The U.S. Courts website has a new look as of May 15. Among the new features are an email update service, more video features, widgets for users to add dynamically updated content to their websites, and a link to the Federal Judiciary YouTube Channel. The videos, both on the web site proper and the YouTube channel, include Bankruptcy Basics in both English and Spanish.
The State’s annual budget has a tremendous affect on all of us but understanding how it’s derived can be tricky. Fortunately, the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee publishes a good guide to the State’s budgeting process called Citizen’s Guide to The Budget. The Guide uses a series of hypothetical questions to walk you through the major components of the budget and the budget planning process.
Just a reminder that we recently installed copies of SupportCalc in both of our branches. SupportCalc is professional child support calculation software from Legal+Plus . The version we’ve installed allows you to create new SupportCalc files and open/edit files you’ve already created back at the office. You can also print completed files — at a minimal charge of 15 cents per page — and/or save them to your own USB drive.
Maytag has announced its recall of nearly 1.7 million dishwashers due to fire hazard. The company has received 12 reports of electrical failure in the dishwasher heating element — including one kitchen fire. The recalled dishwashers are from the Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brands. Each of these affected dishwashers have front panels in black, bisque, white, silver and stainless steel and platic tubs. They were sold in US department and appliance stores from February 2006 through April 2010.
If you own one of these Maytag dishwashers, you should stop using it immediately and disconnect it from its power source. You should then check the Maytag website to determine if your dishwasher is included in this recall. Maytag plans to give consumers the option of a free in-home repair or a rebate of $150 or $250 toward the purchase a new Maytag dishwasher.
To find out more about this recall you can read the report on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website or the Maytag repair website.
To read news articles on th Maytag recall, click here or here.
This past March, the Washington State House and Senate passed into law SB6239, which makes technical changes to gender-based terms contained in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW)—that is, changing “he” to “he or she” and “his” to “his or hers”. This bill was signed by Governor Gregoire on March 10, 2010.
The affected statutes can be found here. These changes will go into effect on June 10, 2010.
You see it periodically: a flag at a courthouse, public school or other state government building flying at half-staff. You understand it probably has something to do with honoring the service of a prominent person who has recently died or commemorating an historic event. But who decides what circumstances trigger this?
At the State level, it’s the Office of the Governor. The Governor’s web site includes a link to a page devoted to the rules for flag lowering. There you will find the conditions when it is appropriate to fly the flag at half-staff and information about recent requests by the Governor to do so. The page also includes links to additional information about the Washington State and United States flags and to Title 4 of the US Code, which describes the proper use and display of our national flag.
It’s interesting to note that while we’re supposed to fly the flag at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day (Dec. 7) and Patriot Day (September 11), we’re not supposed to do so on Memorial Day or Veterans Day.
Finding up-to-date information about procedures in District and Municipal courts–what our State collectively calls Courts of Limited Jurisdiction–is always difficult so we were very happy to see the arrival of AOC’s new Manual for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (12/2009). The Manual includes substantial sections on civil, criminal and special proceedings such as domestic violence but it also includes sections about the history of limited jurisdiction courts in Washington, RALJ and De Novo appeals, contempt of court, fish and wildlife violations and even a small section on legal research. It’s an excellent addition to the other materials we use for research in this area and something you should review if you are working with a District or Municipal court. The Manual is not available directly on the Internet but is shelved in both of our branches at KFW 516 .C68 M36.
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued several rulings that made headlines in the mainstream news. In US v. Comstock, the Court ruled 7-2 that Congress had not exceeded its power in enacting 18 U.S.C. § 4248, which authorizes federal district courts to order the civil commitment of sexually dangerous federal prisoners even after they have served their criminal sentences. Read this recap by Eric Hansford of Stanford Law School posted on the SCOTUS blog.
Another case is Graham v. Florida. In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that juveniles who are convicted of crimes less than murder have the right not to be sentenced to life without the potential for release. The recap on the SCOTUS blog has more details about the ruling, including a “fervent complaint” found in the dissenting opinion.
And now we offer a moment of silence for the cancellation of “Law and Order”….
NBC has decided not to renew the original ”Law and Order” series after twenty years on the air. The last show of the season will be broadcast on May 24, 2010, at which time it will be tied with “Gunsmoke” as the longest running television show. After May 24th, you can still watch the original series in syndication, proving that goodbye isn’t really forever.
To learn more about the three US “Law and Order” franchises, click here: “Law and Order“, “Law and Order: SVU” and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.”
To read news articles on the cancellation of “Law and Order”, click here and here.
On May 13, 2010, President Obama submitted the New START Treaty Package to the Senate. The treaty will need a two-thirds vote in the Senate before it can be ratified and take the effect of law in the US.
To read the White House Press Release on this treaty, click here.
To read more about the treaty ratification process in the US, click here.
To read the previous blog post on New START, click here.