Peter Black's Freedom to Differ

Best Australian law schools according to the QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings 2015 for Law have been released. The QS World University Rankings is one of the few international rankings that also provide subject rankings, including for law. While these rankings are always somewhat arbitrary and imprecise, they are nonetheless interesting. As such, I have compiled a list of the best universities in Australia study law, according to the QS World University Rankings.  

I've placed in brackets the overall rankings for 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012:

1. The University of Melbourne (8, 8, 5, 8)

2. The University of Sydney (13, 13, 10, 10)

3. The University of New South Wales (15, 14, 12, 30)

4. Australian National University (16, 15, 14, 14)

5. Monash University (22, 16, 13, 15)

6. The University of Queensland (49, 51-100, 48, 51-100)

7= Griffith University (51-100, 51-100, 43, 51-100)

7= The University of Adelaide (51-100, 46, 51-100, 51-100 )

7= The University of Western Australia (51-100, 51-100, 51-100, 101-150)

7= Macquarie University (51-100, 51-100, 101-150, - )

11= Queensland University of Technology (101-150, 51-100, 51-100, 51-100)

11= University of Technology Sydney (101-150, 101-150, 101-150, 101-150)

13= Deakin University (151-200, 151-200, 101-150, - )

13= LaTrobe (151-200, - , 151-200, - )

13= University of Newcastle (151-200, - , - , - )

13= University of South Australia (151-200, - , 101-150, -)

13= The University of Tasmania (151-200, 151-200, - , 151-200)  

Best Australian law schools according to the QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings 2014 for Law have been released. The QS World University Rankings is one of the few international rankings that also provide subject rankings, including for law.  While these rankings are always somewhat arbitrary and imprecise, they are nonetheless interesting.  As such, I have compiled a list of the best universities in Australia study law, according to the QS World University Rankings.  

I've placed in brackets the overall rankings 2014, 2013 and 2012:

1. The University of Melbourne (8, 5, 8)

2. The University of Sydney (13, 10, 10)

3. The University of New South Wales (14, 12, 30)

4. Australian National University (15, 14, 14)

5. Monash University (16, 13, 15)

6. The University of Adelaide (46, 51-100, 51-100 )

7= Griffith University (51-100, 43, 51-100)

7= Macquarie University (51-100, 101-150, - )

7= Queensland University of Technology (51-100, 51-100, 51-100)

7= The University of Queensland (51-100, 48, 51-100)

7= The University of Western Australia (51-100, 51-100, 101-150)

12. University of Technology Sydney (101-150, 101-150, 101-150)

13= Deakin University (151-200, 101-150, - )

13= James Cook University (151-200, - , - )

13= RMIT University (151-200, 151-200, - )

13= The University of Tasmania (151-200, - , 151-200)  

Daily Twitter Links

Blogging the election

This afternoon the Kevin Rudd will visit the Governor-General and request a dissolution and an election on 7 September.    A proclamation will then have to be issued dissolving the House of Representatives.  The writ initiating the 150 House elections and the Senate elections for the ACT and Northern Territory have to be prepared and then signed by the Governor General.  The State Governors will then have to be located and instruction given to them through the formal channels to issue writs for the half-Senate elections.

The writs will presumably be issued tomorrow (Monday 5 September), which will mean the minimum campaign period of 33 days (just under 5 weeks).  The day the writ is issued becomes day zero and the writ is deemed to apply from 6pm on the day of issue.

In a good series of posts on his blog, Antony Green has outlined the technicalities surrounding this process:

• Election Timing and the Issues of Election Writs;
• What an Election Writ Looks Like;
• Election Dates and Extended Three Year Terms. 

Three years ago I maintained a dedicated blog on the federal election, Election Blackout.  While I won't be able to do a similar thing for this election, I am hoping to blog about the election now and again on Freedom to Differ.  Of course, I am sure I will also be tweeting about the election @peterjblack.  When I do blog about the election, I am planning to focus on any electoral law issues that arise throughout the campaign.  

Are we closer to marriage equality with Kevin Rudd?

