News & Updates

Four former Pennsylvania governors, including two Democrats and two Republicans, joined together in expressing support for a proposal to change the way the state’s appellate judges are selected. A bill introduced in the senate in January calls for appellate judges to be chosen through a merit selection process rather than in partisan elections.

The District of Nevada adopted a Short Trial Program on March 11, 2013. The Short Trial Rules include the express purpose of expediting "civil trials (both bench trials and jury trials) through procedures designed to control the length of the trial, including, without limitation, restrictions on discovery, the use of smaller juries, and time limits for presentation of evidence."

By a vote of 28-12, the senate gave final approval to a bill that ends the role of the nominating commission in appointing court of appeals judges and requires senate confirmation of such appointments. The house of representatives passed the bill earlier this month. The constitution need not be amended to accomplish the change.

Last week, Karen J. Mathis was presented with the Community Service Award by the University of Denver. After a distinguished professional career, which included serving as president of the ABA, Executive Director of the Central European and Eurasion Legal Initiative Institute in Prague, and President and CEO of Big Brother Big Sisters of America, Karen returned to her college alma mater last year, to serve as IAALS' Associate Executive Director.

The house of representatives approved with a 78-14 vote a proposed constitutional amendment that would alter the process for selecting Tennessee’s appellate judges. The senate approved the measure 29-2 in February. The legislature also approved the proposal in 2012, so it will be on the ballot in 2014.

Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson of the Texas Supreme Court issued his State of the Judiciary message on March 6. In his remarks, Chief Justice Jefferson, who is also member of the Quality Judges Initiative O’Connor Advisory Committee, called for greater access to justice for litigants and families across the socioeconomic spectrum and more efficient courts that can process cases in a reasonable amount of time.

The Business Insider has compiled a list of the 9 most costly cities for divorcees. The list considered each city's average fee rate for divorce attorneys in addition to the financial impact of each state's different spousal support laws, asset division procedures, filing fees, and average divorce process periods.

The task force established to determine how to regulate marijuana in Colorado after the passage of Amendment 64 has no plans to create any laws dictating marijuana consumption in child custody cases. Use of marijuana is a factor that will be treated the same as any other kind of substance use, like alcohol and prescription drugs.

The United States District Court for the District of Colorado announced proposed amendments to its Local Rules on March 7, 2013, which may foretell of pilot programs or other special projects in the District of Colorado's future. The proposed amendments are few, but include sections on "Pilot Programs or Special Projects," which may be "authorized by the court following reasonable public notice and opportunity for public comment."

Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers Advisory Committee member Paul Lippe recently spoke to the "Deans Workshop for ABA Approved Schools," and, while that meeting was off the record, he proposes new ideas and frameworks for changing the current law school model in a post at The New Normal.

Michigan Law has created an online calculator called the "Debt Wizard" that helps current and prospective law students better understand their student loan obligations and how their perspective career paths may impact them financially. Though the Debt Wizard is specific to Michigan Law, the school states the calculator was designed to be relevant to students anywhere.

Arizona’s house of representatives passed a bill that would increase from three to five the minimum number of candidates a nominating commission sends to the governor for each judicial vacancy. The constitution calls for the commission to submit at least three nominees to the governor.

Responding to a 6-3 supreme court decision that invalidated a legislative initiative requiring a two-thirds vote for tax increases, three Republican senators proposed a bill that would eliminate four justices from the nine-member court, citing the resulting salary savings.

The national dialogue about changing legal education has proposed many ideas aimed at making the system better, one of which being the outright elimination of the third year of law school. In the wake of this consideration, Luke Bierman, the Associate Dean for Experiential Education at Northeastern University School of Law, offers Northeastern’s Cooperative Legal Education Program (co-op) as an effective, alternative model that makes better use of all three years spent in law school.

The ABA Journal reports that a South Florida judge has approved an out-of-court settlement allowing three people—two women and the gay man they used as a sperm donor—to be listed as parents on a 23-month-old girl's birth certificate. While the two women will have sole parental rights and custody of their daughter, the settlement also gives the sperm donor visitation rights twice a week.

In a recent blog post, Lance Soskin argued that "litigation is a multi-billion dollar industry that favors the wealthy," leaves everyone else significantly disadvantaged, and that the answer lies in the better use of alternative dispute resolution. I take a different approach. While mediation and arbitration certainly have their place, we cannot and should not abandon the system itself. What we need is a justice system that is more accessible, efficient, and accountable.

In its Winter 2013 edition, The Arkansas Lawyer makes the case for a more efficient option for trial by jury in civil cases, and does so by introducing and reprinting an excerpt from A Return to Trials: Implementing Effective Short, Summary, and Expedited Civil Action Programs. The article highlights the diminishing civil jury trial and its impacts on Arkansas and the rest of country, and calls for action to protect this fundamental right.

President Obama appears to be making diversity a priority in his judicial appointments. Of the 35 federal judicial nominees awaiting a Senate confirmation vote, 17 are women, 15 are ethnic minorities, and five are openly gay. Of the judges who were confirmed during Obama’s first term, 37 percent were non-white and 42 percent were women. These figures are notably higher than those of his predecessors.

With marriages involving dual citizenship becoming increasingly common, Forbes contributor Jeff Landers has evaluated how the laws of different countries can compound the complications of divorce. The article warns that the disparity between the practices of divorce courts may have significant consequences on how someone will be treated.

Recently, Examiner.com reviewed a new mobile application called the Healthy Divorce App, designed to educate and advise users on how to get through the divorce process in an emotionally healthy way. The app was created with the intention of making professional mental health assistance more affordable and accessible to those unable or unwilling to see a professional in person.