Columns
Legal Ease
Robots Practicing Law? Elementary, My Dear Watson
Monday, April 25, 2011 | by Amy Goodusky | The Connecticut Law Tribune
In the media, there have been a number of reports on Watson, the computer that beat two human beings at "Jeopardy." I personally believe that Alex Trebek was replaced by a mechanized version of himself years ago, but for the fact that whoever or whatever is serving in Mr. Trebek's shoes is still so judgmentally smarmy in the face of incorrect answers and also has impressive teeth for a machine, but I digress.
Dan K.'s Inferno
An Innocent Client In An Imperfect System
Monday, April 25, 2011 | by Dan Krisch | The Connecticut Law Tribune
I am suffering a crisis of faith and the source of my consternation is, at first glance, an incongruous one: I think I am going to win an appeal. But, to quote that wonderful movie lawyer voice of conscience, Sam Weinberg, here's the thing and there's really just no way around it: It is an appeal that I ought to lose.
Dan K.'s Inferno
Nation Locked Into Love Affair With Prisons
Monday, April 11, 2011 | by Dan Krisch | The Connecticut Law Tribune
I am standing in a windowless prison antechamber, holding my shoes and belt and waiting for the heavy metal door in front of me to slide open. I am, as it has been famously described, in the belly of the beast, and it is an uneasy and extremely claustrophobic feeling.
Editorial: Mayors Do Not Run School Systems
Monday, April 11, 2011 | The Connecticut Law Tribune
Recently, the Hartford School Board scheduled a board meeting to approve the hiring of a new superintendent that was recommended by a committee of the board. A few hours before the meeting was to be held, the mayor called the chairman of the board to criticize the process by which the committee made its recommendation.
One Hand Clapping
Judges Hijack Cases, Take Power From Jurors
Monday, April 4, 2011 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune
You might think they are contradictory, but I tell you the notions are wholly consistent. We can and should have an independent judiciary. We should also permit juries to nullify the law. The world would be a better place if we appointed judges for life, and set jurors loose. Ordinary citizens might feel that what they say and do in a courtroom matters.
Editorial: Health Care Reform Law And The Insurance Mandate
Monday, April 4, 2011 | The Connecticut Law Tribune
No doubt Connecticut's insurance industry is watching with great interest the developing legal challenges surrounding the mandatory buy-in provision of the new federal health care reform act. As of this writing, three federal district courts have upheld the provision, but two others have ruled it unconstitutional.
Ethics Matters
Disciplinary System More Efficient, But More Can Be Done
Monday, April 4, 2011 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune
After seven-plus years as Connecticut's chief disciplinary counsel, I have decided to follow the advice of some of the folks I have had the unfortunate responsibility to prosecute and do something useful with my time other than bug them.
Guest Commentary
Scrapping Environmental Law Would Reverse Progress
Monday, April 4, 2011 | by ROGER REYNOLDS | The Connecticut Law Tribune
A recent column suggesting that the state scrap a law allowing citizens to challenge environmentally sensitive projects was short sighted and ill advised. The column, by attorney Diane Whitney, recommends repeal of Section 22a-19 of the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
One Hand Clapping
More Evidence Of Courtroom Tilted Toward State
Monday, March 28, 2011 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune
In my next life, I want to be a prosecutor. I want to live in a fantasyland without consequences. I want to make mistakes, and never be held accountable for them. I want to stand tall for justice, and then do whatever I think is right. I want the right to demand that others be held accountable, without ever being accountable myself.
Guest Commentary
Complex Litigation Docket: An Effective, Valuable Tool
Monday, March 28, 2011 | by BARABA M. QUINN and LINDA K. LAGER | The Connecticut Law Tribune
Those who visit court are accustomed to hearing both sides of an issue when arguments are made. But the Connecticut Law Tribune editorial of March 7, 2011, entitled "Reassess the Complex Lit Docket," presented only one side of a very complicated topic. So, the Judicial Branch would now like the opportunity to state its case.
