Hot off the Virtual Press-Conn. on same sex marriage

The Connecticut Supreme Court released its opinion overturning the ban on same sex marriage in Connecticut.

To view the opinion of the court and the 3 dissenting opinions, go to the Supreme Court's opinions page .


Have a great weekend.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Social Networking: Etiquette Tips

Looking for guidance as to how to comport yourself when using such social networking sites as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? This article from CIO comes to the rescue with etiquette tips for users of social networking sites.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Second Presidential Debate

The second Presidential debate between Obama and McCain was held last night at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. This debate differed from the first in that it used a town hall format in front of 80 selected voters. What didn't differ were claims that the opposing candidate made untrue statements. Let's see what the fact checking sites have to say . . .

So, did business organizations say that McCain's health care plan " would lead to the unraveling of the employer-based health care system" as claimed by Sen. Barack Obama? Well, according to CNN Factcheck it is "true." "Obama's comments appear to refer to an Oct. 7 New York Times article"and he "accurately expresses the tone and content of the news article."

Do “1.3 million people in America make their living off eBay” as claimed by McCain? According to FactCheck.org "only 724,000 persons in the U.S. have income from eBay, and only some of them rely on it as their primary source."

In any event, the front page of today's Newsday expresses one undisputed fact -- "Next Stop, Hofstra."




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

What do large law firms attorneys want?

A recent survey concludes that it is not more money. Nearly tied for 2 aspects of their careers that attorneys would change are that they would like less stress (31%) and fewer hours / more personal time (30%). Job related stress and difficulty maintaining a work/life balance can lead to increased job dissatisfaction.

This is something to think about while you are in law school. What do you want from a job? Law school is stressful, but big law firms can be more so. How well do you deal with stress? Do you need better coping skills?

By planning now you can decide whether life in a big law firm is right for you.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Voting Location

Not sure of your voting location? The Smartvoter site by the League of Women voters can help. Use the Find My Ballot function to find voting locations and ballot information. The site also contains candidate information and links to other political information sites.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Press for Public.Resource.org

There was a good article in the Times last week about Carl Malamud's effort to makes laws and regulations, including things like building codes, available for free online. It's worth checking out for anyone interested in how copyright law relates to government information. (There is more on whether states can copyright their laws on this Harvard blog.)



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Launch of Global Legal Monitor

The Law Library of Congress recently announced big changes to its Global Legal Monitor, which covers news and legal developments worldwide. Formerly a monthly PDF publication, Global Legal Monitor is now a continuously updated web site that is browseable by topic and jurisdiction and fully searchable. Drawing from official national legal sources, reliable press sources, and its own Global Information Network (GLIN) database, Global Legal Monitor is a great place to find information, with links to primary documents, about new laws, constitutional developments, treaties, and major legal news events of other countries and regions. Each legal development has its own permanent link for easy access and sharing.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

VP Debate - getting their facts straight

Watch Sarah Palin face off with Joe Biden last night? I lost count how many times each of them claimed that what the other said was not true. So, I have turned to my trusty fact checking sites for the VP debate - FactCheck.org and - PolitiFact.com - a cooperative effort of Congressional Quarterly and the St. Petersburg Times.

So, did Barak Obama vote to increase taxes “families” making as little as $42,000 a year as Sarah Palin claimed? He did not. According to FactCheck.org, "the budget bill in question called for an increase only on singles making that amount, but a family of four would not have been affected unless they made at least $90,000 a year."

Did John McCain really say, as Joe Biden claimed last night, that "he wouldn't even sit down with the government of Spain, a NATO ally that has troops in Afghanistan with us now."? According to Politifact.com, not really, but rather "McCain refused to commit."

What I really like about both of these sites is that they give you links to follow up the sources of their information so we can make our own judgments.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Opening Westlaw PDF Documents in Internet Explorer 7

Those who are having difficulty opening Westlaw documents in PDF using the Internet Explorer 7 Web browser may wish to try re-setting their browsers per these instructions.

(Thanks to the Paul L. Boley Law Library of Lewis & Clark Law School for providing this information).

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Getting to Know HeinOnline

HeinOnline's legal database provides access to full-text legal resources including treaties, law review articles and cases from the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, the HeinOnline Wiki includes frequently asked questions, instructional videos and training guides.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat