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Category: Law Library

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The Most Viewed In Custodia Legis Posts of 2021

Posted by: Kelly Goles

This past year, we published more than 230 new posts on this blog, In Custodia Legis. As usual, these were written by multiple authors, both on the blog team and guest bloggers, from the different parts of the Law Library and the Library of Congress. The blog team has representatives from our team of reference …

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Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa gets a raise

Posted by: Jim Martin

The beginning of the 1942 Christmas season in the United States was an exceptional time. The country was entering the second year of a global war, which led to many men and women being away from their families, either in uniform, or working afar in war-related industries. Common consumer goods were subject to shortages, rationing, …

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New Report on “Regulation of Cryptocurrency Around the World” Published

Posted by: Jenny Gesley

Cryptocurrencies, once obscure and primarily associated with financing illegal activities, have become mainstream. Cryptocurrencies are a type of virtual currency that uses cryptographic algorithms to validate and secure transactions. The transactions are digitally recorded on a distributed ledger, such as a blockchain. As more and more people invest in and trade cryptocurrencies, governments around the …

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Celebrate the 230th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights with the Constitution Annotated

Posted by: Kelly Goles

This is a guest post by Jeanne Dennis, senior counsel for legal programs and initiatives in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service. Yesterday, December 15, was Bill of Rights Day. Celebrate the 230th anniversary of the Bill of Rights this week by exploring the online Constitution Annotated. Launched in September 2019, the online Constitution …

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Bill of Rights Day 2021 – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Nathan Dorn

Today, December 15, is Bill of Rights Day, the 230th anniversary of the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. On this day in 1791, the Virginia General Assembly completed the ratification process for those amendments. Virginia’s ratification of the Bill of Rights fulfilled the requirement that federal constitutional amendments must …

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From the Serial Set: What was the D.C. Parks Commission?

Posted by: Bailey DeSimone

Though it’s cold outside, you can explore Washington, D.C., through early illustrations of some of its most well-known landmarks. Today, we’ll be looking through the pages of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set to learn more about the 1901 plans of a Park Commission tasked with improving D.C.’s public areas. In 1902, the Senate Committee on …

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Santa Laws

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

If your family celebrates Christmas and expects a visit from Santa Claus, you and yours are hoping for a successful visit from the jolly old elf and his reindeer. Local, federal and foreign governments are doing their regulatory best to speed his mail and ease his journey across borders with foreign livestock, regardless of his …

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Upcoming US Law Webinars – January 2022

Posted by: Anna Price

As we ring in 2022, the Law Library is excited to welcome researchers back to our webinar series on U.S. legal research. Our first class of the new year will provide an overview of U.S. case law research, including an introduction to the concepts of precedent and stare decisis, the lifecycle of a court case, …