jumpstart

It is a warm 74 degrees as I type this. I love summer. Sorry there was no Jumpstart this morning, but I had to be in early. Here’s what I would have posted, if I had the time:

• Susan Cartier Liebel asks if we’re workaholics and reminds us to enjoy life.
• Ken Lammers at CrimLaw is on a roll (and I mean roll). Over 80 posts in 2 days. Beat that Scott!
• Via CrimProf, a new paper on the meteoric rise of the need for “closure” in the criminal justice system.
• Mark Bennett writes about the impact of the advancement in DNA science and human behavior.
• Anne Reed reminds us to always be prepared during jury selection.
• EvidenceProf engages in an interesting discussion of the rape-shield laws and the exceptions thereto.
• Yet another flawed ID leading to another exoneration.
• Grits reflects on the mess in Texas.
• Giles v. California will be argued tomorrow, focusing on forfeiture and the Confrontation Clause. Prof. Friedman has a preview here.
• NJ’s Supreme Court rules that an internet user has a right to privacy.
• This week’s Blawg Review is about law and virtual worlds.
• Norm Pattis tells us why we need to videotape all interrogations.
• Scott comments on the Federal government’s disturbing announcement that it will start collecting DNA from arrestees. My comments on a similar CT bill here.
• Luke Gilman thinks the ban on classroom internet may not be such a bad idea.
• Orin Kerr’s critique of the Middle District of Florida’s decision striking down the Adam Walsh Act as unconstitutional.
• David Giacalone at f/k/a asks if you’ve ever been punched by a client.
• And finally, there’s this little story about this little blog.

Enjoy the rest of the day!

Image courtesy masochismtango. License details here.

Is it spring yet? Why is it so darn cold in the mornings?

• Dan Solove at Co-op writes about the police practice of surreptitiously obtaining DNA left behind and asks if we have a reasonable expectation of privacy in that DNA.
• Mark Bennett tells us that the law is not a beautiful thing.
• Grits writes a book review and discusses the blurred line between police and prosecutorial functions in light of oral argument in Rothgerry.
• In Texas, they call it “law of the parties”. Know what your local equivalent is? Find out here.
• SL & P points to a NYT article about prisontalk.com
• The ABA Journal explores the history of the death penalty for rapes.
• Scott offers his take on the Sean Bell trial and why the prosecutors may not be doing their best job.
• One man’s take on the Top 10 myths about jury trials.
• The Blawgraphy brings us a lawyer ad spoof that’s almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
• Stephen Gustitis takes on Stephen Bright‘s (director of the SCHR) criticism of public defenders as the ill that plagues the criminal justice system.
• From Curia Advisari Vult, things not to say when pulled over by cops.
• Indefensible gives us an inside look at “plea coercion” in Brooklyn.

I think that’s about it. Have a great day!

Sorry for the delay folks, I am having computer problems.

Enjoy these stories – substantive posts to follow:

• Lisa at Compassion in Juvenile Sentencing continues her fantastic series of interviews with Jacob Ind with 10 more installments.
• Scott reports on today’s SCOTUS oral argument on when the right to counsel attaches. Transcript available here.
• SL & P links to a new paper that explores whether three-strikes laws actually increase crime.
• The Eight Circuit gets around Georgia v. Randolph in a case where the objecting co-tenant was removed from the scene.
• In keeping with the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, Deliberations has this interesting post about the jury system in Ireland.
• Norm tells us of the very strange case of AutoAdmit.com and internet defamation.
• Blondie reminds us that defense attorneys are sticklers for rules, too.
• SexCrimes posts about criminal law in virtual worlds.

Welcome to March! Today also happens to be the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell who, as most of us surely know, invented the telephone (or rather the first to patent the working telephone) – the precursor to modern day social networking tools. So with that in mind, let us turn to what has been happening in the blawgosphere (and sometimes blogosphere) over the last week:

• There’s a new sex-ed bill making the rounds at the State Capitol and already people aren’t happy.
• Bad Court Thingy reminds us that juvenile defendants are often the product of the homes they grow up in.
• Co-op explores how David Lat of ATL got kicked out of Facebook with lack of notice and can’t seem to get an answer.
• Bennett gives us a glimpse of Nasty Little Surprises (NLSs) he had prepared for the State.
• What happens when a juror gets stage fright?
• The California Supreme Court will hear oral argument on the rights of same-sex couples. A similar case in CT was argued last year and a decision is still pending.
• Norm’s got his own take on the death penalty challenge in Connecticut.
• Maggie reports that a number of civil suits have been filed in the “Nichols case” in Georgia. Their problems just keep getting worse.
• Scott and Prof. Berman have been going at it – starting with whether asset forfeiture can be an appropriate punishment and devolving into whether liberals cause mass incarceration (sarcasm was used there). It’s a fascinating read.
• The Confrontation Blog analyzes the conviction of Mark Jensen and the admission of the “letter from the grave” in light of Crawford.
• Woman in Black reiterates that this job is not about us, but about the client.

