On the Record

Add the Maryland State Bar Association’s Board of Governors to the list of organizations supporting same-sex marriage in Maryland.

The Board on Tuesday “voted by an overwhelming majority” to support S.B. 241, which will be taken up by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Jan. 31. It was recommended by the MSBA’s Standing Committee on Laws and also has the backing of the Young Lawyers, Family and Juvenile Law, Elder Law, Estates and Trusts, Immigration and Delivery Services sections.

“I could not be prouder of our endorsement, which while protective of religious sensibilities and prerogatives, clearly and emphatically extends those civil rights embodied in our fundamental belief that ‘all men are created equal’ — and not simply ‘all heterosexual persons are created equal’ — to our entire citizenry,” said MSBA President Henry E. Dugan Jr. in a statement.

Maryland would become the seventh jurisdiction allowing same-sex marriage and lawmakers in several other states are also debating the issue. The Washington state Legislature is poised to pass its version of the bill.

Maryland has a “history of non-religious civil marriages that is and has been distinct and entirely separate from religious marriages, and this bill pertains exclusively to these civil marriages and the extensive civil rights that arise from those civil marriages,” Dugan said. “It is fair and just to all while injuring none.”

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The Daily Record’s “Photo of the Day” is a chance for our photographers to capture slices of life in their travels across Maryland. But we know there is much more going on in the state than what their lenses find.

That’s where you come in.

The Daily Record wants your photographs of what’s happening in Maryland for a new feature, “Maryland Moment.” The photo could be related to the news of the day or it could be a shot right outside your window (or of your window, right). It can be an action shot or just something very adorable.

You can send us your photos by using the form here. We ask that the photos be of something from the last week or so; we don’t want photos of Fourth of July fireworks in February.

If we like your Maryland Moment, we’ll post it online where our Photo of the Day normally resides and might publish it in the print edition as well.

So happy picture-taking. We can’t wait to see what develops.

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We might not have gotten the Super Bowl matchup we wanted, but it is what it is.

On a perhaps less serious note, here are some news items to help fill your Monday.

– The lead detective in last century’s “trial of the century” has died.

– Massachusetts lawyers seek $5 million boost in legal aid for indigent litigants.

– Trial begins over police tactic familiar to rodeo fans.

– The Mets need pitching — and lawyers.

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The overturning of a lead-paint verdict that stated the process of seizing a city agency’s vehicles tops the list of most-read legal affairs stories of the week. The list also includes a lawsuit filed by security guards who allege they were fired because of their accents, a look at what role Maryland’s highest court will most likely play in determining the state’s legislative map and a beef between two hamburger joints.

The Top 5 stories are:

1. Lead-paint verdict against HABC overturned on appeal — by Melody Simmons

The $2.5 million lead-paint verdict that spurred a move to seize and auction vehicles owned by the Housing Authority of Baltimore City was reversed on appeal Thursday afternoon.

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After telling us what was hot at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and giving us a peek at the future of smart TVs, Frank Gorman and Julie Harada of Gorman & Williams now present their Top 10 gadgets from the expo. Our thanks to Gorman, Harada and Mike Yang for providing us with these dispatches.

The Consumer Electronics Show 2012 launched 20,000 new products.  Selecting the top 10 gadgets out of so many products, even discounting the hype, is a very subjective process.  Our 2012 list contains a wide variety of products, although we gave an edge to several that might have a law practice application.

Lytro Light Field Camera This is a simple, auto-mode camera that captures the light field. It allows you to take a picture and focus after the fact using its touch screen. Pictures can also be viewed in 3D. Winner of the Last Gadget Standing competition at CES.

AirStash Wireless Flash Drive and Media Streamer by Maxell This USB drive has wireless capability that allows storing and transfer of documents and photos and streaming of video to an iPhone, iPad or Kindle Fire. A Wi-Fi environment is not needed, and emails are not necessary for file transfers. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery and still plugs into a USB port on a computer.

IdeaPad YOGA by Lenovo A multi-mode, 13.3-inch notebook with a 360-degree flip-and-fold design that allows four separate usage positions — notebook, tablet, stand and tent. It combines the tablet’s ease of use with the functionality of an ultrabook, the latest generation of the laptop. The cool dual-hinge design is patented.

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For those of you who — like myself — learn a lot of what you know from reading articles on Wikipedia, you’re going to have to Google a little bit harder for 24 hours on Wednesday.

The nonprofit “Free Encyclopedia” (which hosts 20 million articles in 283 languages, according to the “Wikipedia” Wikipedia article) announced Monday that it would stage a blackout of its English articles in protest of the proposed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House of Representatives and PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate.

The Washington Post defined the bills back in October better than I could (even after trying to summarize the actual bill text):

It would allow the FBI to seek injunctions against foreign Web sites that steal music, films, software and other intellectual property created by U.S. firms. The bill also includes provision that could hold third parties — payment-processing and other partners — responsible for piracy and counterfeiting on other sites, some critics say.

Since Wikipedia articles can be written and edited by anyone worldwide, its founders, authors and supporters believe the legislation poses a threat and provides “new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States.”

