The week on the Law Report, Damien Carrick interviews University Queensland lecturer Alan Davidson about a recent US court decision that assigned civil liability to a person who knowingly texted a driver who subsequently crashed his car.

The exciting part about it is it does establish a new legal principle. Beforehand no one would have thought or would have even guessed that this would have been the case. It reminds me of Donoghue and Stevenson, the case with the snail and the ginger beer bottle that most lawyers and members of the public know about.

See US courts focus on people who text drivers (10 September 2013).

Once the state's top crime fighter, Tim Carmody QC has been appointed Queensland's new Chief Magistrate.

See Carmody new Chief Magistrate (The Australian, 6 September 2013).

The Court of Appeal has issued a unanimous decision rejecting the appeals of two parties against the legal ban on assisted suicide.

See Nicklinson and Lamb right-to-die appeals dismissed (Law Society Gazette, 31 July 2013).

The United States Supreme Court has issued a unanimous 9-0 decision, ruling that naturally occurring DNA is not eligible to be patented.

See Myriad Genetics (SCOTUSblog, 13 June 2013)

The Age has reported that Shani Cassidy, whose son, Tyler Cassidy, was shot during a confrontation with police in 2008, has made a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Shani Cassidy is claiming that Tyler's death was not investigated in an impartial manner.

See They didn't even ask his name: UN asked to probe police shooting (The Age, 30 May 2012).

Reporter Terri Begley talks with survivors and offenders of violent crime and their experiences with the Sycamore Tree Project - a form of therapy being trialled in Queensland prisons which focuses on restorative justice.

Offenders are invited to explore ways of making restitution for the harm caused by their criminal behaviour and victims are given the opportunity to consider ways in which they can take control of their lives and begin their journey toward healing and restoration.

Podcasts and stories are available on the special feature website created by 612 ABC Brisbane.

To learn more about the Sycamore Tree Project, see the Prison Fellowship Queensland website.

The Standing Committee on Law and Justice is investigating the impact of social media on the right to a fair trial and has recently engaged the Centre for Law, Governance and Public Policy to review existing research and policies.

The full report is available here.

It has been covered in today's Sydney Morning Herald and on the Conversation.