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Archive: 2016 (3 Posts)

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

250 Years of Press Freedom in Sweden

Posted by: Elin Hofverberg

December 2, 2016, marked the 250th anniversary of the first Swedish Freedom of the Press Act, which has been regarded as the world’s first statute related to freedom of the press. The Act abolished censorship and specifically provided a right for Swedish citizens to access government archives. It was therefore also the first act to establish …

Iceland – Global Legal Collection Highlights

Posted by: Elin Hofverberg

Today is the National Day of Iceland, which celebrates the establishment of the Republic of Iceland upon Iceland declaring full independence from Denmark on June 17, 1944.  This seemed like a good occasion to share some of the highlights of the Law Library of Congress collection of Icelandic materials with In Custodia Legis readers. Jónsbók …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Thingvellir – Northern Europe’s First Parliament

Posted by: Elin Hofverberg

Earlier this year the Law Library of Congress published a report on parliaments around the world.  Kelly highlighted this report in a blog post that included some amazing pictures of parliamentary buildings.  This inspired me to write about the oldest parliament in Northern Europe, which met at Thingvellir, Iceland.  I was lucky enough to visit …