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Posted by: Jenny Gesley
Everyone is talking about the European Union‘s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which takes effect today. Recent news reports about misuse of personal data suggest that rules to protect personal data are essential in today’s interconnected (online) world. But what is the GDPR exactly? And why should you care about an EU law if …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
Each year on May 9, the European Union (EU) celebrates “Europe Day.” That date marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration delivered in Paris in 1950 by Robert Schuman, a lawyer and the then-French foreign minister. In that declaration, Schuman set out his vision of cooperation between the European countries to ensure lasting peace on the continent. …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
On April 24, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued “General Orders No. 100: Instructions for the Government of the Armies of the United States in the Field,” commonly known as the “Lieber Code” after its main author Francis (Franz) Lieber. The Lieber Code set out rules of conduct during hostilities for Union soldiers throughout the U.S. Civil …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law, Law Library
Posted by: Ruth Levush
A 2017 report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Oversight: Parliament’s Power to Hold Government to Account, states that parliamentary oversight of governmental actions is one of the three core functions of a parliament, in addition to legislating (especially passage of the annual budget) and the representation of constituents. The report recognized that holding governments to …
Posted in: Global Law, Legal Reports
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
I recently saw a tweet from the Twitter account of the New Zealand Parliament regarding the launch of an electronic petitions system. I’m not sure if the Australian House of Representatives social media people also read that tweet, but the next day I saw its account had sent a tweet reminding people that a new e-petition platform had …
Posted in: Global Law, Gov 2.0
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
Today’s interview is with Johannes Jäger, a foreign law intern at the Global Legal Research Directorate, Law Library of Congress. Describe your background. I come from the Eifel, which is a region in the westernmost part of Germany, near the Belgian and Dutch borders. After graduating from high school in the picturesque town of Bad Münstereifel, I …
Posted in: Interview, Law Library
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
The following is a guest post by Catharina Schmidt, a foreign law intern working in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. While Uber recently achieved partial success in the legal fight over a key component for operating driverless cars in the United States, it suffered a defeat at the European Court of Justice …
Posted in: Global Law, Guest Post, In the News
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
This post is coauthored by Jenny Gesley and Sayuri Umeda, foreign law specialists at the Global Legal Research Center. At some point or another, all of us have been exposed to children’s noise, be it as a parent or a neighbor, at the playground or at a school. And did we not wish for the noise …
Posted in: Global Law
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
Today’s interview is with Catharina Schmidt, a foreign law intern working with me on research related to the laws of Germany and other German-speaking jurisdictions at the Global Legal Research Directorate, Law Library of Congress. Describe your background. I am originally from Germany and grew up with my younger sister in the city of Darmstadt, which is located near …
Posted in: Interview, Law Library