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e-Filing Website in Flux

In July, Nota Bene reported on the launch of TexFile , the statewide e-filing system created in response to the Supreme Court of Texas order mandating e-filing in civil cases . While the January 1, 2014 deadline for e-filing in Harris and Fort Bend counties has not changed, the website for the statewide system has. In response to a trademark infringement suit , TexFile has chosen to undergo rebranding. Beginning December 13, 2013 , filers attempting to access TexFile.com will be redirected to the new URL, www.efiletexas.gov . At the new site, filers are given the option to select their e-filing service provider or view a comparison chart of certified providers. Since e-filing requirements fall on the senior partner and new associate alike, it will be important for all attorneys to follow developments concerning the filing system. A website maintained by the Judicial Committee on Information Technology and the Office of Court Administration serves as a clearinghouse for infor

America’s Economy App

Interested in economic issues?   Ever wonder if the economy is improving or not?   Or maybe you just like statistics?   Try taking a look at America’s Economy , an app from the U.S. Census Bureau.   This app provides information about 19 different economic indicators supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Census Bureau.   The economic indicators include things such as unemployment rate, monthly retail sales, home ownership rate, and the consumer price index.   The app provides an overview of each indicator as well as real-time updates and the ability to view changes over time.        The app is available for free on iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store or Google Play .  

The Power of Habeas Corpus in America

Cambridge University Press has recently published, The Power of Habeas Corpus in America: From the King's Prerogative to the War on Terror by Anthony Gregory ( KF9011.G74 2013 ). This book provides an historical overview of Habeas Corpus discussing its common law roots in England as well its history in the United States especially during the civil war, World War I and the war on terror. The law library has recently acquired this book and  has access to the following titles on this subject: The Body and the State: Habeas Corpus and American Jurisprudence , 2006 by Cary Federman ( KF9011.F43 2006, Law/Stacks ) Federal Habeas Corpus Practice and Procedure , 2011 by Randa Hertz and James S. Liebman ( KF9011.L54 2011, Law/Stacks )(available on Lexis/Lexis Advance)  Federal Habeas Manual (available on WestlawNext) Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America's New Global Detention by Jonathan Hafetz ( KF9011.H34 2011 , Law/Stacks ) Habeas Corpus: A Legal Research Guide

Giving Thanks for Government Documents

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the ideal holiday to celebrate by sharing historical legal information with family and loved ones: out of all holidays, on Thanksgiving there is the best chance that said family and loved ones will be too full to run away from the table quickly when the topic of historical legal research comes up.   Even better, if one’s captive audience falls asleep one can blame it on the turkey .   The following resources may be useful for either legal research or topical dinner conversation: Most of the popular characterization of the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621 is due to records written by two colonial governors: Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford and Mourt’s Relation by Edward Winslow.   These documents were lost and only rediscovered in the 19 th Century, when they became the basis for associating Thanksgiving Day with the feast shared by the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag Indians.   During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress declare

Famous Trials

The internet may be young, but the list of once great web resources that are no longer is far too long. It is always exciting then to find a long-running, self-maintained website that is still updated with content both useful and interesting. Even better if that resource is also perfect for a legal audience. Since 1996 Doug Linder, the Elmer N. Powell Peer Professor of Law at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, has created, cultivated, and updated his Famous Trials website . Originally started to serve as a text for Professor Linder’s Famous Trials Seminar course, the site has grown over time to include trials from the Trial of Socrates to George Zimmerman, and many of the world’s most famous trials in between. Each trial begins with a narrative of the case, written to be both engaging and informative. Then, a true treasure trove of material awaits the researcher. Depending on the case, you may original photos and documents, trial transcripts, images of evidence,

Transition to Congress.gov

A recent press release from the Library of Congress indicates that starting November 19, the popular Thomas.gov website will redirect users to the new Congress.gov platform.   Thomas.gov will be accessible from the Congress.gov website through late 2014.   The new Congress.gov website, the planned replacement for Thomas.gov for finding legislative information, was released as a beta version in 2012 with limited content.   Although not all of the Thomas.gov content has been transferred over, during the last year they have continued to add additional content, including the text of legislation back to 1993 and the Congressional Record back to 1995.   For a list of content and coverage dates, see the Congress.gov and Thomas.gov comparison chart . In addition to providing the text of legislation, the website also contains important information about each piece of legislation such as bill summary and status, the text of various versions of the bill, a list of actions taken on the bi

Texas Voters Approve Proposition 9

Voters statewide on November 5 approved Proposition 9 that amends the Texas State Constitution to provide the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with more options on sanctions against judges for ethical rule violations (see Tex Parte blog for more details). Prior to the amendment, the commission could only issue public censure or removal of judge after a formal proceeding, but now in addition to these sanctions, less severe punishments are available. These include public admonition, warning, reprimand or requiring the judge to undergo additional training or eduction. Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 42 , which allowed the voters to decide on expanding these sanctions was passed by the Texas State Legislature earlier this year and is available on the Texas Legislature Online's website . This website has the history of the bill's progress through the legislature, the full text of the different versions of the bill, bill analysis, and committee reports.

Bloomberg BNA Corporate Law Portfolios

The Tax Management Portfolios (which the law library has access to through the Bloomberg BNA Tax and Accounting Center database, and most of which are available in our print collection) need no introduction to those whose area of interest is tax law. However, Bloomberg BNA also publishes a set of corporate practice series portfolios, available through the Bloomberg BNA Corporate Law Resource Center . These are mini-treatises, each focusing a corporate law related topic such as corporate governance, compliance/regulations, mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate legal departments, financial reporting, and forms of business. The Corporate Law Resource Center can be accessed by logging on to the law library's VPN , clicking "Bloomberg BNA Databases A-Z" from the drop-down menu under legal databases on the law library's website , and then by clicking "Corporate Law Resource Center" from the list. The portfolios then can be accessed by utilizi

Spying and International Law

With increasing numbers of foreign governments officially objecting to now-widely publicized U.S. espionage activities, the topic of the legality of these activities has been raised both by the target governments and by the many news organizations reporting on the issue.   For those interested in better understanding this controversy by learning more about international laws concerning espionage, here are some legal resources that may be useful. The following is a list of multinational treaties relevant to spies and espionage: Brussels Declaration concerning the Laws and Customs of War (1874) .   Although never ratified by the nations that drafted it, this declaration is one of the earliest modern examples of an international attempt to codify the laws of war.   Articles 19-22 address the identification and treatment of spies during wartime.   These articles served mainly to distinguish active spies from soldiers and former spies, and provided no protections for spies captured i

New Collections in HeinOnline

Recently, the O’Quinn Law Library has added two new collections to its HeinOnline collection, now available through the HeinOnline link on the law library website, in the database drop-down menu.  Immigration Law & Policy in the U.S. The Immigration Law & Policy in the U.S. collection is a vast compilation of documents and resources related to immigration law and policy. Included are Board of Immigration Appeals   Precedent Decisions. These are administrative decisions of the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and the Attorney General, which are selected and designated as precedent by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the BIA, and the Attorney General, respectively.   You can now search these decisions in HeinOnline by decision number or keyword. Also included in the library are legislative histories for major immigration acts, an extensive bibliography of immigration law resources, and many treatise