Barbara Bryant quoted by The Sacramento Bee, Dec. 26, 2017
“One of the final steps has to be that it’s not kept secret,” she said. “If it’s just going to stay quiet … we really lose at the end all benefit that would have been done.”
4 proven ways to influence your organization from the outside
Olga Mack writes for Above the Law, December 26, 2017
When seeking to influence organizations, most people begin by influencing from the inside. But what’s an influencer to do when this traditional approach falls flat?
Where did all the patent trolls go?
Robert Merges cited by Daily Journal (registration required), Dec. 20, 2017
Robert Merges … started arguing in late 2015 that there had been enough patent reform to address the existing problems, and that we needed to pause to let the changes take effect.
Getting rid of predatory judges
Catherine Crump writes for The New York Times, Dec. 19, 2017
The judiciary should make clear, to clerks and judges alike, that a judge’s inappropriate sexual conduct and comments are not covered by the job’s confidentiality obligations. It should also provide better complaint mechanisms for federal clerks, about half of whom are women.
10 memorable leadership stories from 2017
Lauren Edelman quoted by The Washington Post, Dec. 18, 2017
“In most cases, employers are creating these policies more to protect themselves than to protect employees,” said Lauren Edelman. … “We don’t know when harassment training is effective, and we have reason to believe that maybe it’s counterproductive in some cases.”
The GOP isn’t just giving the rich a tax cut for Christmas. It’s also killing Obamacare
Erwin Chemerinsky writes for The Sacramento Bee, Dec. 18, 2017
The bottom line is that millions will lose their health care coverage or pay much more for it. The Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan research office in Congress, estimated that repealing the individual mandate will cause 13 million people to lose their health insurance.
An L.A. court mistakenly destroyed evidence a death row inmate says would free him. Now what?
Elisabeth Semel quoted by Los Angeles Times, Dec. 17, 2017
“If the very evidence you need is gone … how do you make justice happen for these individuals?” she said, describing the scenario as “terribly, terribly devastating.”
New, $1 billion program will bring rooftop solar to California renters
Ethan Elkind quoted by The Mercury News, Dec. 16, 2017
“We want more people in California, particularly low-income people in disadvantaged communities, to feel a stake in the state’s climate programs and receive benefits from them.”
Trump’s promise to fill courts with conservative judges hits first speed bump
Ann Ravel quoted by Chicago Tribune, Dec. 16, 2017
In an interview, Ann Ravel … questioned Petersen’s assertion that he gained legal experience through oversight of the FEC lawyers, saying the commission had little direct responsibility for litigation, legal techniques or strategy. “I do not believe it qualifies one to be a federal judge,” said Ravel.
California activists applaud state’s new cell phone safety advisory
Claudia Polsky quoted by The Mercury News, Dec. 15, 2017
“We are delighted that the California Department of Public Health is finally revealing affirmatively to the public what it knows about how to protect consumers from cell phone radiation,” said Claudia Polsky, Moskowitz’s lead attorney and founding director of the Environmental Law Clinic.