update: Links "fixed" in weekly digest of Oct. 20-25, 2008 decisions
Correction! The links to the full text decisions for the week of Oct. 20-24, 2008 have been updated to work.
Correction! The links to the full text decisions for the week of Oct. 20-24, 2008 have been updated to work.
Correction! The links to the full text decisions for the week of Oct. 20-24, 2008 have been updated to work.
First, thanks to the three lawyers who volunteered to assist in the "modest proposal".
Second, the numbers were too small to gear up the project accordingly.
Third, even though the suggestion for this "free site" to add the names of the opinions authors and topical desciptions (or even short sentences) came from the staff at a "large" corporate-type firm, none of the volunteers came from that direction.
I just wanted to share that bit of irony, frustration, and biting commentary.
I will continue to burn the candle at both ends and do my own little topic inclusions.
One reader made a very useful and valid comment. The table of weekly decisions would be much more useful if there was a small digest of the decision or at least a "key word description" of the contents.
Excellent point, but I do not have the time or the resources to effect that change.
Howeve, here is a thought. Each week there are an average of 10 published decisions.
If we could get a pool of fifteen lawyers all agreeing to punch in the key word or words for ONE DECISION PER WEEK, then this 'salami technique' would enable a free but valuable resource to be developed.
How would it work?
First, the lawyer volunteer must be marginally computer literate, legally competent, and a minimal typist.
Second, each lawyer would be assigned a number.
Third, each week the grid of decisions would be emailed to the band of blawgers who would quickly open the decision matching their number, digest it to a key word or two (eg., Criminal: Search and Seizure or Civil Rights or Insurance Law: Exclusions, etc).
Fourth, the lawyer would then access the "draft page" at www. SixthCircuitCases.com, and count down to their number and type in the few word description.
For example, if your number was "seven", then each week you would have the seventh decision from the top to drop in your key word!
Hopefully, this can be done in just a few minutes by each attorney within a few days. When all have been 'keyed' in, then the post will be published.
If I get 15 volunteers, then I will do it. If not, then the 'keyless' table will continue.
The numbers would be redrawn every three months to further divide the workload, since the last half of the group might get several 'byes' over the weeks.
Michael Stevens
