The front page of today’s New York Times is not solely concerned with the fallout from President Obama’s well publicized dustup with Bibi Netanyahu. No, the Supreme Court of the US gets a slab of the bottom fold, continued inside. The subject? The literary style of the top nine. And very erudite it is, apart from Justice Clarence Thomas that is, who cites the hit television show “24” as his model for what a good brief should aspire to. Jack Bauer, what hast thou wrought?

The article made me wonder what a Supreme Court opinion might look like in years to come, when today’s law students and associates have replaced the good Clarence, Ruth, et al, on the highest bench in the land. Here’s a possible example taken at random from the recent decision in Milner v Department of the Navy:

JUSTICE KAGAN delivered the opinion of the Court.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U. S. C. §552, requires federal agencies to make Government records available to the public, subject to nine exemptions for specific categories of material. This case concerns the scope of Exemption 2, which protects from disclosure material that is “related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.” §552(b)(2). Respondent Department of the Navy (Navy or Government) invoked Exemption 2 to deny a FOIA request for data and maps used to help store explosives at a naval base in Washing- ton State. We hold that Exemption 2 does not stretch so far.

And what the same judgement might look like if written by a member of the Twitter generation:

Kaggers: FOIA = Feds give docs to public. 9 excepts. #2, “solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.” Navy no use hide stuff go boom.

Why Pacman stopped using Twitter

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Faced with revitalizing a deteriorated economy, formulating a national budget, and the aftermath of Osama Bin Laden’s death, President Barack Obama has his hands full. Yet, in the midst of all the issues commanding the White House’s attention, the Obama Administration somehow has found time to address the threats to our nation’s cyber security.

According to Business Insurance, on Thursday, May 12, 2011, the Obama Administration proposed cyber security legislation to improve protection for individuals and the federal government’s computer and network systems. The proposed legislation would address national data breach reporting by creating simpler and standardized reporting requirements for the 47 states that contain such requirements. The proposal would also synchronize penalties for computer crimes with other crimes. Additionally, the government, through the Department of Homeland Security, would become directly involved in assisting the industry as well as state and local governments in policing and enforcing cyber security. The proposed legislation encourages the state and local governments to share information with the Department of Homeland Security about cyber threats or related incidents by providing them with immunity for doing so.  
 
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