From the Archives

100 Years Ago: Justices Debate Magna Carta Mural

In the summer of 1915, artist Albert Herter’s mural “The Signing of the Magna Carta” was installed in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Hearing Room. It still looms large today, among three other massive murals that Herter painted.

Architect George Post, who designed the new state Capitol Building in 1908, insisted on murals to replace portraits of former justices that traditionally hung behind the bench. It took a year to convince the sitting justices to install murals, and they insisted on choosing the subject matter.

Prominent American artist Albert Herter presented drawings of “The Signing of the Magna Carta,” which actually occurred 800 years ago in June. Upon seeing the drawings, the justices questioned Herter’s portrayal of Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, who presented the Magna Carta to King John of England in 1215.

Herter reluctantly adopted the justices’ suggested changes and finished the mural on the East Coast before installing it on the hearing room’s north wall. Then he left town without saying goodbye.

Source: Tom Sheehan, “100 Years Later, Wisconsin Supreme Court Murals Still Tell Stories,” Wisconsin Court System (June 15, 2015)

By the Numbers

$27,832

This is the average annual cost to detain a person in jail pending trial, according to 2014 data provided by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Courts Administrative Office. It also costs an average of $30,621 annually to imprison a person after sentencing, and $28,999 annually to place a person in a “residential reentry center.”

In comparison, the average annual cost to supervise a person in the community pending trial is $3,279, and $3,909 to supervise a person in the community after sentencing.

Conclusion: Imprisonment costs eight times more than supervision.

Source: U.S. Court News

Good Ideas

Debt Counseling for Law Students?

With graduates’ average debt loads exceeding $85,000 for public law schools and $125,000 for private law schools, many lawyers are starting their careers on shaky financial ground. Now, the ABA’s Task Force on the Financing of Legal Education is calling for measures to “lay a foundation for thoughtful and responsible decision-making.”

For instance, the task force recommends mandating debt counseling and requiring law schools to publicly disclose more information about revenues, expenditures, and financial aid. The task force also recommends that law schools find new ways “to balance sound curriculum, cost-effectiveness, and new revenue streams.”

The task force’s report explains that law schools are “tuition-dependent for their revenues,” and “[t]uition is at the heart of the concern surrounding the financing of legal education.”

According to the report, private law school tuition has increased by 109 percent in the last 15 years, and public law school tuition has increased by 231 percent during that time.

Source: ABA Journal

Out There

Hold Your Applause

June was a big month for high school graduations, and graduation-goers likely heard the words “please hold your applause” to ensure a timely proceeding.

In Mississippi, one student’s family members didn’t listen. They cheered when their graduate’s name was announced, and the school district superintendent pressed charges for disturbing the peace, which prohibits loud and offensive talk in public places. If convicted, they face a $500 fine and up to six months in jail.

Source: New York Times

On the Radar

Legal Troubles for St. Louis Cardinals?

Just as summer baseball action heats up, the FBI has turned up the heat on the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club with an investigation into whether Cardinals officials hacked into a Houston Astros computer network.

If guilty, the Cardinals organization could face fines of up to $2 million from Major League Baseball and “such other actions as the Commissioner may deem appropriate,” under the MLB Constitution.

But there’s also the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which makes it a crime to knowingly access a protected computer to obtain anything of value. The Cardinals allegedly accessed the Astros network to obtain valuable information about trades, stats, and scouting, according to reports.

Regardless of the outcome of this investigation, expect “hacker heckling” at Miller Park on Aug. 7, 8, and 9, when the Cardinals are in Milwaukee to face the Brew Crew.

Source: Above the Law; New York Times

Tech Tip

VPN: A Good Idea When Using Wi-Fi on Vacation

Summer is here and with it, vacation season. To fully recharge, unplug from work during your time off.

If you have to do some work from wherever you are, use a VPN (virtual private network) when using public Wi-Fi. With a VPN, you will have the security of a private network even when you are using a public one. 

Try: Private Internet Access (good customer support and technical expertise), CyberGhost (three hours for free and lots of servers to choose from = good speed), IPVanish (very fast speed), TunnelBear (elegant and easy, with great mobile apps), and Disconnect (includes malware/adware blocking).

Don’t forget to turn Wi-Fi off when you aren’t using a VPN.

Source: Tison Rhine, practice management advisor of Practice 411^™, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Law Office Practice Management Program.