On Friday, Detroit became the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy. Municipalities, such as cities, towns, and counties, can enter reorganization under Chapter 9, Title 11 of the U.S.Code. The U.S. Courts website provides a basic overview of Chapter 9 reorganization on the following page, Chapter 9: Municipality Bankruptcy. 

Under Chapter 9 reorganization, a municipality is protected from creditors while it determines a plan to adjust its debts. The American Bankruptcy Institute provides quarterly statistics on the number of municipalities that have filed for Chapter 9 since 1980 (ABI Chapter 9 Filings 1980 – Current Table).

No one factor led to Detroit to this final solution. Detroit has been in decline for years due to job losses among the U.S. auto industry. According to USA Today, citing a letter from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, several factors that led to the city eventually filing bankruptcy included:

• Unemployment rate double the national average
• Homicide rate at historical levels
• Average of 58 minutes for police to respond, compared to average of 11 minutes nationally
• 40% of the city’s street lights not working
• 78,000 city structures abandoned

USA Today: Detroit: How the Motor City went bust

In total, the filing listed more than 100,000 creditors and more than $1 billion in estimated liabilities (possibly even $20 billion total). For full details on the matter, you can review the bankruptcy petition filed by the city with the bankruptcy court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Detroit Bankruptcy Petition Filed In United States Bankruptcy Court.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

by Lindsey Laforge

July 11 is the anniversary of the swearing in of William Howard Taft as the chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1921. As I am sure you know William Taft was also the 27^th President of the United States. After his presidency he took the bench and thus became the only person ever to serve as both President and Supreme Court Chief Justice.

While we are on the topic of interesting facts about former Presidents, here are some tid-bits you may not have been aware of:

• President Reagan was the only divorced president.
• President Tyler had the most children at fifteen
• President Buchanan was the only president never to marry.
• The Tallest president was President Lincoln at 6’4″
• President Madison was the shortest at 5’4″
• 8 U.S. Presidents never attended college
  • The same number were born British subjects
• Other than the most famous assassinations of Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln, there were also two other Presidential assassinations while in office- Presidents Garfield and McKinley
• President Van Buren’s first language was Dutch
• While President Pierce was in office he was arrested for running over an old woman with his horse.
• President Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms
• President Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win a Nobel Prize

by Mark Stuckey

image by flickr user sarahreido

Now I don’t always watch television series, but when I do I watch all 8 seasons in 3 days. Given my busy law school schedule, I want to consume as much television as possible in the short time available. Luckily, I am able to binge on my televisual vice thanks to Netflix. Netflix steaming allows you to watch your (new) favorite television programs back to back without the hindrance of commercials. I was skeptical at first, but I have joined the drooling masses and will never look back. I would like to share with you a truncated list of shows that should occupy your bandwidth and time. Believe me, they’re worth it.

The first show that you should be watching or better yet re-watching is Arrested Development. Arrested Development follows the trials and tribulations of the Bluth family, but especially Michael, “the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together”. Without giving too much away, the series revolves around the antics of the self-interested members of this dysfunctional family. By the time you finish watching, you will almost feel like your family is normal. Arrested Development is rich with a talented cast (Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, David Cross), and some of the most learned writing of any series out there.  The fourth season recently dropped on Netflix, and there are rumors of a fifth season and possibly a movie. So get caught up! It won’t be a huge mistake! For more information on Arrested Development check out this site.

Next, you should be watching Mad Men.  Mad Men follows Don Draper, a successful Ad Man who seems to have it all. Mad Men is near the top of my list, because of the detail of costumes and settings (early 60’s), the social and political commentary, and the unending barrage of twists and turns. Mad Men just wrapped up its sixth season on AMC, but you can watch seasons 1-5 on Netflix. Learn more about Mad Men here.

If you have ever had a job in a big company, you need to watch Better Off Ted. Better Off Ted follows protagonist, Ted Crisp, the loveable and handsome Head of R and R at the “soulless conglomerate” Veridian Dynamics. The series is a satirical commentary on the absurdities of the modern corporate structure, but is more importantly hilarious!  Better Off Ted only had two seasons, but boasts a substantial cult following and for good reason. Check out the Wiki before you watch.

Finally, if you are ready for a time suck then Lost is the series for you. Lost follows a group of stranded air travelers on a mysterious island, and while the plot is reminiscent of “Lord of the Flies” (which I was grudgingly forced to read in 8^th grade) Lost’s payoff is much greater. There are few television shows that can build this much gratuitous suspense and get away with it. However I caution you, this series will hook you. So be prepared to not have a social life (not that you have time for one anyway). Check out Lostipedia for spoilers and more info on the series.

Above is a list of my must see series on Netflix and I hope you enjoy them. Comment below and if you have a favorite series that you think I should watch, let me know!

