usd law and politics: March 2009

FREE screening of Tulia, Texas

A community event, Tuesday, March 24, 7-9 p.m....

Houston PBS Community Cinema is hosting a FREE screening of the film, Tulia, Texas, at Rice University. KUHT-TV describes the film as follows:

On July 23, 1999, undercover narcotics officer Thomas Coleman executed one of the biggest drug stings in Texas history. By the end of the blazing summer day, Coleman and his drug task force had rounded up and arrested dozens of residents of the small farming town of Tulia. Thirty-nine of the 46 people accused of selling drugs to Coleman were African American. It was a bold move by the man later named Texas Lawman of the Year, but it was exactly what many of Tulia's white citizens had hoped for when Coleman came to town. In the years to follow, troubling evidence about the undercover investigation and the narcotics officer's past began to surface. The documentary weaves together the stories of the last remaining defendants in jail, the families and lawyers fighting for their freedom, and the sheriff, undercover agent and townspeople who stand against them. Tulia, Texas is the story of a small town's search for justice and the price Americans pay for the war on drugs.

For more information, visit Houston PBS Community Cinema online.

Stanford Law Professor Jenny S. Martinez to speak at Rice University

Barbara Szalkowski, Senior Catalog Librarian

On Tuesday, March 24, 7:30-9pm, with a reception to follow, Jenny S. Martinez, Professor of Law and Justin M. Roach, Jr. Faculty Scholar, Stanford Law School, will give The Harold E. and Margaret H. Rorschach Lecture in Legal History on Anti-Slavery Courts and the Dawn of International Human Rights Law. View the list of upcoming events at Rice's School of Humanities to read Professor Martinez's bio.

For more information contact [History Professor] Martin Wiener (713-348-4947). Paid self-parking is available near the event. Click here for location, parking information and downloadable campus maps.

LSAT Critics, etc.

By Jessica R. Alexander, J.D., M.L.S., Reference Librarian

The New York Times March 11, 2009 edition features an article on efforts to find alternatives to the LSAT, the most prominent test for law school admission. The article, "Study Offer a New Test of Potential Lawyers," is about a study by professors from The University of California at Berkeley which seeks to find an alternative test for law school admission based on characteristics of good lawyers. The characteristics were gleaned from "coordinated individual interviews, focus groups and ultimately a survey of judges, law school professors, law firm clients and hundreds of graduates of Berkeley’s law school."
The article appears on Page A22 of the paper edition, March 11, 2009.

Keep up with federal stimulus and recovery initiatives

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $311 billion in appropriations, including investments in infrastructure, science, health, education and training, energy, law enforcement, and aid for those Americans hit hardest by the economic crisis. To learn more about this act, visit the following sites.

Find the text (PDF) of the act here: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Recovery.gov has been created to ensure that the act is carried out with full transparency and accountability. Right now, the site features an overview of the law and an explanation of what it is intended to accomplish. Soon you will have access to data from Federal agencies regarding their allocation of the funds.

Visit IRS Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for details about tax-related provisions of the act and how the IRS is implementing them.

Stimulus Watch is a watchdog organization created "to help the new administration keep its pledge to invest stimulus money smartly, and to hold public officials to account for the taxpayer money they spend." Search by state or city to learn about "shovel-ready" projects in your area, and evaluate them to advise lawmakers which projects should be funded.

FinancialStability.gov is a work in progress, but it already provides good information about the Financial Stability Plan and the Capital Assistance Program. Check back for more information soon.

Supreme Court of Texas visits STCL

Mary Lippold, Serials & Reference Librarian

The Supreme Court of Texas will be sitting in the T. Gerald Treece Courtroom on Tuesday, March 10 at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Security checks start at 8:30 a.m. Seating will be available in the courtroom on a first come first served basis. Overflow seating will be available in Garrett-Townes where a question and answer session will be held following the proceedings.

The two cases before the court will be:

WHIRLPOOL v. CAMACHO, 251 S.W.3d 88 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi, 2008)
Whirlpool Corporation, Appellant v. Margarita Camacho and Santos Camacho, Individually and on Behalf of the Estate of Joab Camacho, Deceased, and as Next Friend of Asael Camacho and Abisai Camacho, and Salvador Gonzalez, Appellees.
No. 13-05-00361-CV

Read the electronic brief here.

YAMADA v. FRIEND, Not Reported (Tex.App.-Fort Worth, 2008.)
Roy Kenji Yamada, Appellant v. Laura Friend, individually and as personal representative of the estate of Sarah Elizabeth Friend, deceased, and Luther Friend, individually, Appellees.
NO. 2-07-177-CV

Read the electronic brief here.

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