Jazzmine Jenkins 1,12,13,16-21

10/20/15
Intern/Mentor G/T
Annotated Source List
Abrams, Kerry. "Family History: Inside and Out." (2013).Print.
The definition of family has changed over the years; there is no longer a standard family
unit. Family has gone from one dad, one mom, and two biological children to anything you could
imagine such as a single mom and one child born via sperm donation. Abrams argues that as the
way that family is viewed changes, so should the laws surrounding it. She begins by trying to
make a distinction between family law and the law of the family. By using several other sources
Abrams deduces that family law is the law of marriage and of parent-child relations while the
law of the family is how the family is constrained or defined by law. Abrams then begins to
analyze another work of writing that captures all the turbulence of the twentieth-century family
into one text. The other text was written by Professors Grossman and Friedman and is called
Inside the castle. This document is meant to explain how and why the American home and life
style is crumbling.
This article was not as structured towards the end as it was towards the beginning. It was
rather frustrating to read about the authors ideas and thoughts when she didnt stick to them
herself. The majority of this paper was quotes and citations from others sources ad authors. The
ending was just several pages of the author praising other authors for their documents and
contributions to family law. This does not seem like an article that will be helpful in writing a
final paper.
Brown, Pamila .Interview. 14 Aug. 2015.
The Honorable Judge Pamila Brown has been serving on the District Court of Maryland,
Howard County since May 7, 2002. She got her start at Macalester College in Minnesota where
she graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and went on to attend the University
Of Baltimore School Of Law, graduating in 1970. Throughout her extensive career Judge Brown
has received many awards and acclamation for her work. She was elected president of the
Howard County Bar Association and president of the Bar Association of Baltimore City in 1995.
Not only is she a member of the American Bar Association but also the Alliance of Black
Womens Attorneys, Warring Mitchell Law Society, Monumental Bar Association, and many
more. As of 2015 she has been elected president of the Maryland State Bar Association which is
an incredible honor befitting a woman of her character and reputation.

Clark, Alice. Inteview. 9 September 2015.

The Honorable Judge Alice Clark served on the District Court of Maryland for nine
years. She retired in 2010 and often returns to the district court to as a guest judge. She attended
Howard University and the Catholic University of America where she received her B.S. and
M.A. respectively. For graduate school she attended the University Of Maryland School Of Law.
Judge Clark has done extensive work for public schools in Maryland; she was a teacher for eight
years in the District of Columbia and a counselor for twelve years in the District of Columbia.
She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar
Association, and the Howard County Bar Association. Judge Clark also participates in the
sorority Delta Sigma Theta, the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys , the Girls Scouts of Central
Maryland and so much more.

Drouin, Anique. "Who Turned Out the Lights-How Maryland Laws Fail to Protect Victims of
Domestic Violence from Third-Party Abuse." U. Balt. L. Rev. 36 (2006): 105.
The state of Maryland has failed to ensure the safety and well being of every person who
is faced with violence. In her essay Drouin goes into the logistics of how domestic abuse can
occur even if a protective order or jail time is given to the primary abuser. In any given case a
protective order can only last for so long, similar to jail time, and the abuser can still cause
damage from a distance. Drouin gives a scenario about a couple where one of them is violent
towards the other. The victim decides to go to court and obtains a protective order. The abuser is
forced to vacate the home they share but before leaving he make sure to shut of the water and
electricity, causing more problems for the victim. Third parties such as landlords, insurance
companies, and telephone companies can greatly contribute to third party abuse and Maryland
has not come up with a sufficient way to protect against this. Drouin suggests that Maryland
alleviate housing discrimination by enacting laws such as the no shut off policy that prohibits
abusers from turning off utilities.
Drouins article offers topics that are typically overlooked in domestic violence
situations. The recommendation that Drouin offers to solve the issues presented is well thought
out and logical. In general this article was interesting and informative. This source will be helpful
if my project pertains to family law.
Durose, Matthew R. Contacts Between Police and the Public (2005). DIANE Publishing, 2010.
This article gives a statistical and graphical view on how many times each race and age
group interacted with the police and if they felt they had been treated with aggression or proper
conduct. Statistics show that Hispanics and African Americans were stopped by the police more
than any other race as well as teenagers and young adults. Hispanics and African Americans are
also the most likely to have their vehicles searched officers during an interaction. Durose
explains that more than half of all searches conducted on vehicles are with the permission of the
owner, however many are still conducted without the consent of the driver, because the driver
was either arrested or a warrant was obtained to search the vehicle due to the refusal of the
search. The most common reason for an interaction with an officer is a driver during a traffic
stop, usually involving speeding. Fortunately most people, 86% of people, stopped by officers
felt as if they had been stopped for legitimate reasons. Among those who do face force during
contact with the police, 83% feel as though it is aggressive and unnecessary. Males, African
Americans, and youths are among those who face the most police aggression. In most cases, the
officer initiates the conflict during an altercation.
While the information presented in this article is enlightening, it does not directly relate
to law and is more or less a list of facts. The abundant use of graphs on every page of the
document was somewhat repetitive and off putting. It is a possibility that this source could be
helpful to me because sometimes facts can strengthen an essay and this article has some facts
that indirectly pertain to a topic that I am contemplating.

