We're Back! Former FindLaw Columnists Move En Masse to New Site: Verdict
By Mike Dorf
From 2000 through the end of 2010, I wrote bi-weekly columns for FindLaw's Writ. FindLaw then discontinued the publication and since January I have received occasional inquiries about whether it would be revived. Today I am delighted to announce that the answer is basically yes--at a new home.
All ten of the former Writ columnists are now writing for Verdict, a new online publication run by the free legal research website Justia. Verdict contains archives of all of our old columns, going back to 2000 in the case of those of us who started at Writ that long ago. Three of the ten Verdict columnists are also DoL contributors: Neil Buchanan, Sherry Colb, and yours truly. Our Verdict author pages are, respectively, here, here, and here.
In substance, Verdict will operate much like Writ did, although it will be more tightly integrated with social media and otherwise updated to reflect the changes in online publications over more than a decade. But we'll still be providing somewhat-longer-than-blog-post-length commentary on legal and policy issues. For the Justia columnists who are also DoL contributors, I'll also be running accompanying blog posts exploring related issues, as appropriate.
Verdict is already up and running. Today's issue features a column by Sherry discussing the Supreme Court's recent ruling (in J.D.B. v. North Carolina) that there may be circumstances in which a minor suspect, in virtue of his youth, is entitled to Miranda warnings even though a similarly situated adult would not be entitled to the warnings. The dissenting Justices complain that the decision will unjustifiably sacrifice the valuable clarity of the Miranda rule. Sherry argues that this concern is insincere, in light of those same Justices' willingness to muddy the Miranda rule's clarity when doing so disadvantages suspects. Give it a read.
Finally, I'd like to say how grateful I am to FindLaw for having given me a platform for me to express my views to a wide audience for over a decade. I very much hope that DoL readers share my excitement that Justia has picked up the baton and created Verdict.
From 2000 through the end of 2010, I wrote bi-weekly columns for FindLaw's Writ. FindLaw then discontinued the publication and since January I have received occasional inquiries about whether it would be revived. Today I am delighted to announce that the answer is basically yes--at a new home.
All ten of the former Writ columnists are now writing for Verdict, a new online publication run by the free legal research website Justia. Verdict contains archives of all of our old columns, going back to 2000 in the case of those of us who started at Writ that long ago. Three of the ten Verdict columnists are also DoL contributors: Neil Buchanan, Sherry Colb, and yours truly. Our Verdict author pages are, respectively, here, here, and here.
In substance, Verdict will operate much like Writ did, although it will be more tightly integrated with social media and otherwise updated to reflect the changes in online publications over more than a decade. But we'll still be providing somewhat-longer-than-blog-post-length commentary on legal and policy issues. For the Justia columnists who are also DoL contributors, I'll also be running accompanying blog posts exploring related issues, as appropriate.
Verdict is already up and running. Today's issue features a column by Sherry discussing the Supreme Court's recent ruling (in J.D.B. v. North Carolina) that there may be circumstances in which a minor suspect, in virtue of his youth, is entitled to Miranda warnings even though a similarly situated adult would not be entitled to the warnings. The dissenting Justices complain that the decision will unjustifiably sacrifice the valuable clarity of the Miranda rule. Sherry argues that this concern is insincere, in light of those same Justices' willingness to muddy the Miranda rule's clarity when doing so disadvantages suspects. Give it a read.
Finally, I'd like to say how grateful I am to FindLaw for having given me a platform for me to express my views to a wide audience for over a decade. I very much hope that DoL readers share my excitement that Justia has picked up the baton and created Verdict.