As I continue to involve my law firm with the internet world, I have come across some very useful legal links to websites and blogs. Here are a few that I check regularly:

– Are you a U.S. Supreme Court junkie? Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute is a terrific resource. Check out this link to review the latest decisions from the highest court in the land:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/

– There are so many other useful pages on this Cornell Law School site, but in particular, there is a link for New York law, which contains the NYS Constitution and statutes, Court of Appeals and Appellate Division decisions, and a lot more. Here is the link:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/states/ny.html

– Do you have questions about the NYS Civil Practice Law & Rules, better known as the CPLR? This blog has always been helpful to my litigation practice:

http://www.thecplrblog.com/

– I just added two RSS feeds to this Blog that you can find in the right column. The first is the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, and I always find it interesting:

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/

– The second is FindLaw’s Noteworthy Decisions & Settlements Blog:

Frontline Investigates The Hazards And Benefits Of Nuclear Energy (video after the link)

Has the world lost faith in nuclear power?

Almost a year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, there’s an emerging consensus in Japan and Germany that the hazards of nuclear energy overshadow its benefits. In the United States and other countries, the question remains unresolved.

In Nuclear Aftershocks, airing Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at 10 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE correspondent Miles O’Brien travels to three continents to explore the revived debate about the safety of nuclear power, the options for alternative energy sources, and questions about whether a disaster like the one at Fukushima could happen in the United States.

Suzi Oppenheimer's office released an announcement earlier today that she will not seek re-election. The Albany Times-Union is speculating that George Latimer or Amy Paulin may seek the Democratic nomination.

Official Statement:

State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) announced today that she will not seek re-election this November. The Senator made her decision upon recently learning that she will have to undergo major shoulder replacement surgery in 2012.

Said Oppenheimer:

All the cheerleading in the world by the pom-pom crowd in New Rochelle will not change the fact that public education in New York is among the worst in the United States, a country that is consistently ranked at or near the bottom of economically developed countries around the world.

Governor Andrew Cuomo would like to do something about that as Anna Phillips at The New York Times explains: Cuomo Calls for Education Commission, But Is Vague on Details

“The lobbyist for the students.” That is how the governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo, positioned himself on educational matters in 2012.

In his State of the State address on Wednesday, the governor announced that he would appoint a commission to work with the State Legislature and recommend changes to how teachers are evaluated and how schools’ spending and performance are managed.

Albany, NY (January 4, 2012) -- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today delivered his 2012 State of the State Address in which he outlined a comprehensive agenda that builds on the success of last year. The Governor launched a new economic development blueprint that invests billions of dollars in key public-private sector partnerships and rebuilding infrastructure to create thousands of new jobs across the state, proposed a reinvention of how government operates in order to get results for the people while protecting taxpayer dollars, and detailed a series of actions to strengthen New York's legacy as the progressive capital of the nation.

New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin joined local officials from the City of New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District to announce receipt of a $500,000 New York State Main Street grant for the BID’s Downtown Façade Improvement Program.

Pictured above from left to right are New Rochelle Development Commissioner Michael Freimuth, New Rochelle City Manager Charles B. Strome, Amy Paulin, Monroe College Vice President and BID Board President Marc Jerome, New Rochelle City Council member and BID Board member Albert Tarantino, and several other unidentified BID Board members. Not visible in the photo is BID Executive Director Ralph DiBart. Also on hand was New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and Council Member-Elect Ivar Hyden among others.

Talk of the Sound reported on the grant and the program behind it last week: New Rochelle BID Awarded $500,000 Grant for Facade Improvement Program

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today traveled to West Hempstead, Nassau County, to sign a new law that will reduce the MTA payroll tax, providing relief for more than 290,000 small businesses and more than 410,000 self-employed New Yorkers. The tax reduction is part of the Governor's comprehensive plan, passed by the legislature last week, to create jobs and cut taxes for middle class New Yorkers, and revitalize the state's economy.

"Small businesses are New York's growth engine and this tax reduction will help create jobs and get our state's economy back on track without jeopardizing funding for the MTA," Governor Cuomo said. "I thank the leadership as well as the members of the legislature for their dedication in seeing the MTA tax reduced and working to get our economy moving again."