High Rate of Judicial Vacancies in Federal District Court Negatively Impacts System

News and Updates
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice highlights the unprecedented number of judicial vacancies in federal district courts across the United States. Approximately ten percent of federal trial court seats are currently… MORE

Maryland High Court Sees "Firsts" in Diversity

News and Updates
Two recent appointments to Maryland's court of appeals mark "firsts" in diversity for the state's highest court. Governor Martin O'Malley's elevation of Judge Mary Ellen Barbera to be chief judge would make her the first woman to lead the high court… MORE

Appellate Opinion Review Model Featured in National Publication

News and Updates
Our recommendations for reviewing written opinions as part of a performance evaluation program for appellate judges are featured in Trends in State Courts 2013, an annual publication of the National Center for State Courts. Drawing upon… MORE

Varying Approaches to Transparency in Appointing State and Federal Judges

News and Updates
As IAALS Online covered last week, controversy arose in Kansas over Governor Brownback's announcement that he would not release the names of applicants for a court of appeals vacancy. The governor initially rejected a petition filed by the League of… MORE

New Textbook Facilitates Experiential Learning Course for Business Negotiations

News and Updates
“Step into [our] world, and welcome to it.” With this quote, we introduce our newly published textbook, Negotiating Business Transactions: An Extended Simulations Course. The textbook accompanies our transactional law and practical skills course,… MORE

UK Teenagers Aim to Create Support Website for Children of Separating Parents

News and Updates
A group of twenty teenagers in the United Kingdom who have been affected by separation or divorce are banding together to create a service that will help teens cope with divorce. The website will provide mentoring and support to children… MORE

Colorado Civil Access Pilot Project Extended by One Year

News and Updates
The Colorado Civil Access Pilot Project Applicable to Business Actions in District Court (CAPP) has been extended by one year, now applying to relevant cases filed through December 31, 2014. All other aspects of the pilot project remain the same.… MORE

Study Shows Early Divorce Affects Parent-Child Relationship

News and Updates
A recent study shows that divorce in early childhood has an impact on the relationship that children have with their parents at a young age and continuing after adolescence. The study analyzed two surveys, which revealed that children of divorce… MORE

Nominating Commission Members Challenge Arizona Law Increasing Number of Nominees

News and Updates
As IAALS Online covered back in April, the Arizona legislature passed and the governor signed a bill directing the state's judicial nominating commissions to submit the names of at least five finalists for each judicial vacancy. Last week, four… MORE

Diverse Coalition Works to Preserve Judicial Quality and Public Trust in Minnesota

News and Updates
In Minnesota, a broad-based group known as the Coalition for Impartial Justice (CIJ) is working to preserve the quality and impartiality of the state's judges—and thereby preserve Minnesotans' trust in their court system. According to the… MORE