Gonzalez, Annette M., and Linda M. Rio Reichmann. "Representing Children in Civil Cases
Involving Domestic Violence." Family Law Quarterly (2005): 197-220.
This article begins by explaining the significance of including domestic violence
evidence in court cases and how big of an impact it can have in child custody cases. Certain
states to this day do not take into account domestic violence evidence, leading children to be
placed in harmful environments. However some states have put in place laws that allow children,
some as young as twelve years old, to obtain a protective order themselves. With regard to child
representation in court, each state has a unique policy, such as West Virginias custom to appoint
a representative if the father of the child brings the action. Few attorneys and programs have
been willing to participate in child protective order cases unless the child is the petitioner.
Nonetheless, new programs like Rocky Mountains Childrens Law Center Pro Bono Project have
been implemented to protect children in these types of cases.
This source offers a substantial amount of new and interesting information for me but the
formatting of this work makes it seem very repetitive and it is as if the authors are simply listing
information. With this article I was able to learn new terminology such as ad litem, which is a
best interest lawyer representing a child in a lawsuit. Several pages of the article consisted of
states and their different laws toward child protective orders and child representation in court
which I found to be unnecessary and unhelpful. However since I dont have a specific topic for
my project yet I may find this source to be more insightful at another time.

Halley, Janet. "What is Family Law: A Genealogy Part I." Yale JL & Human.23 (2011): 189.
Halley believes that family law has not always existed; rather it is an invention of man
from the nineteenth century. Before the nineteenth century the law between husband and wife
was separate from the law between parents and children, but now they are one and the same. It
used to be that, in legal documents the wife was listed under the husband as if they were attached
but now the wife is an independent, able to function in the world without assistance. Halley goes
on to describe the family law system in other countries such as Germany, Egypt, and West Africa
and how they compare to the American system. Halley hopes to collaborate with a team of other
lawyers to reconstruct family law so that it clearly distinct from all other types of law such as
market/family. She then goes on to debate whether or not marriage is a contract and whether or
not it should be considered a contract. In her essay Halley decides that marriage has transformed
from status to a contract over the course of several decades.
This article was pact with useful but rather complex information; it however has the
potential to be helpful in a paper. Halleys essay was well written but slightly hard to understand
because of all the legal terminology. Occasionally in this essay Halley seemed to steer away from
the main idea which also made it hard to follow. Overall this article is very compound but also
intriguing.

Harris, David A. "Picture This: Body Worn Video Devices ('Head Cams') as Tools for Ensuring
Fourth Amendment Compliance by Police." Texas Tech Law Review,
Forthcoming (2010).
When a bystander takes out his phone to film an altercation between an officer and an
individual it guarantees that the truth will be brought to light. In several cases it has been
observed that an officer will give his own account of a story and witnesses will give theirs, more
than likely they will not say the same thing. This is not always because of dishonesty; sometimes
people generally do not notice their surroundings. In a study, a group of people were shown the
same video and about half of them saw a completely different scenario from the other half.
Harris makes sure to especially point out that different groups of people saw different things.
Those with lower incomes, democrats, and African Americans all saw similar things.
Harriss article is similar to other sources on this list however it does include a direct link
to certain laws and the fourth amendment. This essay gives a general overview on what it would
be like to use body cameras everywhere. Harriss essay is crafted very neatly and is has great
organization. This source, like others will be helpful is I choose to pursue this topic for my
project.
Hart, Henry M. The aims of the criminal law. Law and Contemporary Problems (1958): 401441
Hart examines the specifics of criminal law in this article and where the line between
right and wrong should be drawn. He explains the importance of being careful not to convict an
innocent man, which can be done by enhancing the sense of security in a criminal case. The
evidence that is presented in a criminal case is vital to the defense of the respondent because it
can be the deciding factor in the judge or juries mind. On a psychological level, criminal law is a
mental process and it can be very beneficial to understand the plight of the respondent and why
he or she has chosen to participate in such illegal acts. Most individuals see the law as a series of
dos and donts but many people are unable to follow this system. Instead they act outside of
what is accepted, and this is how they came to break the law.
The analysis of criminal law and the criminal mind within this article was slightly hard to
follow and moderately confusing to me. The suggestions on how to approach criminal cases were
engaging, and it is something that I will keep in mind. The psychological information in the
article was interesting but not particularly relevant to me. It has occurred to me that I should have
used a more modern source than this one. This source does not seem like something that I would
use at a later time.

