On posting vacancies -- and not -- and how you, Dear Reader, can help

I've just updated, again, the Who Sits Where post that I put up only the day before yesterday.

Today's addition is the 15th Subcircuit vacancy of Judge Chris Lawler, pictured at right.

The picture is taken from the announcement that ADR Systems made on August 31 about Judge Lawler joining the ADR panel of neutrals. I certainly missed that one.

I can't say I wasn't warned: I've received several anonymous tips during the last several weeks about the Lawler vacancy. But I ignored these, for reasons I shall explain momentarily. This morning I saw an inquiry on an ISBA listserv from a practitioner trying to find out who was hearing the now-retired Judge Lawler's cases on his former motion call. That got me looking.

Why didn't I look sooner? Well, my comment queue is chock-full of rumors about judges retiring -- not just Judge Lawler. For any judge you care to name I probably have at least one anonymous comment about that judge retiring. Often these rumors are embellished with intimations that Judge X is succumbing to some loathsome disease. Or about to be indicted. Or both.

Some of the anonymous persons who submit comments here are very creative.

But not very nice.

I don't print those sorts of comments.

Not everyone who supplies anonymous tips here has an axe to grind. Many, I'm sure, are trying to be helpful. But, without something more to go on than 'Judge Y has retired' I can't necessarily tell who is trying to be helpful and who has some sort of problem.

In the case of Judge Lawler, someone might have told me about his move to ADR. That would have given the comment, anonymity notwithstanding, credibility. And, of course, I could easily verify the information provided... if only it had been provided.

The motto of the old City News Bureau was, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." In the age of the 24/7 news cycle, such caution is apparently quaint. But I'd rather be incomplete than inaccurate. (I will now brace myself for the inevitable anonymous comments that say that I am both. *Sigh*)

But the rest of you, Dear Readers, can help improve this site. I know how few people are going to put their name behind anything -- but if you have an anonymous tip you wish to share, any corroboration you can include will allow me to investigate, on my own, and maybe even get your information out to the world, as you wished it to be, in a more timely fashion. Thanks.