A few weeks ago I had a piece on Dandy asking the question, "Are we closer to marriage equality with Kevin Rudd?":

For the first time in our history, Australia now has a Prime Minister who supports marriage equality. While we should rightly celebrate this, we should also not think for a moment that Australia is any closer to marriage equality today than we were two weeks ago when Julia Gillard was still Prime Minister. Indeed, while some in the Labor Party are starting to see marriage equality as a vote-winning issue in the lead up to the federal election, there remains much to be sceptical of when it comes to seeing any of this result in positive legislative or policy change, as opposed to exploiting this issue for political opportunism and grandstanding.

At Kevin Rudd’s first press conference since being reinstated as Prime Minister, he reminded us all that he was the first Australian head of government to support marriage equality. While it is possibly unfair to observe that he onlyrelatively recently had the epiphany that allowed his views on same-sex marriage to “evolve” (a hopelessly patronising turn of phrase that seems to have become accepted in political circles around the world as the appropriate way to excuse prior bigotry and homophobia), it also seems somewhat convenient that he had this change of heart after he voted against same-sex marriage and while he was politicking behind the scenes to once again become Prime Minister.

However, assuming – and hoping – that Kevin Rudd’s decision to belatedly support marriage equality was genuine and heartfelt, we now need to ensure that his policy positions matches his public rhetoric. After all, having a Prime Minister that personally supports marriage equality will not, in and of itself, do anything to secure equality and advance LGBTIQ rights in this country.

Unfortunately, Kevin Rudd’s policy positions on marriage equality so far have been underwhelming, if not flawed and possibly counter-productive. He has indicated that in his opinion whoever wins at the next election, both major parties should “have the civility to open this to a conscience vote for all.” While a conscience vote is better than nothing at all, that is a still inchoate position, when he should be pushing for a change in the Labor Party platform so that all Labor Members of Parliament are required to vote for marriage equality.

Read the rest of my piece here.

Constitutional law exam causes student to die from overstudy

Every semester, I always like to share this story from the New York Times in 1900 about the constitutional law exam at the Harvard Law School that caused a student to die from "overstudy":

 

And if you're curious, this is the exam:

• 
• 
• 

Before my LWB242 Constitutional Law students start panic, rest assured one of my exams has never resulted in a student dying from "overstudy" ... yet. 

Hat tip: Josh Blackman's Blog.

Best Australian law schools according to the QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings 2013 for Law have been released. The QS World University Rankings is one of the few international rankings that also provide subject rankings, including for law.  While these rankings are always somewhat arbitrary and imprecise, they are nonetheless interesting.  As such, I have compiled a list of the best universities in Australia study law, according to the QS World University Rankings.  Sixteen Australian law schools made the list of the top 200 law schools worldwide (only 12 schools made the list last year):  

1 . The University of Melbourne (5)

2. The University of Sydney (10)

3. The University of New South Wales (12)

4. Monash University (13)

5.  Australian National University (14) 

6. Griffith University (43)

7. The University of Queensland (48)

8= Queensland University of Technology (51-100)

8= The University of Adelaide (51-100)

8= The University of Western Australia (51-100)

11= Deakin University (101-150)

11= Macquarie University (101-150)

11= University of South Australia (101-150)

11= University of Technology, Sydney (101-150) 

15= LaTrobe University (151-200)

15= RMIT University (151-200)

Daily Twitter Links for Thursday to Sunday 11-14 April 2013

The most-read link I tweeted today was:

• a great read about a gmail account that had been ignored for 9 years: "Eighteen and Abandoned" http://pjblack.me/YMgGvt

These are some of the other things I've been tweeting about today:

