Recent Supreme Court Decisions

The Supreme Court has handed down several interesting decisions in the past week. Two such decisions, both of which are split 5-4 decisions, are District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290, and Kennedy v. Louisiana, No. 07-343. In District of Columbia, Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority, found that the Second Amendment provides individuals the right to own a firearm and that gun ownership is not limited to those persons engaged in military service. The Supreme Court’s entire opinion in District of Columbia can be accessed at http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf

In Kennedy v. Louisiana¸ Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, held that the death penalty is unconstitutional as punishment for the rape of a child. The Supreme Court’s opinion in Kennedy, can be accessed at http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-343.pdf

Summer Associates

The June edition of the New York Law Journal Magazine is dedicated to topics pertinent to summer associates. The magazine provides guidelines on how to succeed as a summer associate, tips on writing business appropriate e-mail messages, a discussion on the business aspect of law firms, and tips from four former summer associates on how to gain the most from the summer associate experience.

A copy of the New York Law Journal Magazine, volume 7, number 3, June 2008, is on reserve in the library behind the Circulation Desk.