Columns

Ethics Matters

Natural Born Killers?

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Friday, December 21, 2012  |  by Mark Dubois  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

I venture into this topic gingerly, readily admitting that folks like defense lawyer and Law Tribune columnist Norm Pattis have a much deeper understanding of the workings of criminal law and the criminal mind, but I can't help being intrigued by some recent news concerning the idea that some people's brains are different than "normal," and, as a result, they commit unspeakable crimes.

Legally Conservative

Democrats Guilty Of Hypocrisy In Judicial Nominations

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Friday, December 14, 2012  |  by Karen Lee Torre  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Political machinations surrounding nominations to the supreme courts of two states have been making headlines in the news and legal blogs, and they provide a valuable lesson for the non-lawyer public. In both cases, the controversies expose what all lawyers already know, but which only conservatives point out: the fraudulent nature of both liberals' "diversity" rhetoric and the so-called "Missouri Plan," the method of state judicial selection promoted by the left (with aid from such characters as George Soros).

One Hand Clapping

Defense Lawyers Get Belted By New Policy

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Friday, December 14, 2012  |  by Norm Pattis  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

There's a new security regime in the Connecticut federal courts, so let me gripe about it a bit: You see, lawyers are now required not just to pass through metal detectors, place their briefcases on conveyor belts scanning for bombs and some such, remove their computers from briefcases, and empty their pockets. All that was standard fare. Now lawyers are required to take off their belts as well.

Ethics Matters

The Challenges Of Technological Competence

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Friday, December 14, 2012  |  by Mark Dubois  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

I heard a wonderful speaker the other day, a fellow named John T. Broderick, Jr., who is the retired chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and is now a law school dean. Justice Broderick posited that if a lawyer from the 19th century were to be magically dropped into a modern courtroom, he could quickly master the new environment and start trying a case.

Guest Commentary

Unending Imprisonment Is Unconstitutional

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Friday, December 14, 2012  |  by Constance L. Rudnick and Peter M. Malaguti  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

On September 12 ? with little fanfare or national publicity ? U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York permanently enjoined enforcement of certain provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

Guest Commentary

Another Roadside Distraction

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Monday, December 10, 2012  |  by By Amy Goodusky  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

Recently, I had some appointments; medical, dental, automotive. They were scheduled to occur on a succession of weekdays, with only several hours, or in one case, a few minutes, between them. As I have mentioned heretofore at embarrassing length, I am required to bill time for what I do. It is subtly suggested that I accrue a certain amount of hours in the course of a given year.

Guest Commentary

How MOOCS Will Transform Law As We Know It

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Monday, December 10, 2012  |  by by Mark DuBois  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

If you haven't heard about MOOCs, you soon will. These Massive Open Online Courses are the hot topic in undergraduate and graduate education today, and have the potential to radically alter much of what we have traditionally thought of as education. And once MOOCS get rolling, they will transform education and law. Bet on it.

Guest Commentary

A Justice Offers No-Frills Advice

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Monday, December 10, 2012  |  by By Karen Lee Torre  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

For leaders of student chapters of the Federalist Society, getting Justice Antonin Scalia as a speaker at their law schools is a dream realized. For Caitlin Wallace, a 3L at the University of Wyoming College of Law and head of its FedSoc chapter, it seemed a pipedream.

Guest Commentary

When It Comes To Jury Make-Up, State Is Color Blind

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Monday, December 10, 2012  |  by By Norm Pattis  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

When I wrote last week about seeing a jury panel in Norwich from which black males were entirely absent, I assumed there must be some reasonable explanation. So this week, when I subpoenaed state officials to an evidentiary hearing, I was stunned by what I learned.

Guest Commentary

Two Centuries Later, Another Rule Of Law Crisis

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Friday, November 30, 2012  |  by Dan Krisch  |  The Connecticut Law Tribune

I am fearful for the future of the rule of law and Daniel Day-Lewis is to blame. If an Oscar-winning actor seems to you an odd catalyst for such a fear, go see "Lincoln."