Crime & Federalism

If you're a blogger, and if you link to Seventh Circuit cases, you must read this post.  All others can ignore it.  (Thanks to Bashman for educating me on this processs many months ago.)  Indeed, if you aren't a blogger, what I'm about to write will be gibberish.

Re: linking to Seventh Circuit cases. You can't open the opinion and link to the URL that shows up in your browser.  The URL that appear's in your browser is to a "tmp" file.

Rather, before you click to open the opinion, you have to right-click the URL, and "save link as," the URL that shows up.  This will give you the proper permalink.

Lots of people link to the tmp file, and it's frustrating for everyone - especially since the court doesn't make how to link to an opinion clear. But the Seventh Circuit is weird about a lot of things.

Let me give an example:

1. Go here: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/fdocs/docs.fwx
2. In "Recent Uploads," click the button for "Today."
3. You'll see one opinion.  (USA v. Gipson, Ronald).
4. Hold your pointer over "Opinion." (This URL will show up: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/fdocs/docs.fwx?submit=showbr&shofile=05-1407_011.pdf)
5. Click "Opinion."
6. Now look in your URL in your browser. (This URL shows up: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/OA13B178.pdf)

The URL with "tmp" in it is bunk. It won't work after a couple of hours.  You have to link to the first URL - re: the one noted in Step 4.  To do this, you need to hold your pointer over the "Opinion" button, right click "save link as," and use that link in your blog post.

Yes, this is a hassle.  Even writing about how to do it is a hassle.  I'm not even sure that my explanation makes sense.  But enough people link to the tmp file that it's worth mentioning how to do this.