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Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Today, December 15, is Bill of Rights Day, the 230th anniversary of the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. On this day in 1791, the Virginia General Assembly completed the ratification process for those amendments. Virginia’s ratification of the Bill of Rights fulfilled the requirement that federal constitutional amendments must …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Bailey DeSimone
Though it’s cold outside, you can explore Washington, D.C., through early illustrations of some of its most well-known landmarks. Today, we’ll be looking through the pages of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set to learn more about the 1901 plans of a Park Commission tasked with improving D.C.’s public areas. In 1902, the Senate Committee on …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
If your family celebrates Christmas and expects a visit from Santa Claus, you and yours are hoping for a successful visit from the jolly old elf and his reindeer. Local, federal and foreign governments are doing their regulatory best to speed his mail and ease his journey across borders with foreign livestock, regardless of his …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Last year, to mark the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Compact, I wrote a post on this blog about the Compact’s origins and legacy in early American history. In that post, I wrote that the Compact served as a place-holder to acknowledge that the colonists were operating outside the region of North America that their …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
A few months ago, I highlighted on this blog two medieval manuscripts that the Law Library recently acquired. In this post, I would like to announce the acquisition of another new addition to the Law Library’s growing collection of medieval manuscripts, a remarkable 15th-century manuscript of L’Arbre des Batailles (The Tree of Battles) by the …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Kelly Goles
A post highlighting items from the Congressional Cemetery celebrating Native American heritage
Posted in: Collections, Guest Post, Law Library, Native Americans
Posted by: Anna Price
The Law Library is pleased to announce new online offerings on US environmental laws. Researchers who are interested in learning more about this topic can start their research by reviewing our new research guide, Environmental Law: A Beginner’s Guide. In addition to listing treatises, journals, and other collections, the guide discusses major federal legislation on …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
This post covers the history of Elizabeth Peratrovich's testimony and work for civil rights and voting rights for Alaska Natives in Alaska Territory.
Posted in: Collections, Law Library, Native Americans, Women's History
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Not long ago, I wrote a post on this blog about the use of spectral evidence in a criminal trial. Spectral evidence was testimony in which witnesses claimed that the accused appeared to them and did them harm in a dream or a vision. The Court of Oyez and Terminer that presided over the Salem …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library