James (Jim) Martin, Andrew Weber and I were talking about Christmas movies several weeks ago. Jim describes himself as a cynic, who “developed a taste for what I call ‘alternative Christmas,’ films such as The Lion in Winter and Desk Set.” Jim defines alternative Christmas films as “films that take place during the holiday period, but …
I’m betting at least a few of our readers braved the Black Friday shopping crowds to get their hands on particular products at bargain prices. You may have even ventured out to shop on Thanksgiving Thursday, with a number of stores deciding to open much earlier than in previous years. Of course, as was widely …
This blog post is part of our Global Legal Collection Highlights series, launched by the Law Library of Congress in an effort to introduce our readers to foreign legal systems and sources. Several blog posts on various countries have already been published, including on Thailand, Malawi, Indonesia, the European Union, Kuwait, the Russian Federation, and China. Today it is …
For my cousins, growing up in New England, American history began with the Pilgrims and settlement at Jamestown. But for me, growing up in New Mexico, history began with the 16th century Spanish Conquest and the drive up into New Mexico territory followed, a century later, by the Pueblo Revolt. The history of the United States …
The following is a guest post by Laney Zhang, Foreign Law Specialist for China. Laney is no stranger to In Custodia Legis. Her previous posts have included: The Rule of Law in China: New Titles in Our Collection; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Author; Trains and Corruption in China; Baby Pandas and the Law: In Memory of Mei …
Today’s pic of the week post features an illustration from Silas Andrus’s 1822 compilation of the founding documents of the Colony of Connecticut, “The Code of 1650, Being a Compilation of the Earliest Laws and Orders of the General Court of Connecticut, or Civil Compact Entered Into and Adopted by the Towns of Windsor, Hartford …
Magna Carta, the Charter of Liberties sealed by King John of England in 1215 AD, is routinely cited as one of the most important documents of our constitutional tradition. It ranks with the English Bill of Rights (1689), The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution in symbolic power. And while the details of …
Matthew Braun and Barbara Bavis represented the Law Library of Congress at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco earlier this month. Matthew and Barbara presented “How to Conduct Free Legal Research Online” – a wildly successful course that counted for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. The conference’s expo featured a booth where the …
Don’t let the title of this post mislead you. Of course it was not Robin Hood and his Merry Men who brought King John to his knees in June of 1215. That was accomplished by a band of John’s own barons. But here and there over the last couple of centuries, stories of the legendary …