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Posted by: Margaret Wood
The Constitutions of Clarendon were issued by Henry II in 1164. This document became the bone of contention between Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was also his former chancellor and friend, Thomas Beckett. The quarrel between these two men eventually led to Thomas’s murder and then elevation to sainthood, as well as …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Jeanine Cali
The following is an article written by Mark Hartsell, writer-editor for The Gazette, the Library of Congress staff newsletter. The legacy of Magna Carta, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer said, sometimes can be seen in the things that don’t happen. The court’s decision in Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), brought …
Posted in: Event, Guest Post
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
One of the keepsakes given at the Library of Congress’s pre-inaugural black-tie gala for the ongoing Magna Carta exhibition was the commemorative coin depicted below. The coin’s obverse shows the name of the exhibition, Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor. Its reverse shows a reproduction of a medallion that appears on the title page of a 1774 imprint of …
Posted in: Event, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Hanibal Goitom
The following is guest post by Constance Johnson, a senior legal information analyst at the Law Library of Congress. Connie is chair of the Law Library’s planning committee for Human Rights Day and has previously written or co-written a number of posts for In Custodia Legis. Today is the world’s Human Rights Day, a day proclaimed by the …
Posted in: Event, Guest Post, Law Library
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
When you visit the Library of Congress you are likely to hear or read about the loss of collections to fires, first in 1814 during the War of 1812 and then later, on Christmas Eve 1851. Unfortunately, a number of other countries have also suffered losses of parliamentary or national library buildings and important materials …
Posted in: Collections, In the News
Posted by: Margaret Wood
On Wednesday, I gave a gallery talk for the Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor Exhibition. I focused the talk around King John and his rapacious habits as a ruler: demanding extraordinary fees from his feudal vassals, seizing hostages, and losing battles. I also included some information on the Constitutions of Clarendon (more on that in …
Posted in: In the News, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Hanibal Goitom
The following is a guest post by Graciela Rodriguez-Ferrand, senior foreign law specialist for Argentina and several other Spanish-speaking jurisdictions. Argentina has a federal republic form of government and a democratic political system. The Argentine Constitution, enacted in 1853 and last amended in 1994, provides for three branches of government: an executive branch headed by …
Posted in: Global Law, Law Library
Posted by: Betty Lupinacci
This week’s interview is with Gabe Horchler, section head of the Law Section of Library Services’ Acquisitions & Bibliographic Access Directorate, U.S. Programs, Law & Literature Division. Gabe is in charge of cataloging all new law titles. He and his staff have also been instrumental in helping with our reclassification project for which we are …
Posted in: Collections, Interview
Posted by: Jeanine Cali
Scholars, historians and contemporary thinkers will discuss how Magna Carta’s political and legal traditions have carried into our current times at a symposium on Dec. 9, 2014. The symposium, Conversations on the Enduring Legacy of the Great Charter, is being held in conjunction with the Library’s exhibition,”Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor.” The afternoon program, “Contemporary …
Posted in: Event, Law Library