John Baker "Overcriminalization in Federal Law" February 23, 2012

Prof. John S. Baker, Jr. will speak on "Overcriminalization in Federal Law" February 23, 2012 at a Noon luncheon at the Milwaukee Atheletic Club, 758 North Broadway, presented by the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter. Prof. Baker is Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Catholic University of America School of Law and Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University School of Law.

Reservations may be made by printing and mailing this form with $20.00 ($15 for students, teachers, judges and clergy) to: Federalist Society, c/o Daniel Kelly, Suite 1700, 1000 North Water Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, for receipt on or before February 17, 2012. Reservations may also be made by email. There will be a $25.00 charge at the door for those without reservations. Seating is limited. Refunds cannot be given to those who reserve but not to attend.

With Justice Antonin Scalia, Prof. Baker has presented the Separation of Powers CLE Course for the Society's Federalism & Separation of Powers Practice Group. The national Federalist Society website includes this brief biography with links to numerous articles by him. He also was the featured speaker at our chapter's March 24, 2010 event.

Charting the backwaters

Either/Or: Professors Zephyr Rain Teachout and Akhil Reed Amar – Contradictions and Reconciliation (2012) by Seth Barrett Tillman is available for download at SSRN and at Selected Works. Per the abstract,

ESI does it

In the latest issue of Engage, the Litigation Practice Group's articles include A Modest Proposal for Human Limitations on Cyberdiscovery, by Richard M. Esenberg

Sorting them out

"As the dissenters warned and as the amount of ink spilled in this single case attests, Boumediene's [Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S.723, 787 (2008)] airy suppositions have caused great difficulty for the Executive and the courts. See 553 U.S. at 824-26 (Roberts, C.J., dissenting); id. at 827-28 (Scalia, J., dissenting). Luckily, this is a shrinking category of cases. The ranks of Guantanamo detainees will not be replenished. Boumediene fundamentally altered the calculus of war, guaranteeing that the benefit of intelligence that might be gained-even from high-value detainees-is outweighed by the systemic cost of defending detention decisions. Id. at 828 (Scalia, J., dissenting). While the court in Boumediene expressed sensitivity to such concerns, it did not find them 'dispositive.' Id. at 769. Boumediene's logic is compelling: take no prisoners. Point taken." Brown, J., Latif v. Obama, No. 10-5319 (D.C. Cir., October 14, 2011), pp. 52-53 (via Stephen I. Vladeck at ACSblog)

Common Ground: The Founding Era

At First Principles, an excerpt from A Student’s Guide to American Political Thought, by George W. Carey

William F. Buckley Jr.: Right Man, Right Time

Geoffrey Kabaservice reviews Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism, by Carl T. Bogus.

"...Bogus’s attempt to credit the success of the conservative movement almost exclusively to Buckley is ivory tower history with a vengeance. Ideas have consequences, but they don’t make political realities by themselves. ..."

State Court Docket Watch Fall 2011

Now up at the national Federalist Society website.

In an effort to increase dialogue about state court jurisprudence, the Federalist Society presents State Court Docket Watch. This newsletter is one component of the State Courts Project, presenting original research on state court jurisprudence and illustrating new trends and ground-breaking decisions in the state courts. This edition contains updates on important state court decisions in New Jersey, New York, Alabama, Washington, Nebraska, Arkansas, and North Carolina.

Magarian on Justice Stevens

Justice Stevens, Religion, and Civil Society, by Gregory P. Magarian, 2011 Wis. L. Rev. 733

Did Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired from the Supreme Court last year, harbor a bias against religion?

Roger Clegg, “Affirmative Action at the University of Wisconsin and Elsewhere During the Obama Era” October 18, 2011

Roger Clegg will speak on "Affirmative Action at the University of Wisconsin and Elsewhere During the Obama Era" October 18, 2011 at a Noon luncheon at the Milwaukee Atheletic Club, 758 North Broadway. Presented by the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter. Mr. Clegg is President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity.

Reservations may be made by printing and mailing this form and sending with $20.00 ($15 for students, teachers, judges and clergy) to: Federalist Society, c/o Daniel Kelly, Suite 1700, 1000 North Water Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, for receipt on or before October 14, 2011. Reservations may also be made by email. There will be a $25.00 charge at the door for those without reservations. Seating is limited. Refunds cannot be given to those who choose not to attend.

Mr. Clegg was the featured speaker at our chapter's August 16, 2007 event.

Wisconsin Court System website redesigned

From yesterday's press release,

In addition to a new graphical presentation, the new Web site helps guides visitors with better organized tabs and drop-down menus, such as, "quick links" and "how do I?"

The "quick links" tab leads visitors to each court system department; the "How do I?" section helps guide visitors most directly to the area of the site they need, whether it's to pay a fine or find a courthouse.

The new design also incorporates, among other things, recent updates about Supreme Court Rules and the rule-making process. There's also a new "educational resources" section under "about the courts" to help teachers, students and others to find helpful information.

(via WisBlawg)

Engage Volume 12, Issue 2, September 2011

At the national Federalist Society website,

The September 2011 issue of Engage is now online (exclusively a digital issue). Engage provides original scholarship on current, important legal and policy issues. Through its publication, we aim to contribute to the marketplace of ideas in a way that is collegial, measured, and insightful—and hope to spark a higher level of debate and discussion than we often see in today’s legal community.

Court Challenges to Legislatively Enacted Tort Reforms

The Summer 2011 issue of State Court Docket Watch is devoted to this article by Andrew Cook and Emily Kelchen.

Bar Watch Bulletins August 7-9, 2011

At the Federalist Society's national website, reports from the American Bar Association annual meeting in Toronto:

August 7, 2011, Birthright Citizenship, Point-Counterpoint, Judicial Funding, Future ABA Leadership

August 8, 2011, ABA Medal, New ABA President, House of Delegates Action

August 9, 2011, House of Delegates, ABA President-Elect

August 2011 arguments and hearings

Wisconsin Court of Appeals

August 9, 2011

9:30 a.m. Fontana Builders, Inc. v. Assurance Company of America (2010AP2074)
at Dist. II, 2727 North Grandview Blvd., Waukesha