Huesman, Jones, and Miles, LLc. "Public Opinion Of Child Support Laws." hg.org legal
resources. N.p., 1995. Web. 24 Oct. 2015. <http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=36334>.
The amount of money that each parent pays for child support is evaluated in this article.
The income of both parents should be taken into account when assigning child support duties to
the parent that the child or children do not live with. One income may be higher and it would be
unfair assign an extreme amount of child support to the parent who does not live with the child.
If one parent remarries, their total income may be higher, and if they have custody of the child
then the other parent need not pay as much. However this is not typically the case as each judge
has their way of ruling. It should also be noted that each state has a different policy for assigning
the amount of child support to a parent.
The information within this article was fairly new to me which is a refreshing change of
pace. Though not as long as I had hoped, this article did have some powerful points. The idea
that judges do not look at the combined income of a remarried parent is especially interesting
since it could benefit one parent. This is article is pertinent to one of the topics that I may pursue.

Luqman Devin. Interview. 14 August 2015.

Devin Luqman is an assistant public defender on the second floor of the District Court of
Howard County and he has been employed there since August 2014. His duties include
representing anyone who has been charged with a crime in Howard County, defending those who
have been charged with felonies that may lead to incarceration, and aiding an individual who is
illiterate. Before working at this courthouse he was a law clerk in Fredrick County for The
Honorable Theresa Adams. In Fredrick County he was responsible for drafting legal memoranda,
reviewing orders and motions, and assisting with the transport of case files. He graduated from
Towson University in 2009 with a bachelors degree in film studies and communication studies
and went on to graduate from the University Of Baltimore School Of Law in 2013. In the future
he hopes to join a non-profit board and participate in pro-bono consulting.

Makon, Annielle .Interview. 23 September 2015.

Annielle Makon is judicial law clerk in the judges chambers at the District Court of
Howard County and Carroll County and she has been there since August 2015. Her duties at both
courts include acting as a liaison between judges and other parties, conducting research, and
writing memorandum for several judges. Before working at the district court she lent her services
to the Maryland Public Defense Office, Amnesty International, and the Maryland Court of
Special Appeals. She attended undergraduate school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County, majoring in political science. After graduating she attended the University Of Baltimore
School Of Law. In the future she plans to become an international lawyer and join a firm.

Mims, Christopher. "What Happens When Police Officers Wear Body Cameras." Wall St.
J.(Aug. 18, 2014), http://online. wsj. com/articles/what-happens-when-police-officerswear-body-cameras-1408320244 (2014).
The public unrest and outrage over the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri
inspired this article. Mims gives an excellent view not only on the statistics surrounding police
officers wearing body cameras but also the psychology of the people who are being filmed.
Studies have shown that people who are being filmed are more likely to display a better behavior
than those who are not being filmed. The use of the body camera has lead to a decrease in the
amount of arrests in certain states and the amount of complaints made about police officers by
the public. Most people feel a sense of relief if a body camera is in use because it holds the
officers accountable for their actions and it guarantees that the interaction between the officer
and civilian will be true and unaltered. However not every state has implemented the body
cameras because of the price of the cameras. Another issue with this system is that a police
officer would have to turn on his camera during every single encounter, possibly even when
speaking with assault victims. Body cameras have worked in many environments but it may take
time for the nation to adopt it as a whole.
Mims article was very interesting as it explained why police officers should be required
to wear body cameras and what exactly that would entail. The psychology aspect was thoughtprovoking because it enlightened me as to how a person may react to the use of body cameras
during a confrontation with the police. I did not however find the parts of the article involving
prices of body cameras and places to find them helpful for research purposes. I can see myself
using this article in the future.

