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Glimpse of Law: Tour Round-up

May 23, 2013 by Donna Sokol

April showers bring May flowers, and, if you live in Washington, DC, you know that May flowers signal the arrival of large tour buses. As we transition into summer, I am reminded that ours is a destination city.

Last year, I wrote a series of posts describing the law-related art and symbols throughout the Jefferson Building. Today, I am rounding up the posts into single one, to serve as a handy-dandy guide if you happen to visit the Library of Congress in the near future.

The Jefferson Building’s Great Hall and exhibitions will be open this Monday, May 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the Memorial Day holiday.

The State of Congress.gov at the 2013 Legislative Data Conference

May 22, 2013 by Andrew Weber

The following is a guest post by Tammie Nelson, project manager of Congress.gov and an Information Technology Specialist at the Library of Congress. I spoke earlier today at the Committee on House Administration’s Legislative Data and Transparency Conference on recent progress and coming updates to Congress.gov. For those who were not able to attend the conference or to see it …

Meet Karin Linhart: A Law Library of Congress Patron

May 22, 2013 by Andrew Weber

The following is a guest post by Elizabeth Moore, a librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Karin is our second patron to be interviewed. Alexander Hoffman was the first. Describe your background. Karin Linhart was recently here for five weeks in the Law Library of Congress doing research for her doctoral thesis. Karin is a native of Lauda, …

Homestead and Mining Claims in 19th Century America

May 21, 2013 by Margaret Wood

We often think of law as a specialized, exotic creature, published in heavy tomes and largely inaccessible to laymen. But through my early childhood reading, I was introduced to one of the most important laws of the 19th century, which helped drive the westward expansion of this country. Like many children who read Laura Ingalls …

Department of State Honors Law Library for Legal Research Expertise

May 20, 2013 by Jeanine Cali

The following article originally appeared in the May 3, 2013, edition of Library of Congress staff newsletter, The Gazette. The U.S. Department of State this week honored the Law Library of Congress for legal research work it provides in support of global criminal-justice programs. The State Department presented the “Outstanding Partnership in Criminal Justice Assistance” …

University of Baltimore School of Law – Pic of the Week

May 17, 2013 by Andrew Weber

The following is a guest post by Tracy North, a reference specialist in the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, who has been the Handbook of Latin American Studies Webmaster since 1996 and Social Sciences Editor since 2006. I noticed that she posted a link about the new school on Facebook and thought it would make a great Pic of …

Banning Baby Names

May 16, 2013 by Kelly Buchanan

At the start of May for the last few years I’ve seen multiple news items about the baby names that were rejected by the New Zealand authorities during the previous year (e.g., Lucifer, Prince, J, Rogue…). The list of names, and the fact that the government is able to deem them unacceptable, draws plenty of interest …

Upcoming Event: The Role and Impact of Islamic Law in Transitioning Arab Spring Countries

May 15, 2013 by Jeanine Cali

The Law Library, along with the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division, will hold a panel discussion on the role and impact of Islamic law in transitioning Arab Spring countries. The program is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4th in the Mumford Room, which is on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building,101 Independence …

The Rule of Law in China: New Titles in Our Collection

May 14, 2013 by Kelly Buchanan

The following is a guest post by Laney Zhang, Foreign Law Specialist for China. On May 1 we celebrated Law Day 2013 here at the Law Library of Congress by presenting a panel discussion on the “Movement in America for Civil and Human Rights.” For those who are not familiar with it, Law Day is …

The UK’s Legal Response to the London Bombings of 7/7

May 13, 2013 by Clare Feikert-Ahalt

The history of anti-terrorism legislation in the UK is expansive and dates back nearly a century. The UK’s anti-terrorism laws have typically been reactive and enacted as emergency temporary legislation that later essentially became permanent through constant renewal. The anti-terrorism laws have their genesis in the troubled relationship between Great Britain and Ireland over the …