FSU College of Law Research Center Blog

Email paranoia?

The U.S. attorney general doesn’t send e-mails—and he’s not alone.  From government to business, many powerful people are choosing not to use email.  President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, CEOs and others do not use email.  Is this due to a desire not to leave an electronic trail?  Are they simply too busy to spend time emailing?  While it's true that senders of email should be careful about what they send in email, it makes little sense to make a blanket decision not to use such a powerful business tool.  Think before you click is still the best course of action.

Posted by Faye Jones

The Economics of Organ Donation

The March 23, 2007, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education has several articles on proposed solutions to the shortage of donor organs for transplantation.  The use of "spare" kidneys from living donors has increased but is nowhere near meeting demand.  One possible barrier to more transplants from living donors is that the donor is not compensated and in fact bears the cost of any ongoing health problems from the surgery.  The idea of arranging for some time of payment has generated interest among economics and surgeons. 

Posted by Robin Gault

Where was the HMS Cornwall?

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has released the location of the HMS Cornwall at the time 15 of its Marines were detained by Iran: "...the merchant vessel was 7.5 nautical miles south east of the Al Faw Peninsula and clearly in Iraqi territorial waters...The position was 29 degrees 50.36 minutes North 048 degrees 43.08 minutes East. This places her 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi territorial waters."

The FSU College of Law Library has scanned and placed on its website documents and maps from the International Boundary Studies and Limits in the Seas series.  The 1978 International Boundary Study No. 164, Iran-Iraq Boundary, contains a brief description of the boundary, the historical background for the boundary setting, an analysis of the boundary alignment (including latitude and longitude markings at pp. 6-7), and a list of documents. 

The subsequent Limits in the Seas study, No. 114, Iran's Maritime Claims, analyzes the 1993 Iranian "Act on the Marine Areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea."  A map of Iran's claims is part of the study.  Annex 1 (p. 27) contains the text of the Act.

Posted by Mary McCormick

Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law (2007)

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has released its Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law (2007).

Abstract:
The Foundation's two-year study of legal education involved a comprehensive look at teaching and learning in American and Canadian law schools today. Intensive field work was conducted at a cross-section of 16 law schools during the 1999-2000 academic year. The study provides an opportunity to rethink "thinking like a lawyer"—the paramount educational construct currently employed, which affords students powerful intellectual tools while also shaping education and professional practice in subsequent years in significant, yet often unrecognized, ways.

You can view the Summary of the Findings and Recommendations here.

The Law Library's copies are at KF272.E34 2007

Order the entire 240 page report from here.

Posted by Jon Lutz

What makes a great reference librarian?

What makes a reference librarian great?  Two things are crucial:  the will, which is almost an obsession, to find the right answer, and a love of helping others find the materials they need.  For insight into the minds of five superb reference librarians, listen to a discussion with Mary McCormick, Margaret Clark, Marin Dell, Pat Bingham-Harper and Jon Lutz of the Florida State University Law Library.  The discussion was prepared for students of Professor Lorri Mon, Florida State University, College of Information in fall 2006.

Posted by Faye Jones  

Neuroscience and Criminal Responsibility

Criminal law assumes that actors are responsible for their actions except under strictly limited circumstances, but neuroscientists are challenging this view.  "The Brain on the Stand" in the New York Times magazine discusses various implications of "neurolaw" for our legal system. (Requires free registration.)

Robin Gault