Top of page

Archive: 2012 (245 Posts)

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

An Interview with Barbara Bavis, Legal Reference Librarian

Posted by: Hanibal Goitom

This week’s interview is with Barbara Bavis, a Legal Reference Librarian in the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress.  Barbara was a co-author of yesterday’s post on the electoral college and is joining the In Custodia Legis blog team – we look forward to reading more of her posts! Describe your background. I consider …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

The Electoral College – What Is It and How Does It Function?

Posted by: Margaret Wood

The following is a guest post by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, both legal reference librarians in the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress. The 2012 Presidential election is projected to be close, and attention has turned to whether the Electoral College may diverge from the popular vote in shaping the outcome …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Israel’s Upcoming National Elections: Background Information

Posted by: Ruth Levush

Israel is facing national elections shortly after the U.S. elections. Interestingly, Israel was mentioned more than 30 times  in the October 22, 2012 U.S. presidential debate . There is no doubt that the results of either election will have serious ramifications on both countries’ policies in the Middle East. On Oct. 16, 2012, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) passed the Law for the dissolution …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

National American Indian Heritage Month

Posted by: Margaret Wood

We often blog about various commemorative events, and I wanted to draw attention to November as National American Indian Heritage Month.  This began as a commemorative week in 1986 when Congress passed Pub.L. 99-471 designating November 23-30 as American Indian Week.  As directed by Congress in this law, President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 in which …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

A Congress.gov Interview with Andy Mendelson, Head of the Legislative Analysis and Information Section

Posted by: Andrew Weber

The following is a guest post by Kimberly Ferguson, Specialist in Legislative Information Systems Management in the Library of Congress.  Kimberly previous blogged about “Bills To Be Considered on the House Floor” Repository for In Custodia Legis. This week’s interview is with Andy Mendelson, a manager of legislative information at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Andy’s contributions to Congress.gov …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Revealing the Presence of Ghosts

Posted by: Clare Feikert-Ahalt

I could not pass up this Halloween time without touching upon at least one spooky subject and how the law relates to it.  In the past Francisco has covered unusual laws pertaining to Halloween, David has posted about  punishing rebellious children and witches, Kelly has taken us on a journey through time and told us …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Pecos National Historical Park – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Margaret Wood

During my recent trip to New Mexico, I visited the Pecos National Historical Park.  This park encompasses the remains of two Indian pueblos as well as a Civil War battlefield.  The Pecos National Historical Park and Glorieta Unit of the National Historical Park were established by Pub. L. 101-313, Title II (1990).  The park is 25 …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Welcome to Our New Front Door: A Revamped Homepage

Posted by: Andrew Weber

David is enthusiastic about our redesigned homepage for the Law Library of Congress (see how I stuck a link to it in already?).  He provided a little background: As part of the Law Library of Congress’s Law.gov project the Law Library began reviewing its web presence. In June of this year, we launched an updated look with features to make the website …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

A Congress.gov Interview with Valerie Heitshusen, Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process

Posted by: Andrew Weber

The following is a guest post by Kimberly Ferguson, Specialist in Legislative Information Systems Management in the Library of Congress.  Kimberly previously blogged about “Bills To Be Considered on the House Floor” Repository for In Custodia Legis. This week’s interview is with Val Heitshusen, a legislative process expert and educator in the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Val’s contributions to …