Wednesday, August 22, 2007

BlawgWorld 2007


It seems like ages ago that I submitted a couple of my Law Dawg Blawg posts for inclusion in this eBook. BlawgWorld 2007 with TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide is now available for download at http://www.technolawyer.com/r.asp?L11470&M1. I hope you enjoy it.

By the way, in case you are wondering why I haven't posted here in so long, I have moved to Arizona to take a position at the Ross-Blakley Law Library, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, at Arizona State University.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Featured Book of the Week



The Featured Book of the Week is A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America by Saul Cornell and published by Oxford University Press.

“Americans are deeply divided over the Second Amendment. Some passionately assert that the Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns. Others, that it does no more than protect the right of states to maintain militias. Now, in the first and only comprehensive history of this bitter controversy, Saul Cornell proves conclusively that both sides are wrong. Cornell, a leading constitutional historian, shows that the Founders understood the right to bear arms as neither an individual nor a collective right, but as a civic right--an obligation citizens owed to the state to arm themselves so that they could participate in a well regulated militia. He shows how the modern "collective right" view of the Second Amendment, the one federal courts have accepted for over a hundred years, owes more to the Anti-Federalists than the Founders…A Well-Regulated Militia not only restores the lost meaning of the original Second Amendment, but it provides a clear historical road map that charts how we have arrived at our current impasse over guns. For anyone interested in understanding the great American gun debate, this is a must read.” - Book Description

“A provocative alternative in the debate over the historical meaning of the Second Amendment. Anyone interested in how the right to bear arms was thought about in the early republic will need to take this book into account.” - Keith E. Whittington, author of Constitutional Interpretation

A Well-Regulated Militia will be available to borrow after Friday, August 17, 2007

Friday, August 03, 2007


This week's Featured Book is People, Property, or Pets? edited by Marc. D Hauser, Fiery Cushman, and Matthew Kamen and published by Purdue University Press.

“What's the difference between owning a painting, a dog, or a young child? For starters, you can't own a child, but you are legally responsible for their care. You can own a painting and a dog; both fall under the jurisdiction of the law and in particular, property rights. But why should a dog, man's best friend, an animal with a mind and emotions, fall under the same general category as a painting? Juxtaposed in this way, the question seems silly. How could the law be so foolish? Can't lawyers see the difference? Why shouldn't dogs end up in the same category as young children, a category of living things that require our care? If the law recognized dogs, along with cats, cows, mice, monkeys, birds, and flies as requiring legal guardianship, this would have radical consequences for how we live our lives. We couldn't keep animals in zoos, couldn't eat them, use their fur to keep warm, or test them with drugs to improve our own health. Their lives would be different, and so would ours. This book explores these issues, but does so in a fresh new way. Rather than engage the debate from the perspective of a single voice, or the combination of voices from different experts, we present a set of essays from a lawyer philosopher, biochemist, psychologist, and animal scientist, together with a group of educated students engaged in the debate. The essays are set up to present both sides, some adopting arguments in favor of a shift to legal guardianship, while others support their status as property. Experts in the field will be engaged by the subtle issues surrounding this debate, while educators will find the student essays refreshing and of interest in class room seminars.” - Book Description

People, Property, or Pets? will be available to borrow after Friday, August 10, 2007