You can view the 2011 State of Judiciary presentation by Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz at the OJD website. And you can read the transcript, too.
If the State of the Courts Addresses link does not work, you can also link to it from the OJD News webpage (and then click on What’s New). You’ll see the link to the 1/25/11 presentation by the Chief Justice to the City Club of Salem.
Some legal-research and access to justice related highlights from the Chief Justice’s speech:
I heard a provocative, and wonderful, interview (with Frances Kissling) on the radio the other day, at On Being, the Krista Tippett radio program that is broadcast on OPB Radio on Sunday evenings, from 7-8 p.m.
I almost turned the radio off, not being much in the mood for “yet another” abortion debate. But then I started listening – and I’m so glad I did.
Listening Beyond Life and Choice: You can read the transcript of the interview or listen to it via download, podcast, and “listen now,” from the On Being website.
We’ve been working with AALL-SCCLL members to update a state-county law library organization and funding grid, but we are still missing feedback from librarians in several states. If you have reason to think the information in the following grid is incorrect for your state, or if you know there is a more accurate way to describe the situation, please let me know:
Washington County (Oregon) Law Library, About County Law Libraries, and click on “1) DRAFT ….”
You can add a Comment to this blog post or email lawlibrary@co.washington.or.us
Thank you!
Multnomah County Library’s “Conversation Project” (“[t]his series is part of a statewide humanities program that promotes thoughtful discussions about important ideas.”) covers some interesting topics, including this one:
The Voters Have Spoken: Oregon’s Controversial Ballot Initiatives, with Jackson Miller, Saturday, March 19, 2–3 p.m. (Troutdale Library)
In these opening days of the 2011 Oregon Legislative Session, a reminder is in order, especially for people who know they will likely have to compile a legislative history one of these days:
Public records laws, open secrets policies, public meetings laws are all well and good – and you can see Oregon’s Public Records and Public Meetings Manuals posted at the Department of Justice website – but what do you do if you need a legislative history of a law, including its public hearings?
People use their public law libraries and the State Archives (in Salem) every day to research legislative histories of Oregon laws.
Public Printer Bill Boarman has named Mary Alice Baish Assistant Public Printer, Superintendent of Documents, for the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO).
A proud day for all law librarians! Mary Alice Baish, formerly Director of Government Relations for the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), is a great friend to public librarians, too.
You can read the GPO press release or link to the story at the Law Librarian Blog:
One of our local attorneys and I have been having a conversation about effective dates of ballot measures. Effective dates for ballot measures are different from the constitutional and statutory ones for statutes that are enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
The Oregon Constitution, Article IV, Section 1 (4)(d) says:
“… Notwithstanding section 1, Article XVII of this Constitution, an initiative or referendum measure becomes effective 30 days after the day on which it is enacted or approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon. A referendum ordered by petition on a part of an Act does not delay the remainder of the Act from becoming effective….”
One could wonder what “the day on which it is enacted or approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon” means. Is it the date of the election or the date of the certification or the date of a ballot recount, if there is one? Not to over-think it, which lawyers (and law librarians) do all the time, common sense says that it is the date of the election, assuming the measure passed.
To confirm this, I wandered here and there online (it’s too soon for the Measure in question to be anywhere in print given that it passed just last November), from the Legislature’s website to the Secretary of State, Elections Division, website, and beyond, to no avail.
My next starting point became the blog post I wrote back in 2007: Effective Dates of (Oregon) Legislation
Just a reminder about this terrific resource:
“How an Idea Really Becomes A Law,” 36 Willamette L. Rev. 1 (2000), by former Legislative Counsel Gregory A. Chaimov, (or link to it from the Oregon Legislative Counsel website).
There is also a lot of information on the Legislature’s website about how to testify before an Oregon legislative committee.
The Kip Kinkel case (Kinkel v. Lawhead (A137866),decided by the Oregon Court of Appeals on January 12, 2011, can be found at the OJD website:
Link to full case or to the very helpful Media Releases, where you can find summaries for most Oregon appellate court decisions.
From Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) Media Releases:
“ Notice of Opportunity to Review and Comment on Proposed Uniform Trial Court Rules Changes for 2011 (Then click on “What’s New.”)
This notice is made pursuant to UTCR 1.020(3) which requires official notice of proposed changes to be posted on the Oregon Judicial Department website (http://www.courts.oregon.gov), allowing at least 49 days for public comment before final action is taken on the proposals. To review the proposed changes and the process for submitting public comment, click here.
Oregon Legal Research Blog