update: Spelling Mr. Dankosky’s name wrong in the original title of my post – not good (I did get it right in the post itself). My editing staff is roughly the size of the Courant’s staff so there’s no excuse for this (tongue in cheek). I wrote “Dankowsky” in the original title out of habit. My cousins have the last name “Mankowsky”. I guess my subconscious thinks of WWL as family? Maybe Colin can do a show on that?

Dan did not win in a landside (17 votes). I’m an avid listener of “Where We Live” and think it’s the finest local radio show around.  There is nothing nerdier than being a law blogger – nothing.  The idea that a law blogger could win “Hot In Hartford” gives law bloggers everywhere hope.  If law blogger is the new cool, perhaps one day I too can sit with the cool kids.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is following through on his promise to end the year in the black by cutting nearly $79 million from the current budget.

Malloy’s decision to use his rescissionary authority to keep his first budget in the black will have a “relatively small impact” on state services according to the governor himself, but it’s possible others may disagree.

“Last year we were on the brink of the abyss with the largest per capita deficit in the nation. Today we’re talking about an adjustment of less than one percent,” Malloy said trying to put the proposal into perspective.

The Judicial branch received a $5.76 million cut to its budget.

Click here to read more on Malloy’s budget cuts.

One of the country’s best law blogger v. the host of one of the very best local radio shows in the country?  Hartford is pretty darn awesome.

As much as I enjoy Mr. Dankosky’s work, few contribute more to our legal community in Connecticut than Dan Schwartz.  Vote Dan Schwartz!

On December 18, 2008 I wrote “Tweet! Judicial Branch Website! Tweet! . In that post, I argued:

The judicial branch can inform attorneys and the public of programs, changes in forms, updates in procedures, decisions, court closings and a variety of other information by creating a twitter feed.

Today, my dream has been realized. The Connecticut Judicial Branch has joined Twitter!

The Connecticut Judicial Branch is now using Twitter to broaden public access to information about the courts.

“Twitter is yet another way to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments,” Chief Court Administrator Barbara M. Quinn said. “Our account will link followers to new information posted on the Branch’s website, at www.jud.ct.gov, and we hope that users will find this ‘real-time’ service beneficial.”

The Branch’s Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/#!/search/CtStateCourts ; it may also be accessed through an icon on the Judicial Branch’s website.

Can a CT Judicial Branch Facebook page be far behind? As much as I love twitter, Facebook is probably the best “social media” forum to “….to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments…”

The first reaction for many people to twitter is “I don’t get it”.  It’s text based and limited to 140 characters. If you expect twitter to be like Facebook – you’re going to be disappointed. Twitter limits of 140 characters make it the greatest market place of ideas ever created. It is part news feed and part chat room. Twitter forces users to be concise. Concise posts allow a reader to know almost instantly if a link is worth clicking on.

Facebook reaches a larger audience. It’s the only place on the net where one can reach my 85 year old grandfather and my 15 year old cousin and everyone in between.  Twitter does not reach either of them. Twitter is incredibly useful and easy to use on phones. For many Connecticut residents, a phone is their only access to the internet. Twitter makes it easy for users of most phones to get access to information without having to web browse (which is very difficult on some phones). The ease of use on mobile devices is why Twitter has played such a large role in protests in Egypt and Iran where web access is very limited.

The Judicial Branch should embrace Facebook in addition to twitter.

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A few months ago, I was waiting for my case to be called on the foreclosure docket when I saw a lawyer fight back.

I’m not sure of the lawyer’s name or the name of the case but whoever he is – he pushed back against the tidal wave that is the foreclosure mess in Connecticut.

You see, when his client received the foreclosure notice he filed a counterclaim for breach of contract, negligent lending and CUTPA and he didn’t stop there.

He served the lender with discovery requests pertaining to the ownership of the note.

And much to the annoyance of lender’s counsel, he didn’t stop with written discovery, he wanted to depose the officers of the company that wrote the mortgage. The lender was a California company and all of its employees lived in California.

The lender’s attorney argued that a deposition wasn’t necessary. Judge Satter would have none of it.

The lender’s attorney argued that a video depositon is what the court should order.

Homeowner’s counsel objected to this saying that it is important for him to “size up” a witness which is not something he could do through video conference.  Counsel for the lender responded that flying employees to Connecticut for a deposition wouldn’t be fair to the lender due to the expense.

Neither lender’s counsel nor the lawyer for the homeowner would back down.

You know what Judge Satter said to lender’s counsel? He said that they choose to write mortgages in Connecticut. Judge Satter then ordered that the lender had to make its officers available for live deposition in Hartford.

I don’t know what happened to the case or the homeowner’s claims. I do know counsel for the lender was not pleased.

At least in that court, on that day, a homeowner did the unexpected and challenged the lender. Good for the homeowner. Good for Judge Satter.

Below my search results for “ct attorney general” taken on Monday, January 16, 2012…..

With a new Democratic governor, 2011 seemed like the year the legislature would repeal Connecticut’s death penalty, until the sole survivor of a triple homicide appealed to lawmakers to wait. On Thursday a state senator said the wait may be over.

Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said he will be sponsoring a prospective bill to repeal death penalty this legislative session. Three years ago the legislature passed a similar measure, but former Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed it.

Meyer said he’s confident enough votes exist in the House to pass the bill this year. However, it’s still unclear whether there are enough votes in the Senate. He said the issue will likely to come down to two Democrats—Senators Andrew Maynard and Edith Prague. Click here to read more.