• "Gillard to pull $2.3bn of funding from unis to pay for Gonski reforms" http://pjblack.me/ZpAjpN #highered #auspol
• a great read about a gmail account that had been ignored for 9 years: "Eighteen and Abandoned" http://pjblack.me/YMgGvt
• "Louvre closes over pickpockets" http://pjblack.me/YMgFYy
• "Push to alter onus of proof in race laws 'threatens freedom of speech'" http://pjblack.me/16VtWzW #auslaw
• the federal magistrates court is now the federal circuit court: "Federal beaks part of circuit" http://pjblack.me/16VtUYG #auslaw
• "Teens Abandoning Social Networks, Study Says" http://pjblack.me/10PPtrp
• "Welcome to Garbage Patch State, Where Plastic Rules" http://pjblack.me/Yi5NxS
• "University sector to be hit in Gonski reforms" http://pjblack.me/ZgYwSn #highered #auspol
• and it is time for bed: "What The Most Productive People Do Before Bed" http://pjblack.me/12iNdsl
• the winklevii are bitcoin moguls: "Never Mind Facebook; Winklevoss Twins Rule in Digital Money" http://pjblack.me/17u0lPi
• "This Entire Building Is Powered By Its Algae-Filled Walls" http://pjblack.me/YQHhYk
• "Would Angry Teens Chill Out If They Saw More Happy Faces?" http://pjblack.me/ZMcqru
• "The Inventors Of The Web Ad Banner All Just Admitted That It 'Sucks'" http://pjblack.me/YQGDtO
• "What Happens to Executives After They Leave Apple? A Field Guide" http://pjblack.me/YMgHzr
• "Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Swear Words" http://pjblack.me/10PPtHP
• "Airbus pitches extra-wide seat for 'growing' A320 passengers" http://pjblack.me/Yi5RxD
• "Dude! The Battle to Become the ‘Male Pinterest’" http://pjblack.me/158GrKi
• "11 Earth-Shattering Food Inventions that Will Change Your Life" http://pjblack.me/123tiPy
• "11 Hit Songs Originally Intended for Other Artists" http://pjblack.me/153DcDz
• "Most popular aircraft seat revealed" http://pjblack.me/17u0lid
• "The Modern Data Nerd Isn't as Nerdy as You Think" http://pjblack.me/16SlUrk
• "Is This Game The Next Angry Birds" http://pjblack.me/Yi5Ute
• controversial: "TV Show ‘Glee’ Depicts School Shooting" http://pjblack.me/170zMxT
• "The sharing (and selling) of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg" http://pjblack.me/151tCkR
• "Tunisian Feminist Amina Tyler’s Topless Photos: How to Provoke National Unrest on Facebook" http://pjblack.me/151tzWr
• "4 decades of the music industry, one gif" http://pjblack.me/151tD8A #lws008
• interesting: "Google Glass (infographic) - How it works" http://pjblack.me/151txO5
• "6 rejected Disney theme park rides" http://pjblack.me/151tC4h
• blame climate change: "Transatlantic flights 'to get more turbulent'" http://pjblack.me/151tzpb
• "CNN's Crossfire Revival Might Be the Worst Idea Ever" http://pjblack.me/151tuSs
• depressing reading: "How the NRA won" http://pjblack.me/151txh8
• "From Pickle Juice to Intestines -- What the Rest of the World is Eating When Hungover" http://pjblack.me/17sHvI9
• "Foursquare’s Upcoming iOS Release Is A Pivotal Moment For The Company, As In It’s 'Now Or Never'" http://pjblack.me/10YzZRq
• "Well, That Was Fast: Twitter Already Shut Down Ribbon’s Newly Launched In-Stream Payments Feature" http://pjblack.me/16P200r
• a good piece from @joshgnosis: "The ghost of policy past will haunt the Coalition's broadband future" http://pjblack.me/17sGUpY #auspol
• "Data on whether and how students watch screencasts" http://pjblack.me/YeuMGz #highered
• "Why Social Networks are Prepping for a Cold War - And Users will Feel the Sting" http://pjblack.me/Ye8QeW
• "United plane diverted when parents complain about inappropriate in-flight movie" http://pjblack.me/16K3vgk
• "With 'House of Cards,' is it better to binge or nibble?" http://pjblack.me/16JZqce
• "A Former Apple Designer Turns to Reinventing the Nightclub" http://pjblack.me/YdSi6J
• "Twitter, hate speech, and the costs of keeping quiet" http://pjblack.me/YdOT82 #lwn117 #lwb480
• the bible is silent about the colour of jesus’ skin: "The whiteness of Jesus" http://pjblack.me/16JBXGf
• "Can big tech overcome its love-hate relationship and destroy patent trolls once and for all?" http://pjblack.me/14Rj0EM #lwn117 #lwb486
• "Podcast Gallery helps you quickly send podcast episodes to Dropbox and Google Drive" http://pjblack.me/16JRYxN
• this doctor specialises in resurrection: "Sam Parnia – the man who could bring you back from the dead" http://pjblack.me/16JBTpG
• it's so tempting: "Hands-on with the Pebble watch: A handy device with a lot of potential" http://pjblack.me/16JBSSH
• "One Man's Fight to Get a Photo Published, and How it Changed Photojournalism" http://pjblack.me/16JPmjk
• "'Slacktivism' vs 'snarktivism': how do you take your online activism?" http://pjblack.me/1538Hhq