Moser, Rikkilee. "As If All the World Were Watching: Why Today's Law Enforcement Needs to
Be Wearing Body Cameras." Rikkilee Moser, Comment, As If All The World Were
Watching: Why Todays Law Enforcement Needs To Be Wearing Body Cameras 7 (2015).
Moser begins by giving an account for the two versions of the story of Michael Browns
death at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson. In one version, the witnesses version, Officer
Wilson harassed the witness and Brown while they were walking home and then shot Brown
when he did not comply with the officers demands. In Officer Wilsons testimony, he had
received a dispatch of two armed shoplifters and headed to that location. When he came across
the two suspects he asked them to get out of the street but they replied with obscenities. He then
tried to get out of the car but the suspects pushed him back into the car violently and tried to grab
his gun, causing it to fire. The suspects then proceeded to run and the police officer got out of the
car and ran toward one suspects while firing his gun, leading to the young mans death. When the
two stories were presented before a grand jury they found Officer Wilson not guilty. This verdict
led to outrage and riots throughout the state of Missouri. Moser uses this example to explain how
effective a body camera would and could have been. The Ferguson Police Department did have a
supply of body-worn cameras but they were not in effect at that time, but if they had been, there
would only be one true story of what happened on the night Michael Brown died. Moser then
goes on to clarify the situations when police officers should and should not use force. It has been
observed in many states across the country that there is a need for body worn cameras. Not only
will they document the interaction with the police, they will also give the officer a reason to
display better behavior when they confront someone. Moser uses graphs to show the amount of
people who participated in a survey, who would feel safer if body cameras were in use. The
majority of people who participated in the survey concluded that they would have a much better
experience when it comes to confrontations with the police. The author then gives a brief history
on police brutality. Officers are instructed to take different courses of actions depending on the
citizens reaction to the officer. The scale goes from No resistance to Deadly resistance force
on the citizens part and Officer presence to Deadly force on the officers part. One of the
biggest issues with implementing body cameras is overcoming opposition from the public.
Moser suggests that the public be shown how other countries such as the UK have attempted
integrating body cameras. The use of the body camera began to be tested in 2005 in the United
Kingdom. The officers there noticed an increase in professionalism because they were
conscience of their conduct. It has been stated that both the officer and the citizen need to be able
to retain their privacy and methods to make this happen are currently in the works. Moser
believes that the benefits outweigh the consequences when it comes to body-worn cameras.
This source was very similar to others that I had looked at earlier. It was engaging to see
the two different versions of Michael Browns death side by side, as well as how this could have
been prevented. Moser shows a clear need for body-worn cameras to protect the rights of the
citizens and the rights of the police all over the country without crossing any lines. In this essay
Moser cited a few of the sources that I had found. Mosers article however had many more
solutions and possibilities regarding body cameras and police brutality. This source seems to be
very well written and it pertains to one the topics that I may choose to do my project on. This
essay seems like it will be very useful.
Murphy, Jane C. "Revitalizing the Adversary System in Family Law." U. Cin. L. Rev. 78 (2009):
891.

