Brown University is not known for effervescent school spirit at sporting events, but the ol’ “which one’s Bruno?” cheer has stood the test of time. It usually starts with one really loud person yelling, “Let’s go Bruno!,” and then someone…
Tag: District Court
FPOLAD: Federal Probation Officers Love Acronyms and Data. A New PCRA Report Could Have A Positive Impact on the PTRA and Bail Decisions.
If you’re in the company of a federal probation officer long enough, it’s only a matter of time before the acronyms start to fly. A statement like “let’s use a CBT/MRT with evidenced-based practices to lower those dynamic risk factors…
Federal District Court Says So Long to Bar Exam, At Long Last
In addition to bar admission for the Rhode Island state courts, attorneys must have a separate bar admission to practice before the Rhode Island federal district court. Earlier this month, the federal district court announced a proposed change to its…
Federal District Court and the Dreaded Six Month List – It’s More and Less Than It Seems
Every six months, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts publishes the dreaded Six Month List. The Six Month List describes itself as a “semiannual report showing, by U.S. district judge and U.S. magistrate judge, all motions pending more than…
The Power of Art in Learning and Understanding the Law
Jim Murphy, the Chair Emeritus of the federal District of Rhode Island’s litigation academy (I just made that title up, but it seems appropriate), is renowned for his stirring lectures during academy programs. Like all faculty of the litigation academy,…
Let’s Confer About Conferring and Then Confer: Latest Proposed Change to Federal Rules Is Further Evidence Judges Don’t Like Discovery Disputes
On August 15, 2018, the federal Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure released its latest proposed change to the federal rules of civil procedure to require opposing parties to confer in good faith when serving deposition notices to organizations under…
Federal Criminal Jury Trial Begins Today in Courtroom 3 at 9 a.m.
In 2017, juries decided only three federal criminal cases in the United States District Court in Rhode Island. The federal courthouse is full of courtrooms, but rarely are those courtrooms full with juries. Today, Wednesday, August 8, a federal criminal…
Stipulation or Consent Motion or Private Agreement? A View from the Salt Mines
Litigation is adversarial. The inherent conflict means that most lawsuits involve parties who don’t like each other, and there’s a natural tendency to refuse to budge on anything. But sometimes, in the midst of this systemic friction, it makes sense…
Highlights from the Last Federal Bench/Bar Committee Meeting of the Year
One of the most interesting and effective committees of the Rhode Island Bar Association is the Federal Bench/Bar Committee, which meets at the federal courthouse three or four times a year. Chaired by the always prepared Pat Rocha, the meeting is…
U.S. Probation Officer Mike Primeau is #1, and I’m Not Just Loosely Translating His Last Name
Today is a sad day for the great State of Rhode Island. We lose one of our finest, U.S. Probation Officer Mike Primeau, who is transferring to a federal probation district in California. Mike Primeau is numero uno, so perhaps…