Follow me on Twitter @peterjblack.

And you can get my latest links anytime on my Rebelmouse social media front page.

Daily Twitter Links for Wednesday 10 April 2013

The most-read link I tweeted today was:

• a good, balanced piece on the NBN from @stilgherrian: "Broadband battle: hard numbers, ideology and gut feel" http://pjblack.me/Yi8TpU #auspol

These are some of the other things I've been tweeting about today:

• "With 'House of Cards,' is it better to binge or nibble?" http://pjblack.me/16JZnx0
• this is quite a positive review: "An iPhone Lover’s Take On The Facebook Phone" http://pjblack.me/YiCiAk
• scott turow in the @nytimes: "The Slow Death of the American Author" http://pjblack.me/16JX90x #lwb486 #lwn117
• "ABC host Steve Austin on Julian Assange, the MEAA, WikiLeaks" http://pjblack.me/1538FGa
• "Here are the jokes that got Bassem Youssef, the 'Jon Stewart of Egypt,' arrested" http://pjblack.me/16JC4BE
• "The rise of everyday hackers" http://pjblack.me/YdCfpq #lwn117
• "How People Sit in Meetings and What it Really Means" http://pjblack.me/YdB755
• "Rules and regulation could strangle online learning" http://pjblack.me/YdALvo #highered
• "Is It Really Possible To Retire Off Royalties From One Hit Song?" http://pjblack.me/16Jmzvd #lws008 #lwb486
• a good, balanced piece on the NBN from @stilgherrian: "Broadband battle: hard numbers, ideology and gut feel" http://pjblack.me/Yi8TpU #auspol
• from @TorrentFreak: "Priests Watch DVD Screeners While Pirates Download Filth in the Vatican" http://pjblack.me/17nwR5m
• "Why we hate airlines: By the numbers" http://pjblack.me/16JC2tt
• "Teenagers & Smartphones: How They're Already Changing The World" http://pjblack.me/Y8XkNf
• "'Hooray, we’re done': The inside story behind R.E.M.’s disbandment" http://pjblack.me/Y89ryx
• exciting news that politifact is coming to australia: "Bill Adair, setting pants ablaze no more" http://pjblack.me/12HqVAS #auspol
• "How Deal Makers Put a Value on Start-Ups" http://pjblack.me/Y89tqj
• "The Strange Case of the Super Mario Bros. Movie" http://pjblack.me/16GkNsZ
• "Jon Stewart Vs. the Muslim Brotherhood" http://pjblack.me/12x3FJo
• "How Machiavelli Saved My Family by Suzanne Evans" http://pjblack.me/16GkSgf
• "The most highlighted passages in famous business books" http://pjblack.me/16GkQ7W
• "What happened to the awesome sitcom fonts of the '90s?" http://pjblack.me/16GYXYg
• "What it’s like to be the 'doctor on board', and why airlines shouldn’t be relying on them" http://pjblack.me/Y7IACX

Follow me on Twitter @peterjblack.

And you can get my latest links anytime on my Rebelmouse social media front page.

