Oregon Legal Research BlogI heard this very interesting story on OBP radio last week. You can read and hear it too:
And, follow the links to source articles, such as this one, among others:
Articles Posted in
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2012 Oregon Legislative Assembly Convenes February 1, 2012
“The State of Oregon has a Citizen Legislature consisting of the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms, and the House of Representatives, which has 60 members elected for two-year terms.
The Legislature convenes annually in February at the State Capitol in Salem, but sessions may not exceed 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years. Five-day extensions are allowed by a two-thirds vote in each house….” [Link to the Oregon Legislature’s website.]
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Oregon First Congressional District Election Ballots Due January 31, 2012
Visit the Oregon Secretary of State’s elections website for general information and links.
Check with your county’s elections office for drop-off instructions:
1) List of all County Election Officials
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Jurors: Pay Attention to the Judge’s Instructions, or Land in Jail
From a 1/25/12, Law in the News link, we travel to this story from England:
“Jurors: leave the information age—or go to jail,” by Peter Bright:
Excerpt: “An English court has sentenced a juror to six months in prison for contempt of court after she performed research on the Internet and forced the abandonment of a criminal trial.
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Travel Tip: FAA Mobile App for Travelers and Aviation Buffs
Travelers and Aviation Buffs: FAA Mobile App
Infodocket brings us news of the first release of the FAA Mobile app.
News, travel advisories, updates, and more.
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Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) Website Downtimes, Jan 27-30, 2012
Check the announcements and updates at the OJD website (and the Media Releases “What’s New” site) for changes to this, but as of right now, here’s the announcement:
“SYSTEM MAINTENANCE: The OJD website will be down Sunday, the 29th, from 5am-4pm.
Due to system maintenance, the OJD website, including OJIN OnLine, OJD Courts ePay, and Appellate eFile, will be unavailable on Sunday, the 29th, from 5am until 4pm.
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Small Claims Court: Update on 2012 California Honda Case
If you’re following the Honda Civic Hybrid Lawsuit, that Small Claims Court vs. Class Action Settlement case, you can find updates at the plaintiff’s website and twitter feed.
If you want to read about a Small Claims Court advocate, visit the HALT website.
If you want Oregon Small Claims Court information specifically, no, there isn’t a book or a guide, yet (one is coming later in 2012), but there are other research resources, including Oregon attorneys who can serve as Small Claims coaches:
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Measures (aka bills) for the 2012 Oregon Legislative Session Available
Measures for the 2012 Oregon Legislative Session are now available. You can link to the Legislature’s homepage for more information.
(Note: As of today, the “index” and the “list of sections affected” links on that page are to the 2011 bills, not the 2012, so don’t get confused. These will all be updated in good time, but pay attention to the dates on the PDFs. For example, if the document is dated August 2011, it will not include the 2012 bills – at least we hope not – some nifty time shifting going on, perhaps?)
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Justice Ballmer elected as 42nd Chief Justice of Oregon Supreme Court
See OJD Media Release, dated 1/20/12*
‘The Honorable Thomas A. Balmer has been elected as the 42nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, the court announced today. Balmer will succeed Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz, who will step down as Chief Justice on May 1, 2012 before retiring from the bench in January 2013.
“Chief Justice De Muniz has been an innovative leader and a tireless advocate for open and accessible courts and promoting timely justice for the people who rely on courts to protect their rights and safety,” Balmer said. “I will continue his important initiatives and do everything I can to ensure that Oregonians can rely on their state courts for prompt and impartial decisions in the thousands of cases that come before Oregon judges every day.” …‘ [See OJD Media Release, dated 1/20/12]
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League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Legal Services
If you’re an Oregon city official and need some expert guidance on how to get legal advice regarding a government matter, call the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Legal Services office.
Visit their website to read about the services they provide:
“Every day at the League we get calls from city officials who believe they are alone in experiencing confusion over municipal law issues. We’re here to tell you that you’re not alone. Cities throughout Oregon call the League daily on simple and complicated matters. One of our most important functions is to respond quickly to municipal law inquiries fromour cities, which includes questions on open meetings, public records, council procedures and ethics….
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