Moritz Legal Information Blog

New York is now the first state to require pro bono work before an applicant may be admitted to the bar.  The rule requires 50 hours of pro bono service, none of which may be satisfied by partisan political activities. You can read the new rule here .  It is not scheduled to go into effect until 2015, so current 3Ls are exempt. ABA Journal Wall Street Journal Law Blog Above the Law

I just moved to Columbus and was on the verge of realizing my lifelong dream of living in a city with an NHL team when tragedy struck . If you're as frustrated by the NHL lockout as I am (or if you have no idea what the NHL is and want to know), I highly recommend The Law of Hockey   to get your bearings on the topic. The book covers everything you might expect (labor relations, player contracts, competition law), but it also includes sections on things that never crossed my mind: equality issues (e.g. aboriginal peoples, religion, and transgender status), television contracts, and "two cases of hockey homicide." In local news, The Dispatch reports on the impact the lockout will have on Columbus taxpayers as a result of the contract negotiated late last year. Sports Law is offered this Spring. Why not get a leg up on the national sport of Canada ?

We've written in the past about the child sex abuse case of Jerry Sandusky.  A date has now been set for his sentencing: three weeks from today, October 9. Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts relating to the sexual abuse of young boys, and faces up to 373 years in prison. Sentencing Law and Policy Detroit Free Press NBC Sports

Is it ever too early to start prepping for exams? I'd have to give my typical attorney answer: it depends. But study aids can come in handy even if you're just prepping for class. The National Jurist , which you may have picked up while grabbing coffee on the first floor, has an article this month called "10 Most Popular Study Aids" designed to improve your purchasing choices. Great news: The law library carries seven of the ten titles, so you can actually flip through the books for closer review. Here are links to the titles we have in the law library: Examples and Explanations Gilbert Law Summaries Emanual CrunchTime Understanding Series Casenote Legal Briefs Concepts and Insights Series Mastering Series For other study aids, feel free to stop by the library and wander the aisles in the reserve room. (That's the area behind the circulation desk on your right when you enter the library.)

We wrote recently about the mini-baccarat players at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, who won over $1.5 million when the same sequence of cards appeared again and again because the cards had not been pre-shuffled. "Anybody could see that that was the dream we all look for," said Michael Cho of Maryland , one of the players.  Judge James Isman ruled that the casino must let the players cash in their remaining chips, and that it cannot go after the cash already received.  h/t: Legal Blog Watch ABA Journal NBC40 Poker News Daily

We have previously discussed the Amish hair- and beard-cutting case, in which members of a "breakaway" Amish group cut off the hair of women and the beards of men.  The jury began to deliberate in the federal hate crime trial this morning.  You can read more about the closing arguments at the Cleveland Plain Dealer , which has collected all of their coverage of the case here .

With the Senate confirmation of Stephanie Rose, President Obama set a record: the highest number of  female judges appointed to the federal bench in a single term.  Rose was confirmed on Monday, the first female judge for the Southern District of Iowa. President Obama's appointment of 72 female judges ties George W. Bush's number of appointments in both of his terms as President.  Bill Clinton appointed 111 women over his two terms. ABA Journal Wall Street Journal Law Blog Huffington Post Des Moines Register