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Archive: February 2017 (18 Posts)

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An Interview with Alexander Janvelian, Foreign Law Intern

Posted by: Hanibal Goitom

Today’s interview is with Alexander Janvelian, a foreign law intern. A graduate of the Whittier Law School J.D. program, Alexander is currently working toward earning an LL.M. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, specializing in International Business and Economic Law. Describe your background. An Armenian by heritage, I was born in Tbilisi, Georgia into a …

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Ratification Anniversary

Posted by: Margaret Wood

I frequently suspect that my nearest and dearest sometimes heave a sigh when they see me coming. Although I can always be relied upon to provide some delectable baked goods, I can also be relied upon to hijack the conversation and natter on about some obscure date in history or some arcane legislative procedure.  And …

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The Impeachment Trial of President Andrew Johnson

Posted by: Robert Brammer

On this day in 1868, the House of Representatives voted to adopt a resolution that became eleven articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson after he dismissed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without the approval of the Senate in violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Johnson had attempted to remove Stanton on two occasions. He suspended Stanton during …

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Lèse-Majesté in Germany – A Relic of a Long-Gone Era?

Posted by: Jenny Gesley

In the summer of 2016, a little known provision of the German criminal code received international attention when it was invoked by the Turkish government on behalf of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who felt insulted by a poem written by the German satirist Jan Böhmermann. According to section 103 of the German Criminal Code, …

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An Interview with Geo Nikolov, Legal Metadata Intern

Posted by: Francisco Macías

This week’s interview is with Geo Nikolov who is working at the Law Library of Congress for several months as an intern describing and creating metadata for a collection of Hispanic Legal Documents that span from the 15th to 19th centuries. Describe your background. My background is strongest in the humanities (language, literature, and culture).  I …

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An Interview with Seth Brostoff, Legal Metadata Intern

Posted by: Francisco Macías

This week’s interview is with Seth Brostoff who is working at the Law Library of Congress for several months as an intern describing and creating metadata for a collection of Hispanic Legal Documents that span from the 15th to 19th centuries. Describe your background. I live in Cleveland Park.  I’m originally from Charleston, South Carolina, …

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The First Mention of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice in English – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Nathan Dorn

The first English language publication to mention the Jewish Ghetto of Venice was a travelogue that appeared in 1611 under the unlikely title Crudities. Below is an image of that edition’s title page: The central text on the page reads: “Coryats Crudities: hastily gobled up in five moneths trauells in France, Sauoy, Italy, Rhetia com[m]only called …

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An Interview with Theresa Reiss, Legal Reference Librarian

Posted by: Jim Martin

The following is an interview with Theresa Reiss, who is currently working at the Law Library of Congress as a reference librarian in the Law Library Reading Room. Describe your background I am originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. But during my adult life, I have lived in Arizona, California, Illinois, and Virginia. I am a part-time …

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Explore World War I Declarations of War from Around the World

Posted by: Robert Brammer

The Law Library of Congress is excited to bring you a collection of World War I declarations of war from around the world. If you’re not familiar with our collections, you might wonder how we came to acquire these century-old foreign legal materials. The reason is that, as the United States assumed a greater role in international affairs, the Law Library of Congress …