[JURIST] A survey of US lawyers and legal scholars released Wednesday by Thomson-West legal publishers listed the presidential election, Iraq and gay marriage as the top legal news stories of 2004. The election was picked for its impact on federal judicial appointments, Iraq for the multiplicity of international and national legal issues raised by the situation there, and gay marriage for the spate of judicial decisions and constitutional amendments that subject generated during the year. Additions to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requiring attorneys and corporate officers to report wrongdoings, topped the survey's list of most important legislative changes. Blakely v. Washington [PDF] was named the most important federal case due to its anticipated effects on federal and state sentencing guidelines. Thomson-West has more.