Top of page

Archive: 2011 (48 Posts)

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Referendum on New Zealand’s Voting System

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

Today (currently Saturday, November 26 in New Zealand) is election day in New Zealand.  In addition to voting for a candidate standing in their district (“electorate“) and for the political party that they want in Parliament, voters will be participating in a referendum on whether the electoral system should be changed. The current electoral system …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Lecture by Professor Allan Brewer-Carías: The Connection between the U.S. Independence and the Hispanic American Independence Movement

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

The following is a guest post by Dante Figueroa, Senior Legal Analyst at the Law Library of Congress. On November 22, 2011, from noon to 1:30 pm, the Law Library of Congress will host the renowned Venezuelan academic, intellectual, and constitutional scholar Allan Brewer-Carías, who will present a lecture titled: The Connection between the U.S. …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Kungliga Biblioteket, National Library of Sweden – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

I was recently in Stockholm where I paid a visit to the National Library of Sweden (Kungliga Biblioteket, or “KB”), which is situated in a very pretty park.  According to its website, the National Library “has been collecting virtually everything printed in Sweden or in Swedish since 1661.”  A brochure about the Library provides an …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

DSK: A Tale of Two Criminal Procedures

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

The following is a guest post by Nicole Atwill, Senior Foreign Law Specialist in the Global Legal Research Center. I recently watched Dominique Strauss Kahn’s return to France on the French news as I vacationed there.  There was nonstop live television coverage during the day.  Many commentators pointed out that although Dominique Strauss Kahn (“DSK”) …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Writing Laws in Plain English in New Zealand

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

Last week Cynthia talked about International Plain Language Day and the global movement to improve the use of plain language in government and legal writing.  This week, as a follow-up to International Plain Language Day, I would like to take a look at New Zealand‘s approach to using plain English in the country’s laws.  I became familiar …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Professor Joseph Raz – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

This week the Law Library of Congress hosted Professor Joseph Raz who delivered a very thought-provoking lecture for the second Kellogg Biennial Lecture in Jurisprudence.  Professor Raz is a leading proponent of legal positivism, which looks to the sources of laws as the basis for their validity, rather than their content.  During the lecture, he offered …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

The Rugby World Cup: Regulating the Party

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

The 2011 Rugby World Cup kicked off in New Zealand on September 9th with a glittering opening ceremony followed by the first match between New Zealand and Tonga.  (Note that the New Zealand national rugby team is commonly called the “All Blacks.”)  I’ve had a couple of very busy weekends watching a number of the …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

18th Annual GLIN Directors’ Meeting – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

The following is a guest post by Francisco Macías, Senior Legal Information Analyst. The 18th Annual Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) Directors’ Meeting took place at the Library of Congress last week on September 7 and 8.  The representatives from the 24 jurisdictions (including the United States) that attended the meeting are pictured below. The …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Happy Feet Goes Home

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

When I last wrote about Happy Feet (the intrepid emperor penguin who took an extended vacation in New Zealand while recovering from a very long swim and a belly full of sand and twigs), he was being pampered at the Wellington Zoo while fans from around the world watched and waited to see what would …