Honorable Mentions:

• Parks and Recreation
• American Dad
• 30 Rock
• Breaking Bad
• The Walking Dead

by Ryan Browne

Image by Flickr user tedreese

Some of the joys of summer include sitting on the beach, cooking out in the backyard and lounging around the pool.  Aside from a cold beer, the thing that goes along with each of these things is music.  And without fail, every summer brings about the song of the summer that gets played while hanging out with good friends and family and having a good time.

In 2002, Nelly took the summer with Hot in Herrre.   1997 was a little somber when I’ll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 was played everywhere. (R.I.P. B.I.G.).  And of course the summer of 2012 set the bar pretty high when it seemed everyone was filming their own “Call Me Maybe” video.

As we are about to hit July Fourth weekend and the middle of summer, it’s coming to the point where the song of the Summer of 2013 will emerge.  Check out some of the candidates for 2013’s song of the summer below:

Daft Punk – Get Lucky

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us

Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – Blurred Lines

Icona Pop – I Love It

Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark

Imagine Dragons – Radioactive

Florida Georgia Line – Cruise

Selena Gomez – Come And Get It

by Mark Stuckey

image by flickr user david__jones

This being Fourth of July week, there is one thing that you should know. The College of Law is closed on Thursday. What does this mean to the humble law student? This means that classes will be cancelled (woohoo!), and the Law Library will be closed (:(). So instead of coming to school and studying all day like a good law student you should take Thursday off, well at least as much as you can, and enjoy some of the fun things to do in and around Atlanta.

First, do you enjoy watching people exercise? Have you ever taken a break from studying, and gone down to the Rec Center to watch people on the elliptical while you enjoy a subpar, lukewarm, cup of coffee?  No? Well, you still might enjoy watching the Peachtree Road Race. The registration to run is over, but you can still go enjoy the festivities, or maybe volunteer! Find all the info you could ever want here.

Okay let’s face it, the founding fathers were some pretty cool dudes, and I mean, I’m grateful for the country’s lack of absolute Despotism and all, but Fourth of July is really about the fireworks. However, in the State of Georgia, some pyrotechnics are legal while others are not. So before you put on your own explosive display, to the amusement of you friends and chagrin of your neighbors, you might want to do a little research and make sure you’re on the up and up as far as the law is concerned. Check out the current Georgia law on the regulation of fireworks here. (Warning: West password required)

Now, if you’re like me and you’re on a budget, you can easily get your fireworks fix for free in multiple places throughout our ever sprawling metropolis. For a pretty comprehensive list of the sweet firework action in Atlanta check out this site. My favorite display is at Centennial Olympic Park. There’s nothing like the anticipation endured while waiting for fireworks to begin. Get all the details here. Pro tip: get there early to get a good seat and avoid undue hassle.

As much as Americans like fireworks, they love baseball even more. While I somehow missed the baseball train, quite possibly because I was on the wrong platform (9 ¾), most people seem to love it! Accordingly, I would be amiss not to tell you that the Braves are playing Marlins on Thursday. The game starts at 7:10 and tickets are still available.  For those strapped for cash or who rest their heads in Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett Braves are playing on Thursday as well. Both games will conclude with fireworks.

If you desire more obscure activities for the Holiday, and believe me you do, check out Creative Loafing. This caught my eye.

These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg for the haps around town on the Fourth. Almost every neighborhood in Atlanta is doing something. So just get out there!

Finally, not to put a damper on the red, white and, blue hued love fest, but please be safe and plan accordingly. There are bigger consequences of drunk driving than not being able to sit for the Georgia Bar.

Photo by premasagar.

Just a little programming update: you can now leave comments on the blog! We know we’ve been talking to you for a while, and now you have the opportunity to talk back to us! We just ask that, before leaving a comment, you please review our comment policy.

Image by Flickr user pinprick

The law library recently installed a hot/cold water fountain near the Reference Desk. There has been much rejoicing about this. But besides now having ready access to tea, Earl Grey, hot whenever you want it, what other wonders can this fountain bring into your life?

Well, have you thought about all of the delicious gourmet filling lunches (and drinks) you can now make? Here are some options:

• Ramen
• Cup o Noodles
• Instant mac & cheese
• hot cider
• instant oatmeal and grits*
• hot chocolate
• instant coffee**

Bon appetit!

* No self-respecting Southerner eats those though, right?

** Seriously?

Photo by Flickr user Phil Roeder.

It’s mid-June, which means that things are starting to heat up in the Supreme Court. As you probably know, the Supreme Court has a history of releasing their most controversial/high-profile opinions at the end of the term, which is generally in late June. The Court has already moved to announcing opinions twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, and in the past week has handed down a few of this term’s blockbuster opinions, most notably Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics on Thursday and Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona today.

