NPAction Update
Vol 3, Issue 12
7/12/2005

Welcome to this legal-themed edition of the NPAction Update! This is your editor's final issue, as the Update will be moving back from the satellite offices on the shores of Lake Erie to the home office in DC. While your new editor may not surpass this editor in wit, she more than surpasses him in knowledge and thoughtfulness. You will be in good hands.

You are receiving this newsletter as requested at NPAction.org. To unsubscribe, send an email to leave-npaction@lyris.ombwatch.org.


In this issue:
*What's New- Congress and the Internet, Blogging Legal Guide*
*Featured Article- Judicial Advocacy*
*Featured Resource Link- Litigation Group*


*What's New*

A new report from the Congressional Management Foundation details increases in citizen communication with Congress, focusing especially on internet communications. While Congressional staff have generally seen email as a mixed blessing, the report finds that even with 200 million messages to congress in 2004, staff believe that email has had a positive effect on the democratic process.

"Communicating with Congress: How Capitol Hill is Coping with the Surge in Citizen Advocacy:"
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0711-04.htmhttp://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0711-04.htm


Weblogs (as they used to be called) or "Blogs" (as they're now almost exclusively called) have become ubiquitous lately, and many nonprofits are publishing their own blogs. For the uninitiated, blogs are a combination of news items and links to interesting information elsewhere on the web, but sometimes this information can have prickly legal issues. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published a legal guide for bloggers to help keep them out of hot water. Of special interest to advocacy organizations is the FAQ on election law for bloggers.

"Legal Guide for Bloggers"
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

"Bloggers' FAQ: Election Law"
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-election.phphttp://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-election.php



*Featured Article*

With Justice O'Connor's resignation from the Supreme Court, all minds (or at least all minds in Washington) are on the judiciary. While the judiciary is thankfully not as open to lobbying as other branches of government, that doesn't mean that there are no ways to influence policy through the judiciary. From filing lawsuits, to "friend of the court" briefs, there are many ways that organizations can influence policy through the judiciary. This issue's featured article explores the basics of judicial advocacy.

"What is Judicial Advocacy"
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/60/1/232http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/60/1/232



*Featured Resource Link*

The NPAction Resource Links Directory is a human-edited compendium of tools and references, contributed by nonprofits for nonprofits.

This issue's featured link also focuses on judicial advocacy. Public Citizen's Litigation Group is a public interest law firm that protects the rights of citizens in the courts. The Litigation Group specializes in government regulation and open government, and is the home of the Freedom of Information Clearinghouse and the Supreme Court Assistance Project.

Public Citizen Litigation Group:
http://www.citizen.org/litigation/http://www.citizen.org/litigation/



*"Steal This Code": Put NPAction on Your Site*

NPAction invites organizations to share our tools on their websites. Just copy the HTML code from our site, and you're ready to go (but when you steal the code, just let us know!).

"Steal the Code" today
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/600/1/1988




*NPAction Update Archives*
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/210/

--------------------------------------------------------------
NPAction Update is a service for NPAction subscribers. If you received this message from another party, and wish to subscribe, send an email to join-npaction@lyris.ombwatch.org.

NPAction, an online resource hosted by OMB Watch, provides access to tools and information for nonprofit advocacy from a wide range of organizational partners and sources in order to encourage greater participation by nonprofits in the policy arena. Funding for this project was provided by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

For more information, contact:

NPAction
1742 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,
Washington DC 20009
(202) 234-8494
E-mail: npaction@npaction.org
Web: www.npaction.org

© 2005 NPAction