AALL LawLibAssist

CA5 to Return to New Orleans

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today announced its plan to return the court=s operations to its New Orleans headquarters. The court has operated since Hurricane Katrina from the Bob Casey United States Courthouse in Houston, Texas. The return plan contemplates shutting down the Houston operations at close of business on Friday, December 16, 2005 and reopening for business at the John Minor Wisdom Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans on Monday, January 9, 2006. Emergency matters will continue to be accepted for filing during the period of shutdown in accordance with the court=s order posted at www.ca5.uscourts.gov.

See the complete press release dated 11/18/05 here: http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsItem=105

Louisiana Supreme Court-Update

The Louisiana Supreme Court, and all courts in southeast Louisiana, are closed until October 1, 2005. Employees have been asked to report for work in Baton Rouge on that date. ( Not sure if this will change now that parts of the city will be opening up.)
All employees of the Law Library of Louisiana are accounted for and fine. Carol Billings is in Williamsburg, Janice Shull in Columbus, OH, Marie Erickson in northern New Jersey, Miriam Childs in Baton Rouge, Georgia Chadwick on the road, and I am in Fairfax, VA. The rest of the staff are with family in Louisiana. Losses range from total loss of house and contents to minimal loss. We are all feeling the effects of displacement.
The great news is that the building and the library came through unscathed. All we will have to deal with will be mountains of mail once that service returns.
We greatly appreciate the offers of help and support from our friends. We are all able to receive email at addresses on AALLNET or I can forward if necessary.

Cathy Lemann

Update on 5th Circuit Library Staff

posted for Sue Creech, 5th Circuit Austin Satellite librarian
------------------------
Dear Colleagues,

Here is the latest news. All Fifth Circuit Library staff from New Orleans and Gulfport have checked in. We are happy to report that everyone survived this disaster. There are property loss and damages, to various degrees. We don't have all the facts, we wouldn't know until they have a chance to return to their homes.

Kay is currently driving back to her home in Mississippi. She will be traveling to the Baton Rouge Sat. Library sometime next week. Please continue to send email to Kay's personal email address: kguillot@gmail.com Technical Services, Procurement and Personnel departments, of the New Orleans Headquarters Library, will be relocated to the Baton Rouge Satellite Library, in the next few weeks. Phone number: 225-389-2990. (Currently, Baton Rouge can not make long distance calls, but can receive calls) Reference questions should be directed to the Houston Satellite Library at 713-250-5696. Will keep you posted on any changes.

Thank you for your generous offers of support of service. While we are rallying the troupes, we are not back 100%. I'm sure we will be asking for assistance down the road.

Please pass along this update to any of your staff.

Sue Creech
Austin Satellite Librarian

Nona Beisenherz--Any News?

Has there been any news of Nona Beisenherz and her family? She is the Foreign & International Law Librarian at Loyola. Thanks very much. 

Ellen Schaffer (schaffer@itlos.org)

Marie Erickson-Update

I spoke to Marie Erickson's sister in law in New Jersey. Marie and George are safe at a friend's farm. They will be heading to George's brother in New Jersey on Tuesday.

I can be contacted at catherine@lemann.net.

Catherine Lemann

LA Supreme Court and LL of LA update

Georgia Chadwick of the Law Library of Louisiana called in to report that Carol Billings and Catherine Lemann as well as Georgia herself are safe.  Any other staffers of the Louisiana Supreme Court / Law Library of Louisiana are asked to check in by sending an e-mail to louisianasupremecourt@yahoo.com.  Others who may know the whereabouts of Supreme Court or library personnel are also asked to check in at that address.

Apparently, the Supreme Court building itself is flooded in the basement and has been looted.

Georgia can be reached at chad7621 at bellsouth.net.

Kevin P. Gray

LSU Law Center Library

Baton Rouge

Michele Pope: is anyone in touch with her?

Has anyone heard from Michele Pope, formerly of the Pace Law Library, now Serials Librarian at Loyola University Law Library?  Her friends at Pace are very concerned about her and would appreciate news.

Marie Newman

Director of the Law Library and Associate Professor of Law

Loyola NO-Brian Huddleston

And on a personal note for those who know me, my wife and I and the animals evacuated early Sunday to my parents' house on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. It was crowded and without power so Wednesday we left for

North Carolina

where friends can put us and our pets up for weeks or longer. Our new house in

New Orleans

is (was?) uptown in one of the few areas that probably didn't flood at all, but even if the house is leveled we are still the lucky ones with family and friends who can help us and jobs that eventually we can return to. The scenes on TV are probably not the worst of what has happened, and many of those people will not be able to bounce back like we will be able to do. If you can, please donate something to the Red Cross or other charities working on the relief effort.

Brian Huddleston

Senior Reference Librarian

Loyola

 

University

 

New Orleans

 

School

of Law Library

"In Exile" :)

Brian_Huddleston@excite.com

News of Colleagues

I won't be able to record all of the names of AALL members in the affected areas here, but there is a listing of all members on www.aall.org, front page. By now we hope some people have made their way out of the area and are off the roads. We're hoping our friends know we are worried about them and anxious to hear of their location.

If you hear from anyone, please let us know. Also, if you are equally worried, you might remember some conversation you had about someone's "family in xx state" or "my brother the electrician in Memphis"....and you'll do some digging in phone books.

One recent request: has anyone heard from or about  Brian Huddleston of Loyola NO?

Thanks for all your help and research!

Loyola-NO Staff

(Nancy Strohmeyer) spoke with Elizabeth Moore from Loyola New Orleans on Wednesday.  She is safe, as are her mother, brothers and family.  She is staying in a hotel in

Texas

right now, but is hoping to find some reasonable housing, pet friendly, in

Louisiana

for the next however many weeks.  I do not believe she has e-mail access right now.  I have also spoken with Carla Pritchett who evacuated to

Arkansas

with her family and pets.  I expect them to move to

Florida

to stay with family soon.