On Martha’s Vineyard, the town of Chilmark, Mass. would rather not spend $2,000 per election cycle on federally mandated technology to help its one visually impaired voter. In the past the town has offered voters with poor or no eyesight a range of less costly choices including large print ballots and their choice of a person to read the ballot to them. [Megan Dooley, Vineyard Gazette via Ira Stoll, Future of Capitalism]
Archive for January, 2010
Claim: underfunding of Chicago transit authority constitutes racial bias
Subsidies are better for the Metra commuter rail line than for the city subways, which carry a more heavily minority ridership, says the class-action lawsuit against the State of Illinois, the RTA and the Metra. [Jennifer Fernicola, ChicagoNow]
January 30 roundup
- Attention journalists: a trademark opposition and a trademark lawsuit are two different things [Legal Satyricon]
- I explain (slightly rudely) why I think the Citizens United decision will probably help the Dems this cycle [National Journal blogger poll] Plus: no big effect on campaigns? [Ann Althouse] And it’s not as if Chuck Schumer has made up his mind or anything: he’s titled his hearing on Citizens United next week “Corporate America vs. the Voter” [PoL, yet more here and here]
- Olson and Boies should realize these are not the days of the Warren Court [Dale Carpenter, Independent Gay Forum]
- Motorists beware Tenaha, Texas: the legal sequel [WSJ Law Blog, earlier here, etc.]
- “Detroit Lawyer Fined For Chasing Buffalo Air Crash Victims” [Turkewitz]
- Symbolic venue? Administration chooses to unveil new press-lenders-to-serve-minorities campaign at Jesse Jackson event [N.Y.Times]
- Remembering pinball prohibition [Popular Mechanics back in August, Radley Balko]
- Judge cuts “shocking”, “monstrous” $2 million award to $54,000 in Jammie Thomas-Rasset music-download suit [AmLaw Litigation Daily, earlier] Naughty librarians: “Offline Book ‘Lending’ Costs US Publishers Nearly $1 Trillion” [Eric Hellman]
“The Five Creepiest Defense Attorney Websites”
Whether or not these are the very creepiest, Cracked has found some instances where law firms might want to rethink the artwork or slogans on their sites. Not included, mercifully, is the Texas law firm that yanked several tasteless stock photos from its website last year after setting off a blogosphere furor.
NFL trademark lawyers vs. New Orleans t-shirt sellers
Unauthorized use of “Who Dat?” and a fleur-de-lis. [Peter Finney, Times-Picayune/NOLA] More: and a cartoon.
Stossel on the food police
Last night’s show.
CPSIA and the needle arts
Overlooked from a couple of months back:
The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) recently sent a letter to members about how the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of October 2009 directly affects how the needlework and crafts industries sell their goods, particularly to children.
“We cannot suddenly say that our products are ‘not for use by children 12 and under’ and still try to teach children to knit, crochet, needlepoint and cross stitch,” states the letter, which was sent by TNNA’s five-member CPSIA committee. “We can’t say children 12 and under are only allowed to use certain tools but not others and still expect them to take needlearts seriously. We must involve ourselves and our businesses in the effort to amend this poorly written, misguided legislation and keep it from destroying our businesses.”
The CPSC has promulgated exemptions for simple textiles and some other materials, which has certainly been better than nothing, but many other innocuous tools and materials used in needle crafting must be either kept off limits to younger crafters or put through onerous testing regimens. [Positive Yarn]
K&L Gates blasted for high fees, “unnecessary lawyering”
Massachusetts’s highest court thought it a bit much that fees and costs would eat up $800,000 from an estate valued at $1.2 million, or two-thirds of the value at stake. [Robert Ambrogi, Legal Blog Watch; Above the Law]
Incidentally, Robert Ambrogi is hanging up his keyboard after an impressive four-year tenure at Law.com’s Legal Blog Watch, but he’ll continue to maintain his other sites. He has kind words for this site as one to “follow religiously”, too.
“Loto-Quebec reaches out-of-court settlement with thousands of addicted gamblers”
A boost from Canada for compulsive-gambling litigation: “Quebec’s lottery commission confirmed Thursday that it has reached a tentative multimillion-dollar agreement to compensate thousands of addicted gamblers, in a case with national implications. … Similar lawsuits are underway in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland-Labrador.” [Canadian Press, CBC, CTV, earlier here and here]