There are still 14 decisions outstanding, including decisions in high-profile cases such as:

• Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin
• Shelby County v. Holder
• Hollingsworth v. Perry
• United States v. Windsor
• Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (recently the subject of an episode of the Radiolab podcast)

As with many aspects of the Supreme Court, the source to go to when you want to find out what’s going on is SCOTUSblog, which live blogs the opinion announcements every Monday and Thursday. If you don’t want to read the full opinion in each case, you can always check to see if the haiku version has been posted.

by Lindsey LaForge

Got the summer time blues? No fear, new movies are near! The library DVD collection is expanding soon and some great titles are due to come in! All the DVDs in the collection have some relation to the law, so you can always count watching them as study time. For those who can’t wait to find out what newbies are due in, here is a sneak peak at the ordered series and movies:

(All descriptions courtesy of imdb.com)

How I Met Your Mother (Series)

– Ted searches for the woman of his dreams in New York City with the help of his four best friends.

Battlestar Galactica (Series)

– When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protects a small civilian fleet – the last of humanity – as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony of Earth.

Downton Abby (Series)

– Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, the drama centers on the Crawley family and their servants.

The Closer (Series)

– Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her innate ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city’s toughest, most sensitive cases.

JAG (Series)

– The cases of Harmon Rabb, former Navy fighter pilot, and his fellow lawyers of the US Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s office.

Criminal Minds (Series)

– The cases of the BAU an elite group of profilers that analyze the nation’s most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again.

Suits (Series)

– On the run from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City’s best lawyers.

Silver Linings Playbook (Movie)

– After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

And in case you can’t wait till these new ones come in, check out what some of the new stuff we already have available!

Arrested Development (Series)

– Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.

Breaking Bad (Series)

– Informed he has terminal cancer, an underachieving chemistry genius turned high school teacher uses his expertise to secretly provide for his family by producing the world’s highest quality crystal meth.

The Walking Dead (Series)

– Police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.

Zero Dark Thirty (Movie)

– A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011.

Scandal (Series)

– A White House Communications Director leaves to start her own crisis management firm only to discover she hasn’t left the past behind.

The Hunger Games (Movie)

– Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

Lincoln (Movie)

– As the Civil War continues to rage, America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

The Social Network (Movie)

– Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking website that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.

Never Let Me Go (Movie)

– The story of three friends who are tragically born to lead short lives, and the love triangle that forms between them in their brief time together.

Argo (Movie)

– A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.

The Good Wife (Series)

– Alicia has been a good wife to her husband, a former state attorney. After a very humiliating sex and corruption scandal, he is behind bars. She must now provide for her family and returns to work as a litigator in a law firm.

These are just a few of the awesome titles that are located behind the reference desk in the study-aid section. Be sure to come and check them out today! Also, if you are interested in a certain movie or series or have any questions be sure to talk to Pam Brannon at pbrannongsu.edu
Courtesy commons.wikimedia.org

by Ryan Browne

image by Flickr user coolinsights

When many people think of the biggest criminal in US history, many names may come to mind.  Some might think of David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, who terrorized New York City during 1976-1977 in a series of random shootings.  Others may think of John Dillinger, the famous bank robber during the Great Depression whose crimes were one of the catalysts for the formation of the FBI.  Of course we can’t forget about Jesse James, who with the help of his gang terrorized the frontier of the 1800s by robbing stagecoaches, trains and banks.

But, what about the biggest criminal in US history, physically?  Well, some of the physically largest people in the country are athletes.  Nate Newton was a 6’ 3”, 335 pound offensive lineman with the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys.  He was arrested for drug possession twice when he was found with 213 and 175 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for drug trafficking.  Terry “Tank” Johnson was a 6’3”, 315 pound defensive tackle who played for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals.  “Tank” was arrested on multiple occasions for gun charges, including while he was already on probation for a weapons charge.  Tank eventually served four months in Cook County jail for the probation violation and the second weapons charge.

However, the largest criminal in US history wasn’t a person at all.  It was an elephant.

In 1916, Sparks World Famous Shows was going to be part of the first county fair in Kingsport, Tennessee.  The star of their show was Mary, an Asian elephant. On September 12 of that year, while being led to get water in between shows, Red Eldridge roughly prodded Mary with a bull hook when Mary stopped walking.  In response, Mary picked Eldridge up by her trunk and threw him against a drink stand and then stomped him with her foot.

Mary was arrested and taken to the county jail where she was chained to a stake in the ground.  To calm public fears and outrage and out of a concern for public safety, Mary’s owner decided that she needed to be publicly put to death.  So on the morning of September 13, Mary was taken by train to Erwin, Tennessee where she was hanged in front of an onlooking public.

You can read more about the story of Mary here.