Have a great day!

It has been rather busy here in Gideonland, but early this week I may finally be caught up with work and ready to resume my blogging duties. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been paying attention, though. These are stories that I read and I think are worth sharing. Enjoy the day off, if you have it, if not, I’m sorry. Get a state job.

• It took several years and three (at least) courts to finally sort out that “I plead the 5th” is a valid invocation of a Miranda right.
• Norm Pattis forgoes closing statements and wonders whether lawyers actually make a difference during trial.
• The CrimePsych blog brings us a limited time link to international homicide studies.
• The AZ Supreme Court ruled that jury trials are required for convictions that could lead to sex offender registration.
• Scott rightly complains about the weak “out” that an issue has not been preserved for appellate review.
• The WSJ Law Blog brings horror stories of document review and reminds me of how happy I am that I didn’t go to BigLaw.
• Sex Crimes wonders if an originalist view would not be fatal to the petitioner in Louisiana v. Kennedy.
• The Underblawg is a little disppointed with the law.
• There is a new blawg on juries on the scene: Juries.
• Dan Solove at Co-op has made his book “The Future of Reputations” available for free download under a CC License. Good for him. I’ll go read it now.

Yeah, not particularly clever, but here are some stories for you to read as you power down this Monday evening:

• We lost two stellar blogs this past week or so: Corrections Sentencing closed up shop and Audacity called it quits. Thank you both for everything.
• Here’s one take on why the Boucher 5th Amendment decision was wrong.
• CT Employment Law Blog checks in on the criminal database and offers kudos to those making it happen.
• Grits reports that a lack of beds is creating havoc for mentally ill defendants.
• A new judge was appointed to preside over Brian Nichols’ quagmire trial.
• Compassion in Juvenile Sentencing is a new blog on the scene that seems to be worth reading.
• Scott asks what it really means when a judge says that a nonviolent offender cannot survive prison.
• Eyewitness ID recaps the top 5 best and worst cases of the last year.
• Underdog reports on an NPR story that revisits the civil rights sit-ins.
• Bennett gives us a lesson on federal contempt.
• Ken at KrimLaw engages in an elements analysis and reaches an interesting conclusion.
• CrimProfBlog tells us how Texas finally got the right man in a DNA exoneration case.
• ConcurringOpinions links to a fascinating study on why prices aren’t usually rounded off.
• CoOp also gives us the heads up that BigBrother is closer than you’d imagine.
• There are also 4 appellate decisions in crim cases released today, but none are worthy of their own post, so you’re going to have to go read them yourself.

C’est tout! Bon soir!

Image by Wildcat Dunny. License info here.

In honor of MLK Day and the fact that our sister blog is hosting Blawg Review today, there will be no Monday Morning Jumpstart. Instead, please go check out Blawg Review #143. It’s got videos and pictures.

As we head into the first full week of 2008 (with some mild weather), here are some stories and posts that caught my eye:

• The biggest story this morning is oral argument in Baze v. Rees. Audio of the oral argument will be available on the SCOTUS website later this morning.
• Also making headlines this past week was SCOTUS’ granting of cert in Kennedy – the capital punishment for non-murder case.
• Kevin at Lexblog writes about this NYTimes piece on the legal profession’s “fall from grace”.
• Concurring Opinions brings us the story of the Chicago restaurant whose wings are so hot, they require customers to sign releases.
• Exoneree #211 (or is it 212?)
• Dahlia Lithwick at Slate runs down the Bush administration’s dumbest legal arguments of the year.
• Ken at CrimLaw discovers that banishment is legal in Virginia.
• Speaking of Ken, you absolutely must watch his new feature: CrimLaw TV. Ken has always been ahead of other crim law blogs in the technology department and now he’s done something that has been missing thus far: a vidcast. Here‘s the latest episode.
• Finally, a story from around these parts: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Connecticut Turnpike.

Have a wonderful day!