We returned to the office from holiday Monday morning only to learn that Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf is leaving the blogosphere. Judge Kopf’s blog, Hercules and the Umpire, may only have been active for less than a year, but it is filled with judicial insights that legal consumers should read. We previously wrote about Judge Kopf in our post, Judge Richard Kopf: As Inspirational As The Robber Turned Law Clerk He Sentenced To Prison. We are sad to see the judge go, but we are so thankful that he gave us a glimpse. The judge notes in his final post, Happy New Year and Farewell, that while he will no longer post to the blog, he will leave the blog up as an archive.
Thinking of the hole that Judge Kopf’s blog retirement would leave, we searched the web for other judicial blogs and stumbled upon Robert Ambrogi’s blog, LawSitesBlog.com, and his April 26, 2013 post titled, A Quick Survey of Blogs Written By Judges. The post identifies a number of judicial blogs (including international ones) — many of which are no longer active. Below are some of the currently active blogs written by judges in the United States cited by Mr. Ambrogi:
- The Becker-Posner Blog (Co-authored by federal appeals judge Richard Posner)
- Bench and Bar Experiences (by Milwaukee (WI) County Circuit Court Judge John DiMotto)
- AJA Blog (by Minneapolis (MN) trial judge Kevin Burke)
- Judge Bonnie Sudderth (by Tarrant County Texas Judge Bonnie Sudderth on the Texas Rules of Evidence)
- Country Judge (by Minnesota District Court Judge Tom McCarthy)
- The Better Chancery Practice Blog (by Mississippi Chancery Judge Larry Primeaux)
While some of the information on these blogs are state-law specific, they provide a wealth of general information for legal consumers. Information about the law, procedure and judicial perspective is sometimes hard to find. These blogs are good resources.
LPR thanks Judge Kopf for sharing his thoughts with the blogosphere this past year, and we wish him all the best in the future. We hope that Judge Kopf’s blog and the blogs listed above encourage more judges to reach out and inform the public.
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