administrative procedure laws expressly remove the public utilities commission from their requirements (per Ohio Rev. Code 119.01 ), special he