Shortsighted on Judges is the title of this National Journal article by Stuart Taylor. He contends that the Democrats' blocking of the nomination of the well-qualified Leslie Southwick for the Fifth Circuit may backfire if and when their party gets the White House back. (Hat tip: How Appealing.)

Cutting inmate population in Missouri: A supervision center for qualified inmates is cutting down the amount of inmates in prison, while giving inmates a second chance. Inmates must serve 85% of their sentence under the new law, for those convicted of second-degree murder, rape, sodomy, kidnapping, first-degree assault, arson and first-degree robbery, reports Virginia Young and Tim O’Neil with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The center offers a program for qualified inmates leaving prison, but not quite ready for the real world, by providing them with transitional housing units. In the center, inmates are provided help in applying for jobs, writing resumes and given state issued identification cards. Non-violent offenders are offered employment workshops, drug treatment, and are given the opportunity to take a GED test to gain a high school diploma.

New Sex offender laws in Florida: Tomorrow sex offenders in Florida will be required to obtain a new driver’s license or ID card that will have a special statute number printed on the front, indicating the offense. Effective October 1, 2007, offenders will have to register any e-mail addresses and/or instant message names with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Starting February 1, 2008 any offender or predator who has failed to obtain a new card will be charged with a third-degree felony. As reported in the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspaper “60% of boys and 80% of girls sexually victimized are abused by someone known to the child or his or her family.”