Thursday, February 09, 2006
Report on Failure to Disclose Evidence
The Ohio Ass'n of Criminal Defense Lawyers released a report called "Broken Duty" (PDF) that outlines the history of cases dealing with prosecution failure to disclose evidence. The report summarizes cases (15 pages) from 1975 to 2005, including citations to the opinions. there is a short analysis, followed by Ohio Criminal Rule 16 and some relevant cases in full text. The report is dated 2005.
Federal District Court Opinions Free Thru Pacer
Get your district court opinions on Pacer (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) free, thanks to a new report available through the CM/ECF (case management / electronic case filing) system. If your district court is on CM/ECF version 2.4, then opinions that are uploaded into Pacer can be searched for free.
Why is this exciting? District court opinions have been far more difficult to get electronically via the Web than Circuit and US Supreme Court opinions. If you are familiar with Pacer, you do not go to their main Web site and log in, as you might for the US Party Index. Instead, for example, you would go to the court CM/ECF page (here is the District for Southern Ohio) and login using your PACER information. Use the Report page to get "written opinions" and you can run a free search to bring up written opinions. If you run a different search, you'll still be charged for that search (a Docket search, for example) but you won't be charged for viewing the written opinions.
Pacer accounts are free to set up and then you pay as you go.
Why is this exciting? District court opinions have been far more difficult to get electronically via the Web than Circuit and US Supreme Court opinions. If you are familiar with Pacer, you do not go to their main Web site and log in, as you might for the US Party Index. Instead, for example, you would go to the court CM/ECF page (here is the District for Southern Ohio) and login using your PACER information. Use the Report page to get "written opinions" and you can run a free search to bring up written opinions. If you run a different search, you'll still be charged for that search (a Docket search, for example) but you won't be charged for viewing the written opinions.
Pacer accounts are free to set up and then you pay as you go.
Public Library Offers Free Ohio Legal Forms
Free Ohio legal forms are available from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County through their remote access database services. This new resource includes forms from Thomson-Gale, the company behind Infotrac Onefile, another PLCHC database resource.
The resource is organized by category, ranging from deed forms to powers of attorney (general, health and child care) and even a pet law handbook! The forms are from the US Legal Forms company, an online forms database for all 50 states.
You can access the online site with your PLCHC library card (the RED card!), using the borrower number on the back and your PIN (the last 4 digits of your phone number unless you've changed it). If you use the forms and are not a lawyer, be sure to read the disclaimer that "[a]ll forms in this database are provided without any warranty, express or implied, as to their legal effect and completeness. Forms should be used as a guide and modified to meet the laws in your state. Please use at your own risk." You might still want to consult a lawyer for assistance.
The resource is organized by category, ranging from deed forms to powers of attorney (general, health and child care) and even a pet law handbook! The forms are from the US Legal Forms company, an online forms database for all 50 states.
You can access the online site with your PLCHC library card (the RED card!), using the borrower number on the back and your PIN (the last 4 digits of your phone number unless you've changed it). If you use the forms and are not a lawyer, be sure to read the disclaimer that "[a]ll forms in this database are provided without any warranty, express or implied, as to their legal effect and completeness. Forms should be used as a guide and modified to meet the laws in your state. Please use at your own risk." You might still want to consult a lawyer for assistance.
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