District of Connecticut Law Clerks Society
a society for current and recent law clerks for the united states district court for the district of connecticut
About the DCLC
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One of the purposes of the DCLC is to keep our members informed and to network with each other. If you have an announcement, including job openings, please contact us at the email addresses below and we will put up a posting for you.
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Recent Posts
- Judge Underhill Asked to Determine if Cheerleading is a Sport
- Garber Seeking Attorney General Position
- Behind the Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Prison Population
- 4th Annual Investigating Computer Crimes in the 21st Century
- Judge Chatigny Nominated To Seat On U.S. 2nd Circuit Court Of Appeals
- Court Asked to Reverse Ruling on State’s Campaign Program
- Campaign Finance Legislation Under Scrutiny
- Practices of Connecticut State’s Attorney’s Office Under Review
- Lawsuit Granted Class Action Status
- Extensive Reshaping Possible In Federal Judiciary In Connecticut
Categories
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News
September 11, 2009
Obama Given Recommendations For U.S. Attorney Of Connecticut
The number of candidates for the position of U.S. attorney for Connecticut narrowed to four when the state's two U.S. senators gave the names of their preferred finalists to President Barack Obama.
The four finalists are:
Nora Dannehy, a career prosecutor who became acting U.S. attorney in 2008. Dannehy is currently dividing her time between New Haven and Washington, where she has been appointed to examine allegations that politically based personnel decisions were made in the Justice Department during the administration of President George W. Bush.
David Fein, partner in the law firm Wiggin and Dana and former associate counsel to President Bill Clinton. Fein is a former assistant U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York.
Edgardo Ramos, partner in the law firm Day Pitney. Ramos is a former supervisory assistant U.S. attorney in the eastern district of New York.
William Tong, an associate with the law firm Finn, Dixon and Herling. Tong is a state representative whose district covers Stamford and Darien and he is a member of the legislature's judiciary committee.
The Courant obtained a copy of the Senators' letter to the President. In it, Sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman wrote, "All four of these individuals, we believe, are extremely well qualified to be the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut." "We strongly recommend them all to you for your consideration."
U.S. attorneys, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The White House traditionally follows the recommendation of the senior elected official of his political party in the respective states. Connecticut's senior elected Democrat, Christopher Dodd, would have recommended a nominee to Obama under this practice. However, for this appointment, Dodd chose to share the selection and recommendation of nominees with Lieberman. The process of interviewing and screening the candidates who expressed an interest in becoming U.S. attorney was done by a seven-member committee appointed by the senators. This is the first time a committee of this sort has been impaneled in Connecticut. The senators intend to use committees in the future for screening of other federal appointees, such as federal judges and U.S. marshals.
September 26, 2007
Bridgeport Federal Jury Convicts Man in Brothel Case
A federal jury in Bridgeport convicted Aleksander Dubogryzov, 45, of Brooklyn, N.Y., of running brothels in three Connecticut cities (Stratford, Norwalk and Stamford) and two other states (New York and New Jersey) under the guise of health spas. The charges included: conspiracy to transport for immoral purposes, transporting for immoral purposes and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The case was prosecuted by DCLC member, Assistant United States Attorney Krishna Patel and AUSA Richard Schechter, and was tried before the Honorable Alan H. Nevas, U.S.D.J.
The prosecution argued that Dubogryzov advertised the brothels as "spas," "massage parlors" or "holistic health centers" on the Internet and in the adult sections of several newspapers, and that he solicited women to work at the various brothels by word of mouth or by advertising in a Russian language newspaper, known as the Russkaya Reklama. Secret cameras had been installed by Dubogryzov in smoke detectors in ceilings located at the Stratford and Norwalk locations, and videos were stored on, and seized from, Dubogryzov's computer.
Dubogryzov is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Nevas on December 10. Dubogryzov faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 35 years and a fine of up to $750,000. Additional details can be found at the Boston Globe and Connecticut Post websites.
September 19, 2007
Judicial Conference Weighs In on Career Law Clerk Issue
The Judicial Conference has determined that each federal judge will now be limited to one career law clerk. It appears that existing career law clerks (in a Chambers with two or more career law clerks) will be protected from the effect of this rule under certain conditions. Going forward, this new policy limits a term law clerk's term of employment to no more than four years. For a fuller account of this story, please see this article. (The relevant information can be found in the bottom portion of this article.)
Judicial Conference Votes to Make Transcripts Available On-Line
It has been reported that the Judicial Conference of the United States has voted to make transcripts from District Court and Bankruptcy Court proceedings available on-line through the PACER system. Apparently, after a 90 day period from the date completed transcripts are delivered to the Clerk's Office, the transcripts will be accessible for viewing and/or download. For additional information with respect to this issues, please see this article which was posted at www.uscourts.gov today.
September 4, 2007
Law Clerks are Target of Budget Cuts
A confidential budget report currently making the rounds among federal judges would limit the judges' ability to retain top clerks in their chambers. Specifically, the report would curtail the judges' freedom to hire lifetime clerks as of Oct. 1, 2007, create performance guidelines, limit vacation pay for term law clerks and replace matching pay to experienced law clerks who leave private practice with pay parity based on experience. The report projects savings of $223 million to $280 million over the next decade, but still has plenty of judges upset.
