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Posted by: Jennifer Davis
On December 30, 1903, a fire broke out in the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago, Illinois when a broken arc light ignited a muslin curtain. The theatre burned to the ground and over 600 theatre occupants, more than two-thirds women and children, died of asphyxiation, burns, or trampling. It remains one of the deadliest fires in …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
The Caribbean is a term for the area that comprises nearly twenty-five sovereign territories, overseas departments, and dependencies in the Caribbean Sea basin. The U.N. Statistical Division and the CIA World Factbook recognize the Caribbean as a distinct geographical subregion for statistical and economic purposes. Historically, the Caribbean has not generated much legal material compared …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
Prior to the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the DC area in August 2011, it would have been a safe bet to say that most local long time residents didn’t think about earthquakes often. Although that earthquake was considered “fairly run-of-the mill”, according to USGS, it certainly got everyone’s attention in the District, Maryland and Virginia. …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
Blog post about the legal career of Thurgood Marshall
Posted in: African American History, Education, Law Library, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
The debut of the new series, On the Shelf, focuses on Hispanic Heritage Month at the Law Library.
Posted in: Collections, Hispanic American History, Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
Everyone loves pirates. As International Talk Like a Pirate Day approaches, especially this year when it’s falling on a Saturday, there’s a built-in excuse for a party. You get to say “Arrr” quite a bit, fly a Jolly Roger, possibly drink rum or carry a cutlass, although one hopes not at the same time. Pirates …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
It is the current fashion, both in academics and popular culture, to convey information about more serious topics, such as war, chemistry, military life in a combat zone, autobiography, cancer, and pandemic preparedness in graphic novels. As a librarian and a reader, I’ve enjoyed the ability of graphic novels to communicate dense non-fiction material in …
Posted in: Collections
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
The following information relies on the recollections and opinions of a retired local jurisdiction law enforcement officer. When Betty wrote her “Legalese” post on terms from legal dictionaries, I mentioned that “mirandize” was one of my favorites. My dad had started his law enforcement career just a few years prior to the Supreme Court’s Miranda …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
The following is a guest post by Brandon Fitzgerald, project manager of a Law Library staffing contract, writer and student of poetry and literature. In honor of National Poetry Month, I want to consider the intersections between law and poetry. Each entails persuasion and precision of language. Word choice and word placement are central to …
Posted in: Guest Post, Law Library