Let The Sun Shine: Pass Raised Bill 6750
Posted: February 17, 2015 Filed under: General Law | Tags: foia, foic, law enforcement exemption, public safety Leave a commentThe General Assembly held a public hearing last week on Raised Bill 6750, An Act Expanding The Requirement For Disclosure Of Arrest Records During A Pending Prosecution Under The Freedom Of Information Act. The bill seeks to overturn a Connecticut Supreme Court decision last year, Comm’r of Public Safety v. FOIC, which set aside the Freedom of Information Commission’s longstanding (20 years!) interpretation of the Freedom of Information Act concerning the release of arrest records. The Supreme Court decision was bad for government transparency, the proposed bill is good and the arguments against the bill are weak. The legislature should pass the bill and the governor should sign it.
Legal Definitions Of The Day
Posted: February 16, 2015 Filed under: General Law 2 CommentsLitigation Associate: A young lawyer who transforms blank paper into a credible draft of a legal argument, only to be excoriated for failing to read the partner’s mind perfectly.
Litigation Partner: A senior lawyer who has forgotten that turning a blank page of paper into a first draft of anything is the hardest part of the job and who genuinely believes that every edit he makes dramatically improves, rather than simply changes, the associate’s draft.
The Governor’s “State Of Emergency” Powers
Posted: January 26, 2015 Filed under: General Law Leave a commentWhen natural and/or manmade disasters hit our state, we often hear governors declare a “state of emergency” and take certain actions pursuant to their “emergency powers.” What are those powers and what is their legal source?
The New Legislative Session, Cassandra C. And More On WNPR’s The Wheelhouse
Posted: January 7, 2015 Filed under: General Law | Tags: andrew maynard, cassandra c., department of children and families, the wheelhouse, wheelhouse Leave a comment
It is always an honor and a pleasure to join John Dankosky, Colin McEnroe and their guests on “The Wheelhouse,” WNPR’s wonderful weekly news roundtable. Today we discussed: hot issues facing the Connecticut legislature during its 2015 legislation session, which begins today; a fascinating case heading to the state Supreme Court concerning a 17-year-old girl who wants to refuse life saving medical treatment for her very-treatable case of Hodgkin’s lymphoma; and the growing debate over the insensitivity of a local craft brewery in using the name and image of Mahatma Gandhi to promote a pale ale. (I join the discussion about 13:30 into the segment.)
Thanks for having me on the show guys! (And thanks to Chion Wolf for the great pic she took at the studio.)
Senator Maynard And The Oath, Ctd.
Posted: January 7, 2015 Filed under: General Law | Tags: andrew maynard, quo warranto Leave a commentTo the pleasant surprise of just about everyone, Senator Andrew Maynard (D-Stonington) appeared in the Senate chamber this morning and took the oath of office with his colleagues. Former Senate President Pro Tem Donald Williams Jr. accompanied Maynard, who apparently did not speak, but smiled and waved to his colleagues.
Talking About Prior Restraints On “The Wheelhouse”
Posted: December 4, 2014 Filed under: General Law | Tags: first amendment, john danosky, prior restraint, the wheelhouse, wnpr Leave a commentWNPR’s John Dankosky invited me to join him yesterday for a segment of his weekly political roundtable, The Wheelhouse, with Colin McEnroe and other guests. The subject: a Superior Court judge’s issuance of an injunction against the Connecticut Law Tribune to bar it from publishing a story about a child protection case in Juvenile Court. (Disclosure: I represent the Law Trib in the case.)
Click here to listen to the show. (My segment starts at 19:48 into the program.)
Thanks for having me on The Wheelhouse for two consecutive weeks John!
Discussing The Ferguson Grand Jury, Sen. Maynard And More On The Wheelhouse
Posted: November 30, 2014 Filed under: General Law | Tags: adam lanza, andrew maynard, Donald Williams, ferguson, grand jury, michael brown Leave a commentLast Wednesday was a pre-Thanksgiving treat: WNPR’s John Dankosky invited me to join him, Colin McEnroe and several other guests on his regular Wednesday morning show, The Wheelhouse. We discussed the Ferguson grand jury decision, retiring Senate President Don William’s new gig at the CEA, the Office of the Child Advocate’s report on Adam Lanza, and oh so much more. I had a great time John and Colin. Thanks for inviting me on the show!
CT-N taped the show. If you like to watch people sit in a radio studio and talk to each other, click here.
Senator Maynard And The Oath
Posted: November 21, 2014 Filed under: General Law 2 CommentsQuestions abound about what will happen if State Senator Andrew Maynard, who suffered serious injuries during a fall last August but was nonetheless reelected earlier this month, cannot take the oath of office when the General Assembly convenes in January. This post explores some of the legal issues surrounding those questions. The post is by no means definitive. It is the beginning of my legal exploration of the issue, not the end. I welcome comments.
NTSB Rules That Drones Are “Aircraft”
Posted: November 18, 2014 Filed under: General Law | Tags: drones, faa, ntsb 1 CommentFlying a drone over the University of Virginia for the purpose of taking commercial photographs of the university may cost the drone operator $10,000 for violating the Federal Aviation Administration’s prohibition against flying “aircraft” in a reckless or careless manner. (Allegedly the drone operator scared the bejesus out of someone by flying the drone “directly towards an individual standing on a . . . sidewalk causing the individual to take immediate evasive maneuvers so as to avoid being struck by [the] aircraft”; “through a . . . tunnel containing moving vehicles”; “under a crane”; “below tree top level over a tree lined walkway”; “under an elevated pedestrian walkway”; and “within approximately 100 feet of an active heliport.”)
Rep. Cafero And The Judicial Selection Commission
Posted: November 15, 2014 Filed under: General Law 1 CommentAttorney and Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie reports on his blog, Daily Ructions, that outgoing House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero will soon appear before the Judicial Selection Commission (JSC), which is required by law to evaluate any person seeking appointment as a Superior Court judge. Only persons receiving the JSC’s stamp of approval may be nominated to the bench. Rennie questions whether Cafero is fit for approval as a judge. The members of the JSC will have to decide that issue for themselves based on the relevant criteria (see below).
Appealingly Brief! 