Some judges believe this will negatively impact the judiciary. "This would interfere with judges' ability to produce the best opinions," said Judge Consuelo "Connie" Callahan, of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento, Calif. "There is a big difference between hiring people just out of law school and those with a lot of experience," she said.
A decade ago there were 769 career law clerks, with a total annual salary cost of $55 million. The number by the last budget had doubled to 1,514 career clerks at a cost of $159 million, according to the report. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reports that the figure continues to grow, with 1,650 career clerks today and 2,336 term law clerks.
For more information on this story, please read the National Law Journal article.
August 24, 2007
Cyber Criminals Hack Monster.com
Monster.com has provided additional information on the massive cyber attack which jeopardized the personal information of approximately 1.3 million users of the company's website. It has been reported that mainly American subscribers were impacted by the conduct of hackers utilizing servers and equipment in the Ukraine. For more details on this issue, please see this article published by the BBC News.
August 22, 2007
Judge Martinez Accepts Plea in Cyberlaw Case
Today, the Honorable Donna F. Martinez, U.S.M.J., accepted the plea of Michael Dolan, 23, to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with access devices, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Dolan had targeted AOL users for four years with an "elaborate" phishing scheme. The Plea Agreement can be viewed by clicking here: Download file
Dolan is slated to be sentenced on Nov. 14 by the Honorable Alvin W. Thompson. Dolan faces a mandatory sentence of two years for the identity theft charge and a maximum of five years on the second charge.
"Identity theft is a growing problem, and it's all too easy for innocent Internet surfers to be duped into handing over confidential information about themselves," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, in a written statement. "Cybercriminals need to be given a strong message that they will be given a serious punishment if they are caught. Individuals, meanwhile, need to become more clued-up about how to protect their identities online."
The DOJ reported that, between 2002 and 2006, Dolan conspired with others to wage a phishing attack against AOL users to obtain names, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal and financial information.
The government reported that Dolan and his conspirators used the information to order goods online and to produce counterfeit debit cards, which were used at retail outlets and ATM machines.
Yahoo! News coverage of the story can be found here.
July 31, 2007
Justice Roberts Suffers Seizure
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital on Monday but a neurological evaluation showed no cause for concern. Justice Roberts experienced a similar seizure in 1993. More details can be obtained from ABC News.
June 28, 2007
Supreme Court Issues Historic School Segregation Decision
In a historic final day of the Supreme Court term Thursday, the justices by a 5-4 vote struck down plans in Seattle and Louisville, Ky., that used race as a factor in making public school assignments. The decision, Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, represented a major doctrinal shift traceable to the Court's newest members, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito Jr.
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race," declared Roberts in an opinion stating his views and those of Justices Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
The Court stopped short of overturning its precedents on either school desegregation or affirmative action, as Justice Anthony Kennedy, in a key separate opinion, said race could still be considered in certain circumstances.
Still, the decision prompted Justice Stephen Breyer to read aloud from his 77-page dissent, which he said was "twice as long as any I have ever written."
A detailed story from Law.com can be viewed by clicking here.
The decision itself can be viewed, among other places, here.
April 26, 2007
Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers Sworn In
The Honorable Chase T. Rogers was sworn in Wednesday as the state's chief justice, taking the oath of office from the only other woman to hold that position in Connecticut. Rogers was confirmed for the job on unanimous votes in the House and Senate. As the Associated Press reported, "Rogers received high praise from both Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday, with many lauding her intellect and sense of fairness." That story can be viewed, among other places, on the Connecticut Post website by clicking here.
March 29, 2007
Judge Bryant Confirmed for District of Connecticut Vacancy
It has been reported on the United States Senate website that Judge Vanessa L. Bryant's nomination to serve as a United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut has been confirmed. For additional details, click here.
March 23, 2007
Judge Fitzsimmons Denies Bail in Terror Case
A case that began in Connecticut and followed a suspected terrorist network across the country and into Europe and the Middle East has ended up back before the Honorable Holly B. Fitzsimmons in the Bridgeport federal district court. Judge Fitzsimmons ordered Hassan Abujihaad, a former Navy sailor, held without bail Friday on charges that he supported terrorism by disclosing secret information about the location of Navy ships and the best ways to attack them.
Interestingly, the case derives from Connecticut because it is home to the Internet service provider where the investigation started. A grand jury in Bridgeport indicted Abujihaad on charges of providing material support to terrorists with intent to kill U.S. citizens and disclosing classified information relating to the national defense.
Abujihaad could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
For more details, read the Associated Press article on boston.com by clicking here.
February 20, 2007
Daylight Savings Time - Will the Change Impact You?
As many of you may know, daylight savings time will begin three weeks earlier this year and end one week later. The change was put in place with energy conservation in mind. The question now out there is whether this change will impact the many devices we all rely on to keep our life in order. The predictions at this point are not as dire as those associated with "Y2k". For a fuller account of this issue, see this article which was posted at thetranscript.com yesterday.
Advisory Committee: Alyssa Esposito, Law Clerk to Judge Fitzsimmons; Krishna Patel, Assistant United States Attorney
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