Wikipedia administrators released a statement Monday announcing their protest, stating: “It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web.”

Its co-founder, Jimmy Wales, also said in a statement:

This is an extraordinary action for our community to take — and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world.

According to Google, Wikipedia was the sixth most-visited website on the Web in July 2011, with 410,000,000 unique visitors and 6 billion pageviews (which makes Web journalists like myself who track site statistics very envious).

It is the highest website on the list to not have any advertising, something its founders value, and why you saw those ads at the top of most articles late last year asking for donations.

Addition at 2 p.m.

Daniel Terdiman, a writer at c|net (or CNET.com), points out a way around the blackout — just in case you can’t go another minute without learning about Deaths in 2011 or finding a list of “Glee” episodes.

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Julie Harada joined her colleague Frank Gorman of Gorman & Williams at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Harada writes today about the biggest trend she noticed at this year’s expo. Earlier this week, Gorman and Mike Yang wrote about what’s hot at this year’s show. Later this week, they’ll have their list of the 10 best gadgets from CES.

The most prominent product at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show was the so-called “smart” TV that has built-in web browsers and Wi-Fi connectivity. Television remains the most powerful viewing screen, despite the explosion of mobile devices. Smart TVs were on display last year, but this year they have become even smarter.

Television manufacturers have to provide the viewer with the ability to browse the web, send text and e-mails and  perform other Internet functions, and the standard television remote cannot perform these functions well. Instead, there are apps that allow your tablet or smartphone to become an interactive remote and push any media through your tablet or smartphone to your TV.

Voice and motion control may eliminate the need to connect a tablet or phone to a smart TV, however. With voice control, web browsing on your TV requires no typing. One can perform a web browser search by speaking to the TV, which then converts your voice to text. (It’s similar to the iPhone’s Siri.) With motion recognition, simple hand gestures are all it takes to scroll up and down the on-screen menus. These two features ease the navigation process from one menu to the next, as well as from one web page to the next.

Other smart TV improvements include access to apps. In the Android operating system market, Samsung’s smart TVs provide access to apps. In the Apple or iOS market, access to apps seems to depend on Apple introducing a smart TV.

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Welcome to the weekly law blog roundup on a day when we honor Martin Luther King Jr.

o Judge lets civil rights lawsuit against New York Police Department proceed.

o ACLU sues Indianapolis officials for allegedly preventing homeless people from selling a newspaper.

o Voter-identification law draws protest in South Carolina.

o Former New Mexico state worker says she was fired for alleging discrimination against Latino drivers.

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The Court of Appeals deciding over a weekend not to rule on a case it heard and Gregg Bernstein looking back on his first year as Baltimore City’s top prosecutor are among the most-read legal affairs stories of the week. The list also includes a Maryland man having his case heard by the Supreme Court and a longtime aide to Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown heading back to the private sector. The Top 5 stories are:

1. Maryland man’s lawsuit lands in Supreme Court — by Kimberly Atkins (Lawyers USA)

Daniel Coleman is one in five million.

That’s how many state workers across the country would be affected if the Supreme Court decides Coleman can sue his former employer for violating the self-care provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Coleman, who worked in Maryland’s Administrative Office of the Courts, claims he was fired in 2007 for seeking 10 days of FMLA leave to deal with complications of diabetes.

2. Lt. Gov. Brown’s chief of staff leaves for DLA Piper — by Ben Mook

After five years on the staff of Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, the last three as chief of staff, Earl Adams Jr. has taken a position with DLA Piper US LLP in Baltimore.

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Frank Gorman of Gorman & Williams is back in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. And, just like last year, he’s graciously offered to write a few dispatches about his trip.

The following is an overview of CES, which concludes Friday. Gorman co-wrote this with Mike Yang, counsel to Micro Focus and a former colleague who is also attending CES. (The views expressed below are Yang’s, not those of Micro Focus.)

For attendees, traveling light with comfortable shoes is a must. Over 2,500 companies are showing products and services throughout 1.8 million net square feet of exhibitor space. There are 15 miles of aisles to walk with lots to see and touch.

Propelling most of the innovations are products from a company that is not a CES exhibitor: Apple. The iPhone and the iPad, and to a lesser extent their progeny from other manufacturers, are being used for applications across the board. Companies showing iPad and iPhone-compatible accessories abound, and compatibility with these “smart” devices appears to be a key selling point.

CES also has a variety of educational conferences, covering topics from privacy concerns to copyright infringement to the “spectrum crunch” threatening the expansion of the wireless economy. There are keynote speakers from leading tech companies, such as YouTube and Qualcomm , who assess their industries and predict the future. Steve Ballmer was the kickoff keynote speaker, even though Microsoft announced last month that it will not be back to CES next year.

Here are a few of the product areas that are generating excitement at CES this year:

Automobiles

Six auto manufactures are displaying electronic technologies in their new models — Ford, Audi, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and Hyundai. (OnStar, a GM subsidiary, has a booth for its service as well, though GM is not showing any of its vehicles.) They are incorporating into the dashboard electronic access to navigation, music, news and information by syncing with the driver’s smartphone with systems supporting both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems.

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