In this article Murphy analyses the value of a legal system where attorneys represent their
clients before a neutral third party, especially in regards to family law. This type of
representation, called the adversary system, can be very beneficial, but it has just as many pros as
it does cons. This article briefly explains the significance of including domestic violence
evidence in court cases and how big of an impact it can have in child custody cases. Certain
states to this day do not take into account domestic violence evidence, leading children to be
placed in harmful environments. An adversary system may fail to shift the focus from placing
blame on a particular parent to the well being of the child; however it may lead to a favorable
outcome for one party. The meaning of true sole custody is being the parent that makes all the
decisions for a child up until their eighteenth birthday. With sole custody, a child will typically
live with one parent full time and the other parent will have regularly scheduled visitation rights.
Although the dramatic shifts in family dispute resolution have been underway for over a decade,
scholars and family policymakers have engaged in little critical analysis of the risks and potential
negative consequences of such change. This subpart explores these concerns by examining the
limits of courts' institutional competence, the surrender of fact-finding and decision making to
individuals without legal training, and the disjunction between alternative dispute resolution and
established legal norms. Murphy also examines some of the results of proceeding without legal
representation and settling matters out of the court. The lack of legal counsel in a custody case
may prompt parents to seek counseling away from the courtroom with a professional program;
however, while these programs do concentrate on the needs of the child, they are known to
harbor a bias for joint custody which may not be practical or acceptable for all families. As a
result, many courts are now implementing mandatory mediation or conferencing to try to resolve
heavy issues between parties if possible. This system is highly encouraged by judges and other
administrators because it alleviates the pressure of making arduous child placements. The areas
that exhibit the most amount of bias in the family court system are custody, alimony, child
support, abuse and neglect proceedings, and domestic violence actions. Murphy believes that if
parties were given the proper advice and counseling before a trial occurs, then the adversary
system would work without problems. Whether these ideas become law depends on public
reaction. As the commission acknowledges, wherever a line is drawn, there will be cases that fall
beyond it where the result is unfair. Murphy concludes her essay by revisiting the basic benefits
to the adversary system. Reforming the substantive legal standard governing child access cases
will assist parties in focusing on parenting in these proceedings instead of trying to meet the
broad definition of unfitness inherent in the best interests of the partys standards.
This article was very enlightening and relevant to me because it was written with family
law in mind, which is what Im interested in. Reading this source has shown me that there are
many laws to be learned and used. Within her article, Murphy touches on many different aspects
of family law including neglect, custody, and the occasional bias that can occur in the court
system. This source was well written and full of information. The organization and content
especially stood out to me because they made the article easier to read and held my attention,
respectively. The information within this article gave me a small glance at some of the situations
and obstacles that family lawyers have to deal with. I can see myself referring to this source at a
later time.

Peters, Paula (1979) Legislation: Property Disposition upon Divorce in Maryland: An Analysis
of New Statute, University of Baltimore Law Review: Vol. 8 Iss. 2, Article 10.
Peters explains how family law within the state of Maryland is going through a major
change. Now, fathers are not the only ones being held responsible for the financial support of a
child, mothers are too. This is a paramount change considering the old policy. In addition to this
change, unfaithful spouses will no longer be been as unfit parents in custody lawsuits. These new
modifications have evened the odds for many fathers when it comes to divorce and custody in
Maryland. The distribution of property in a divorce has also come under scrutiny, meaning that
all property is essentially to be given equally to both parties. However there are many different
ways and situations that property maybe distributed, depending on how it was received, for
example property that is given as a gift has a unique way of being distributed.
This article was very enlightening and relevant to me because it was written in regards to
the state of Maryland and it has to do with family and divorce law, which is what I am interested
in. Reading this source has shown me that there are many laws and policies to be learned and
used. This source was well written and full of information. The only problem found with this
source was that the information was very complex and a bit out of date. I can see myself
referring to this source at a later time.
Raphael, Richard. "Sole Custody, Joint Custody and Third-Party Custody." hg.org. N.p., 1995.
Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=36850>.
The court systems tries to make sure that each child maintains a relationship with both
parents whether it is through sole custody, joint custody, or occasionally third party custody. The
meaning of true sole custody is being the parent that makes all the decisions for a child up until
their eighteenth birthday. With sole custody, a child will typically live with one parent full time
and the other parent will have regularly scheduled visitation rights. Raphael point out that this
type of custody can keep children organized as there is no going back and forth between both
parents homes, but it can also leave the child wanting more time with the parent they do not live
with. Joint custody involves the child splitting time equally with both parents and having them
both make major decision in their life. Joint custody can cause confusion for the child because
they may have different rules at each home but they will spend the proper amounts of time with
both parents. In some cases both parents are deemed unfit for the child and therefore another
party or relative becomes responsible for the child. It is important to consider all the
consequences of custody before assigning it to one particular party.
The way in which Raphael clearly states the benefits and drawbacks of each type of
custody makes it very easy to understand his points. This website is very informative and easy to
understand. It was very creative to explain the effects that each type of custody has on the child
and their relationship with each parent. This article directly relates to a topic that I may do for a
project.

Reese, Mary .Interview. 17 August 2015.

The Honorable Judges Mary Reese has been serving on the District Court of Maryland,
Howard County since April of 2006. She attended Mount St. Marys College where she received
a B.A in political science and English. For graduate school she attended the University Of
Baltimore School Of Law. Judge Reeses first job after law school was as a law clerk for the
Honorable Administrative Judge J. Thomas Nissel at the Circuit Court of Howard County
Maryland. She was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in 1989 and the District of Columbia Bar
two years later. She was president of the Howard County Bar Association from 2003-2004.