Daily Twitter Links for Tuesday 9 April 2013

The most-read link I tweeted today was:

• "Fairfax journalist sacked over critical Crikey article" http://pjblack.me/17nufVp

These are some of the other things I've been tweeting about today:

• "Streaming Sites and the Rise of Shared Accounts" http://pjblack.me/Y7BBtA #lws008 #lwn117 #lwb486
• this is cool: "LEGO Custom Dock Kit for iPad Retina & iPad mini" http://pjblack.me/Y7Aom2
• "Concept Department Store For The Social Media Generation" http://pjblack.me/Y7Abzk
• a lovely tribute: "More than just a great critic, Roger Ebert redefined movie criticism for the blockbuster age" http://pjblack.me/16GUMvt
• "How Netflix Built the New Couch Potato" http://pjblack.me/Y7zhmj
• who knew this was even possible?: "Airplane bathrooms Get Smaller to Squeze in More Seats" http://pjblack.me/Y7ytOk
• "Great Scientists Don't Need Math" http://pjblack.me/Y4rYM8
• "5 social media lessons from Roger Ebert, @EbertChicago" http://pjblack.me/YdEvx3
• "Unions take donation law challenge to High Court" http://pjblack.me/YdGKAe #lwb242 #auspol #conlaw #auslaw
• sound advice really: "Why Law Students Should Probably Not Tweet About Killing Politicians" http://pjblack.me/16JROq1 #lwb242
• in global terms, you can't have a cheap date in australia: "Most Expensive Places In The World For A Cheap Date" http://pjblack.me/16JBVOt
• "Coalition launches alternative NBN policy" reports @joshgnosis http://pjblack.me/16JO3AU #auspol #lwn117
• "Chinese Education: The Truth Behind the Boasts" http://pjblack.me/16FoErX
• this is amazing (i love lego): "It Took 600 Hours To Assemble This 'Manically Detailed' LEGO City" http://pjblack.me/XiX551
• "The New Spoiler Culture: Game of Thrones and the Fight to Live Uninformed" http://pjblack.me/XiX3KD
• "Why Did Old-Time Announcers Talk That Way?" http://pjblack.me/Y4qXE0
• "Famous Paintings Recreated on Toast" http://pjblack.me/Y4r0j6
• what china's online censorship systems block: "Born on the fourth of June*" http://pjblack.me/XiX1SO
• "Aryan Brotherhood of Texas: How did neo-Nazi prison gangs become so powerful?" http://pjblack.me/YzonFo
• "How Far Do You Run Playing Different Sports?" http://pjblack.me/Y4qG3O
• "Inside Time Warner Cable's campaign to silence a parody video" http://pjblack.me/Y3Jw6E
• "Jon Stewart Tears Apart CNN: Neither Left Nor Right, But On A ‘Steady Spiral Downward’" http://pjblack.me/XiX01i
• "Just Six Months After Being Acquired, Twitter’s Vine Hits #1 Free Spot On Apple’s App Store" http://pjblack.me/16Jc5vO
• "8 Iconic Film Props You Can Totally Try to Buy Right Now" http://pjblack.me/XiX1SY
• "Is this baby-faced blogger the next Andrew Breitbart?" http://pjblack.me/16FnBZ6
• "A Facebook of the Future: Zuckerberg and Sandberg Show Us Their New Content, New Algorithms, and New Alliances" http://pjblack.me/16Fn61p
• "The strange and inglorious history of tech boutique retailers" http://pjblack.me/Y4pn4U
• "In conversations about race and media, Twitter’s limitations show" http://pjblack.me/Y4naGw 
• "Margaret Thatcher Hashtag Confuses Cher Fans" http://pjblack.me/16IZEAe
• "The promise and the pain of HuffPost Live" http://pjblack.me/Y4n3ei
• "Fairfax journalist sacked over critical Crikey article" http://pjblack.me/17nufVp
• "Has a Seattle Building Discovered the Secret to Making Stairs Irresistible?" http://pjblack.me/Y4qvFH
• good question: "Who Is Apple’s ‘John Appleseed’?" http://pjblack.me/XiWYGx
• "Mesmerizing Photos of the Human Tower Festivals of Catalonia" http://pjblack.me/XiX0yi

Follow me on Twitter @peterjblack.

And you can get my latest links anytime on my Rebelmouse social media front page.