Ride the Lightning

THE JUDICIAL ROCK STARS OF ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

July 7, 2008

John and I often chuckle about the “rock star” status of certain judges who are known to have a deep and abiding interest in ESI. When they issue an opinion, the news spreads like wildfire across the Net – and their words are gobbled up by devotees, as all of us who lecture about electronic evidence scramble to update our PowerPoints.

Jason Krause, one of my favorite ABA writers, has written an excellent piece on this phenomenon, entitled “Rockin’ Out the E-Law.” Highlighted are “headliners” we all know, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grimm, U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Waxse, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis and U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster.

As Craig Ball (something of a rock star in the ESI world himself) says “Anytime these judges write an opinion, it’s treated like a papal encyclical . . . they really influence other judges, who act like these are the rock stars of their profession.”

Anyway, if you’re one of the groupies, it’s a fun and informative read. Great job Jason.
Hat tip to Rod Coggin for passing this story along. The article may be found at http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/rockin_out_the_e_law/

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