Check out the review of 2008 from a legal perspective in the Legal Times Special Report: 25 Biggest Legal Stories of 2008. Everything from Detainee Drama to Fallen Firms is covered in this retrospective look.

The Law Library staff has been following the status of the habeas corpus petitions filed by hundreds of detainees being held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. For those trying to understand how the cases will be handled in light of the Supreme Court's Boumediene decision in June, we have summarized the current state of the proceedings, along with links to relevant documents.

There are over one hundred cases pending, involving well over two hundred detainees. The open cases have been divided into three groups. The first group is that of 17 Chinese Uighurs detained at Guantanamo. In October, these detainees were ordered released into the United States by D.C. District Court Judge Ricardo M. Urbina. The case has been appealed to the DC Circuit Court, which held a hearing on November 24, but has not yet issued a decision.

The rest of the cases are currently in front of the District Court. The Court held an executive session to discuss how to proceed in these cases, and issued a resolution in July. The result of the session is that most of the cases have been transferred to Judge Thomas F. Hogan, strictly for the purposes of determining the procedures to be used. These cases will eventually be returned to approximately twelve judges, who will decide these cases on their merits. Judge Hogan has consolidated all of these into a single case for this purpose, and issued a case management order outlining the procedures.

The third group of cases consists of those that have been retained by Judge Richard J. Leon, who has not consolidated them. Judge Leon has issued separate case management orders which establish the procedures he will be using in his cases. We have attached those orders in a zipped folder, and you can see them by clicking the "Download" link at the bottom of this post.

If you are looking for more information, the New York Times has created a database which lists all of the detainees by name, and the District Court's page contains further case documents.

(Georgetown Note: Judges Urbina and Hogan are both graduates of the Law Center and Judge Leon is an adjunct faculty member.)

Update: On December 16, Judge Hogan substantially amended his case management order, outlining the procedures to be used in most of these cases. SCOTUSblog explains the implications of the new order. 

Dec. 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, Washington, D.C., will be designated as the first Human Rights City in the United States. The American Friends Service Committee and the People's Movement for Human Rights Learning will host a celebratory event with local political and civic leaders.

Yesterday, it was widely reported that a U.S. District Court judge has ordered the release of five detainees held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.

If you've been following this story, you can take a look at the judge's order and the response from the Justice Department.

Looking to support the new administration? The 2008 edition of the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly referred to as the Plum Book, is now available in PDF format. This publication contains over 200 pages of information on "Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment."

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has posted information about the 2009 inauguration ceremonies.  

The website also has information about previous ceremonies and links to images from previous inaugurations.

Are you interested in the impact the transition to a new presidential administration will have on law and policy? In this new report, the Congressional Research Service examines the exercise of executive powers, such as political appointments and agency rule-making, by both incoming and outgoing presidents and their administrations.

According to 36 U.S.C. 106, "September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

Check out the law library's Guide to Constitution Day which outlines resources available in commemoration of the day.

Also, Georgetown University is sponsoring a program to commemorate our founding document, entitled "Constitution Day: Constitution, Courts, Checks and Balance" This event, open to the public, features the following speakers:

• Hon. Seth Waxman, Solicitor General of the United States (1997-2001)
• Hon. Viet Dinh, Asst. Attorney General of the U.S. (2001-2003) & Georgetown Law Professor
• Hon. Brett Kavanaugh, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• Hon. Patricia Wald, former Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• Moderated by: Joan Biskupic, Supreme Court reporter, USA Today

"As law students worry about finding those first jobs, experts offer inside tips on what works and what doesn't." Washington's legal newspaper, Legal Times, has issued a Special Report on Area Law Schools which includes tips from local career counselors for students searching for that first legal job. Georgetown's own, Gihan Fernando, is featured.

Free Registration is required to access the full report on the Internet, or GULC community members can read the articles on Westlaw.