LEGISLATION

In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress (Congress.Gov)

• Concubinage and the Law in France September 20, 2018
  The following is a guest post by Sarah Ettedgui, a foreign law intern who worked with foreign law specialist Nicolas Boring at the Global Legal Research Directorate, Law Library of Congress during the summer. If there is one area of the law in which moral and religious ideologies have exercised a profound influence, it is that of relationships between the […]
  Jenny Gesley
• 125 Years of Women’s Suffrage in New Zealand September 19, 2018
  Today, September 19, 2018, marks the 125th anniversary of the signing of the Electoral Act 1893 into law, after it was narrowly passed by the New Zealand Parliament on September 8, 1893. With this Act, New Zealand “became the first self-governing country in the world in which all women had the right to vote in parliamentary […]
  Kelly Buchanan
• Trending: Congressional Research Service Reports Now Available Online September 18, 2018
  This is a guest post by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. It is cross posted on the Library of Congress Blog. I’m pleased to announce that, for the first time, the Library of Congress is providing Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to the public. The reports are available online at crsreports.congress.gov. Created by experts in CRS, the […]
  Robert Brammer
• Constitution Day: Records of the Constitutional Convention September 17, 2018
  Today, September 17, is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.  This day has been designated by Congress to recognize the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787 and to recognize all who have become citizens in the last year.  I thought it would be interesting this year to talk about the history of the […]
  Margaret Wood
• Congress.gov New, Tip, and Top for September 2018 September 17, 2018
  Andrew recently brought us the second set of enhancements to Congress.gov for August, which included improving the search form by labeling the Words & Phrases search and making it larger. In this release, we are excited to bring you enhanced saved search email alerts that are available for searches performed from the legislation homepage search form and the advanced […]
  Robert Brammer
• 18th Annual National Book Festival Recap September 14, 2018
  The Law Library had a dynamic presence at the 18th annual National Book Festival. We had 11 staff members volunteer at the festival from our Global Legal Collection Directorate, Public Services Division, Office of Administrative Operations, and Office of External Relations as well as Maria Soto, a new member of the ABA Standing Committee on the […]
  Kelly McKenna
• The Murder of Penowanyanquis and the Trial of Arthur Peach, Plymouth, 1638 September 13, 2018
  One of the most vivid criminal trials of seventeenth-century American history celebrated its 380th anniversary a few days ago on Sept. 4. On that day, in 1638, authorities in Plymouth Colony tried Arthur Peach, along with three codefendants, for the murder of a Nipmuc man called Penowanyanquis. The court found the men guilty and sentenced […]
  Nathan Dorn
• Animals Suing Their Owners – Only a Pipe Dream or Soon-to-be Reality? September 12, 2018
  All of us who have a pet have probably had one or more similar experiences at some point in time. It is the weekend and you decide to catch up on some sleep. However, your pet begs to differ. My cat for example will come and sit on top of me, rub her head, knead, […]
  Jenny Gesley
• A Congress.gov Interview with Michelle Wilson, Scrum Master September 11, 2018
  Today’s interview is with Michelle Wilson, Congress.gov scrum master within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) of the Library of Congress. Describe your background. What is your academic/professional history? I am an Information Technology Specialist with many years of experience developing online systems for both the federal and private sectors. Prior to coming to the Library […]
  Andrew Weber
• Judicial Combat – Barbarous Relic or Timeless Litigation Strategy? September 6, 2018
  This post is coauthored by Nathan Dorn, rare book curator, and Robert Brammer, senior legal information specialist. You are sure to hear “Objection!” shouted in the context of any legal drama. But what are they objecting to, and more importantly, on what basis? In modern jurisprudence, the rules of evidence are paramount to trying a case. Deciding whether evidence is […]
  Robert Brammer