UPDATES IN MICHIGAN FAMILY LAW

Radiation from Childhood CT Scans Increases Risks for Leukemias, Brain Tumors

Does your child (or your client's child) play football, soccer, or another contact sport? Has your child, or your client's child fallen from a trampoline, fallen from a height while unattended by a caregiver or the other parent? If so, the information below is something you'll want to read and share with the other parent, with a child's medical caregiver, with your client(s). Who would have thought  CT scans would pose a danger to children?

As my subscription readers know, although my blog Updates in Family Law is dedicated to discussions of legal issues faced by families and children, I sometimes write about tech issues that affect those separating or that help families keep their children safe. I also write about medical issues affecting children and/or parents--such as the epidemic of HPV virus.

Childhood CT scans carry a distinct — if very small — risk for leukemias and brain tumors, according to a large observational retrospective cohort study in the Lancet.

Citing Wikipedia as Legal Authority? Even Judges Do It.

A 2007 article in the New York Times noted the frequency with which judges cite Wikipedia in their rulings. The article noted that, at the time, more than 100 judicial rulings had relied on the accuracy of the online encyclopedia. This included rulings from 13 federal courts of appeals.

Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit threw out convictions in a cockfighting case because a juror had used Wikipedia to research an element of the crime. The basis of the decision was concerns about Wikipedia’s reliability, given its “open-access nature.” [Anyone can register and modify a Wikipedia article].

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog was curious and researched the trend for citing the Internet encylopedia. The result? The WSJ found that in between 2007 and last week's date, federal courts of appeals have cited Wikipedia about 95 times. Some of those incidents have a rather humorous bent.