Comme une trainée de poudre, la semaine passée, s’est propagée l’idée qu’Internet est un monde dangereux où il ne fait pas bon mettre une souris dehors. Partout, une information, assez nébuleuse, s’est dissiminée faisant état d’études décrivant l’horreur du décor: La Presse, La Gazette, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CTV, juste pour identifier les coupures que j’ai eu l’occasion de lire.

Michel Leblanc, un de mes anciens étudiants, mais je pense qu’il est plus juste de l’identifier comme un des gourous de la blogosphère québécoise, a eut un coup de sang pour ce qu’il considère . . . [more]

The world’ media is focussed on how the Supreme Court of Canada is addressing the use of security certificates in terror trials. The BBC, the Chicago Tribune, NDTV in India, and even a Korean wire service have all covered the case.

There doesn’t seem to have been a lot of commentary in the blogosphere – though an interesting take was that the appellants’ counsel were apparently setting up a media spin that the court was insufficiently independent from the government.

Here is what the reporters in the court are saying about the questioning:

Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin . . . [more]

1. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
2. Robertson v. Thomson: Order from the Supreme Court of Canada (April 7, 2006)
3. Robertson v. Thomson: Case information from the Supreme Court of Canada website
4. Robertson v. Thomson: Ontario Appeal Court (lower court) decision
5. Baigent and Leigh v Random House
6. Toronto Star: Students Draft Ontario Legislation
7. Jurist: French labour law standoff
8. CBC: Harper willing to re-open Constitutional debate
9. Canoe: Da Vinci Code triumphs in court
10. CBC: A black eye on the practice of law, from NB
11. CBC: Legal Aid issues in NL
12. Berkman Center conference: Bloggership: How Blogs Are Transforming Legal Scholarship
13. The Filter: Special In-depth

We sometimes forget the impetuses that sparked our interest in the justice system. Two recent new items from the current debates about the limits of presidential power remind us of the importance of the lawyer’s independent judgment.

Remember Alberto Mora and John Dean.

A fine piece in the New Yorker about Alberto J. Mora, the current International Counsel for WalmartAlso see the New York Times and the Washington Post..

Mr Mora was General Counsel to the US Navy who raised concerns about the legality of the treatment of captives in a comprehensive memorandum laying out chapter and . . . [more]

1. Integrated Taxonomic Information System
2. Google Earth
3. Google Mars
4. Mars Odyssey Themis project
5. About Google Mars
6. Google Video: Flight Into Mariner Valley
7. Google News search: google mars
8. LinuxInsider: Code to Run XP on Mac May Become Open Source
9. LLRX.com
10. beSpacific
11. Library Journal
12. Library Journal: Indefatigable – Sabrina Pacifici
13. Conference: Computers in Libraries 2006
14. Computers in Libraries 2006: Free Cybertour: “Blogs for Managing Content” – Thurs. March 23, 12 – 2 pm
15. Computers in Libraries 2006: Post-Conference Workshop: “Mining Blogs & RSS for Research” – Sat. March 25, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
16. Special Libraries Association conference in Baltimore, June 10, 2006
17. Google

« Le scandale du monde est ce qui fait l’offense. Et ce n’est pas pécher que pécher en silenceMolière, Tartuffe.»

In a post September 11 environment, one value that appears to have compromised (if not sacrificed) is transparency in the availability of legal norms. This should be an issue for all Slaw readers, not just those whose work touches on criminal law or constitutional rights.

A few examples.

We now know about the secret court, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, whose minimal process was too much for the DoJ.

But now it seems that we have . . . [more]

1. Report by Reporters Without Borders
2. Stikeman Elliott
3. Stikeman’s Ad for Report on Securities Act Changes
4. Ontario Securities Act
5. OECD report on scientific publishing
6. W3T URL shrinker
7. LawHawk
8. Index to Common Law Festschriften
9. legal essays collection, Davis Library
10. CommonLII
11. NewScientist: cameraphone scanner
12. Boing Boing: cameraphone scanner
13. U Vic survey of incoming students
14. Reporters Without Borders report on internet surveillance
15. Bangoura case: Ont. SC
16. Bangoura case: Ont. CA
17. Intnl. Conf. on Computerization of Law via the Internet – 2002 – Montréal
18. Intnl. Conf. on Computerization of Law via the Internet – 2003
19. Intnl. Conf. on Computerization of Law via the Internet –