Stanley, Jay. "Police body-mounted cameras: With right policies in place, a win for all." New
York: ACLU (2013).
In his essay Stanley states that the use of body cameras will work in favor of both the
public and police officers. The public will have protection against police misconduct and the
police will be protected from lies that might be told about a confrontation. This article explains
that the idea of the body camera came became popular in the United States when a New York
judge found that some of the techniques being used by police officers during an interaction
violated the rights of the people. A solution to this problem could be to record the events that
occur between the police and the people. It should be understood, however, that the use of the
body camera does exhibit the risk to be an invasion of privacy. While it does serve to be helpful
to the people, it could capture events and situations involving bystanders and others that will be
seen by the public. Stanley emphasized the importance of police officers not having the ability to
choose which situations are recorded and which are not as this would defeat the purpose of the
body camera. He also proposes a system to alert the device when it should record, for example,
when voices are raised or different movement occurs the camera would turn on and begin
recording. This proposal would provide police officers with privacy as well because the cameras
would not record their personal conversations.
This article offers a lot of incite on what exactly it would mean for every officer to be
required to wear a body camera. Stanleys essay makes it clear that there are a lot of issues that
have to be worked out before this system were to be used on a regular basis. Not only was this
article interesting, it was practical and intelligent. Stanley considered all the possibilities and
situations regarding the use of body cameras and offered reasonable solutions to the problems
this system may run into along the way. This source is very interesting and will definitely be
helpful if I choose to make this my topic.

Willeman, Louis. Interview. 14 August 2015.

Louis Willeman is the Deputy District Public Defender in the Maryland Office of the
Public Defender at the District Court of Howard County. He is a seasoned lawyer who attended
the University of Maryland College Park for his undergraduate degree and the University Of
Baltimore School Of Law for graduate school. He advised that it is not always practical to major
in something law related like pre-law or political science, instead one should feel free to pursue
any major that interests them and gives them good negotiation skills. Mr. Willeman explained
that students with majors like pre-law and political science arent always trained very well for the
rigor of law school.

Orr, Susan. Child protection at the crossroads: child abuse, child protection, and
recommendations for reform. Reason Public Policy Institute, 1999. Print.

All across the United States children are being abused and neglected by their families and
foster cares. It is the states job to investigate the home of the child and review how safe it is. The
policies for dealing with these issues in the past have not always succeeded and there is a need
for a new system. However some claim that many families are investigated simply for having a
lower income. So the question is raised, is it neglect if a family does not have the money to
provide for their child? Orrs analysis of child abuse gives an answer. It is hard to draw the line
between intrusion and intervention but it must be dont to ensure the safety of children
everywhere. If a child is truly lacking basic necessities in their home, than it can be considered
neglect even if the parents dont have that intention, because the child is not being properly taken
care of. The ways to decrease the amount of neglect that occurs are to shorten the amount of
cases to look at by dealing with the cases that are the most alarming.
Orr includes several graphs in her analysis which display facts and statistics about child
abuse and whether or not the police or other agencies got involved. These graphs complement
the information within the article. Orr also has an About the author section in her article which
helps the reader understand why she has chosen to write about this topic and what it means to
her. The way she addresses how to solve the present issues is also very creative and unique.
Though not extremely modern, this article will probably be useful.

Czapanskiy, Karen. "Domestic violence, the family, and the lawyer process: Lessons from
studies on gender bias in the courts." Family Law Quarterly(1993): 247-277.

In her essay, the author urges the court systems to eliminate the gender bias that exists
within all law but especially family law. The areas that exhibit the most amount of bias in the
family court system are custody, alimony, child support, abuse and neglect proceedings, and
domestic violence actions. Czapanskiy centers on the way in which male lawyers and judges
treat and perceive female lawyers and litigants inside and outside if the court room. The fact that
many males discredit females in general has a serious effect on the fundamentals of family law.
According to Czapanskiy, when a female recounts a story of abuse to a court many males are
automatically inclined to doubt their testimony which can leave a lot of women and children in
danger. A similar situation can occur even when the plaintiff is male; as long as their attorney is a
female their cases may be looked upon with bias depending on the preferences of the judge.
Czapanskiy states that the solution to this kind of discrimination is to create better mechanisms
for making this problem aware.
Czapanskiys words really rings true for female lawyers all over the world. It is
imperative that they are cautious in the way that they present themselves in court because
anything, whether it is fair or unfair, can sway the judges opinion. This document was a real eye
opener on the injustices that women lawyers face every time they step into the court room.
Though this document is older it still has lots of value and relevance to the discrimination that
happens today. Czpanaskiys article does not exactly relate to the topics that I am considering for
my project but it was great information for the future.

