James (Jim) Martin, Andrew Weber and I were talking about Christmas movies several weeks ago. Jim describes himself as a cynic, who “developed a taste for what I call ‘alternative Christmas,’ films such as The Lion in Winter and Desk Set.” Jim defines alternative Christmas films as “films that take place during the holiday period, but …
I’m betting at least a few of our readers braved the Black Friday shopping crowds to get their hands on particular products at bargain prices. You may have even ventured out to shop on Thanksgiving Thursday, with a number of stores deciding to open much earlier than in previous years. Of course, as was widely …
In celebration of Native American History Month, we have just added 428 Native American documents containing constitutions, charters, and acts from the years 1830 to 1960.
The following is a guest post by Bing Jia, a foreign law intern in the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Center. It is said that being an only child has pros and cons: not having to share stuff is an upside, while loneliness is a downside; being spoiled is a bright side of being an …
As a student of history, I often wonder how many people understand the significance of the date of Veterans Day and why it is always celebrated on the day of the holiday and not, like Labor Day or Memorial Day, observed on a Monday. The holiday began originally as a commemoration associated with World War I …
The following is a guest post by Elin Hofverberg, a Swedish law specialist working at the Law Library of Congress. Elin was featured in an In Custodia Legis interview on October 19, 2011. What happened? A debate about the existence, operation, and legal aspects of private boarding schools is currently raging in Sweden. Such schools remain …
The following is a guest post by Laney Zhang, Foreign Law Specialist for China. Laney is no stranger to In Custodia Legis. Her previous posts have included: The Rule of Law in China: New Titles in Our Collection; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Author; Trains and Corruption in China; Baby Pandas and the Law: In Memory of Mei …
The following is a guest post by Eduardo Soares, our foreign law specialist for Portuguese-speaking countries. Eduardo has previously written a post for In Custodia Legis on the legal history of capoeira in Brazil. Immigration, citizenship pathways, and border security are recurrent topics in the media. You may have wondered: How does immigration work in …
This post was co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer. One of the most frequent requests we receive from patrons at the reference desk at the Law Library Reading Room is for help in tracking down statutes passed by the United States Congress. While at first glance, finding a statute may seem straightforward, there are …