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Posted by: Robert Brammer
This is a guest post by Ashley Sundin who was an intern with the Law Library’s Public Services Division this summer. Animal law is a rapidly growing area of law, especially in the past decade. The human-animal interaction comes in a variety of forms including companionship, agriculture, and science. As a result, animal law extends …
Posted in: Education, Guest Post, Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Robert Brammer
In May, I took a walking tour of the western campus of St. Elizabeths (there is no apostrophe) hospital in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The tour was hosted by the D.C. Preservation League. The hospital is situated high above the city, providing the panoramic view you see pictured below. Dorothea Dix, an advocate for the mentally ill …
Posted in: Education, Law Library, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Robert Brammer
On May 1st I took an oath that I cannot say I ever anticipated. On Law Day, I was admitted to the Kentucky Bar, and as part of the oath of admission, I had to swear that ”… since the adoption of the present Constitution, I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel …
Posted in: Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
On January 30, 1835, an unemployed painter by the name of Richard Lawrence made the first attempt on the life of a sitting U.S. President. That damp, misty day, President Andrew Jackson had traveled to the Capitol Building to attend a Congressional funeral in the House Wing. As the President exited the funeral, he approached …
Posted in: Education, Law Library, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Robert Brammer
Last December, I set out to discover my law library colleagues’ favorite cases. Some responded with humorous cases and some with landmark cases that forever changed the face of law. I was unable to talk to everyone in December, so this month I resumed my efforts to discover my colleagues’ favorite cases. Shameema Rahman, Senior …
Posted in: Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
This post was coauthored by Barbara Bavis. One of the defining features of the common law system is the emphasis placed on the precedential value of case law. Until recently, case law has not been widely available on the Internet, leaving researchers with no choice but to seek out print reporters and commercial electronic databases …
Posted in: Education, Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Robert Brammer
Continuing with our unusual laws series, we turn to Tudor Vermin Acts. These acts allowed officials to hinder the growth of vermin by placing a bounty on nuisance animals, creating an incentive for private citizens to take it upon themselves to eradicate what were believed to be agricultural pests. Since the United States inherited its common …
Posted in: Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
The Law Library of Congress houses approximately 60,000 rare items, 25,000 of which are contained in a climate controlled vault. To be classified as rare, an item generally must have been published prior to 1801. One of our interesting rare items is a petition for a writ of process handwritten by a young lawyer named …
Posted in: Collections, Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
It seems that nearly every person who works with the law will, at some point in their career, come across a memorable case that stays with them. The circumstances could be inspiring, outrageous, or in my case, humorous. I have already written about my favorite case, Nickerson v. Hodges, 146 La. 735, 84 So. 37 (La. …
Posted in: Education, Law Library