Law Offices of Michele Finizio. "Facebook Rants, Free Speech or Criminal Threat?" hg.org.
N.p., 1995. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=36326>.

This website discusses how one mans freedom of speech was challenged when he
posted threatening messages on facebook that suggested that he was going to partake in a school
shooting. This post got him a visit from the FBI. He kept up this behavior and posted messages
saying that he wanted to kill his wife who had left him and an FBI agent who had visited him.
These posts led to his arrest in 2011 and eventual imprisonment for three years. However the
Supreme Court eventually overturned this decision because the defendants state of mind was not
taken into consideration and it was not proven that his intent was threatening. Finizio points out
that this case was so significant because it forced the Supreme Court to define what constitutes
criminal liability in internet speech.
The points in this article were very clear and concise, leaving no room for confusion or
misunderstanding. The way in which the author laid out the story was excellent because it made
it easy to follow. This source had a lot of great and riveting information. The relevance of this
article to my research, however, is very low. As a whole, this article is a good read and is full of
knowledge. I most likely will not use for a paper.

HG.org. "Who Determines How Much Visitation a Parent Gets?" hg.org. N.p., 1995. Web.
25 Oct. 2015.<http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=31385>.

The process in which custody of a child is granted can be confusing because it can be
hard to tell who decides where the child goes. Ultimately it is the courts decision; however
parents, children, and government agencies can all have an impact on this decision. The court
will start by assessing the mental and physical health of both parents, then it will hear from the
child and parents, and finally in will consider which parents has the best finance and capabilities
to take care of the child. After the decision has been made the custody holding parent will usually
set the visitation rights of the non custodial parent. If one parent is unhappy with the arrangement
then they may take their ex back to court, however this is a long and tedious process. The best
solution for unsatisfactory visitation rights is to compromise with the other parent and have a
mediator if need be.
There was a lot of great information packed into this article. This website taught me a
lot new policies and procedures that I did know had to do with custody lawsuits. The layout of
the article is set up so that if anyone had questions regarding how custody is distributed, they
would easily be answered. Overall this article is well written and organized very neatly. I will use
this article if it my topic revolves around family law.

Kopak, Albert. "Lights, Cameras, Action: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Police Perceptions of
Citizens who Video Record Officers in the Line of Duty in the United
States." International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences 9.2 (2014): 225.

Police brutality has been on a high as of late, especially between white officers and
citizens of color. Now, whenever an altercation between the police and a citizen occurs, a
bystander will pull out their smart phone and begin to record the event. According to Kopak, this
can cause the officer to become more aggravated and impatient. Several officers have been
bothered so much by this that they have taken legal action against those who record them on
their job. Kopak explains how videotaping an officer can led them to treat civilians with more
excessive force. The more an officer is videotaped the more he will feel justified in using force
on those around him. The author advises that forums and town meetings be held in order for
officers to get their point across as to why they do not want to be recorded. Kopak hopes that this
will help resolve some of the tension between officers and the public.
This article had a lot of interesting suggestions on how to alleviate some of the hostility
in situations where an officer is being recorded however they do not seem like they will be very
effective. Many people want to film police officers because they feel like if they dont their
stories in court will not be believable and the officer will win. They also want to record officers
so they can capture them in the act if they take unnecessary actions. This source contained
information that is the opposite of what many people feel should happen; they feel as though
they have the right to film officers and there is nothing that can be done to change that. This
source is somewhat of a counter claim.

"Maryland Courts." mdcourts.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

<http://www.courts.state.md.us/>.

Mdcourts.gov is a website that gives information about the court systems in Maryland
including Circuit and District court. This website also has places for people to go who are in
need of legal help such as those who may need a public defender. The hours of each court house
are listed on this website as well. Online services, such as paying fines and bills or finding a
lawyer can be done through mdcourts.gov.
This website did not lead to other articles or scholarly journals but it was interesting to
see the different definitions for all of the different types of court. Mdcourts.gov is not necessarily
helpful for writing a paper but it is helpful for getting information about the court system.