The following is a guest post by Luis Acosta, a division chief in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. An interesting aspect of comparative constitutional analysis considers how differences in countries’ histories and legal cultures are reflected in national constitutions. A recent Law Library of Congress report highlights such differences …
Today’s interview is with Ricardo Wicker, a foreign law intern currently working with Nicolas Boring on research related to the laws of France and other French-speaking jurisdictions. Describe your background. I am a law student at the University of Montreal, where I am pursuing a combined a degree from the LL.B./J.D. program. During my training, I have …
On August 1, Switzerland commemorates the signing of what is generally considered to be the founding document of the Swiss Confederation, the Federal Charter of 1291 (Bundesbrief von 1291). It is believed that approximately on this date, representatives from the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden met on the Rütli meadow and pledged allegiance to …
The following is a guest post by Felix Beulke, summer intern at the Global Legal Research Directorate, Law Library of Congress. It follows a blog post by Clare Feikert-Ahalt, FALQs: Brexit Referendum. On June 23, 2016 the United Kingdom held a referendum on whether to leave or to remain in the European Union (so called …
Conscription in the German Federal Republic began on July 21, 1956 when the German Compulsory Military Service Act (Wehrpflichtgesetz) entered into force. It lasted for 55 years until, on July 1, 2011, the German Bundestag (parliament) decided to suspend conscription and convert the German Armed Forces into an army of professional and volunteer soldiers. Instead of …
This is a guest post by Nicolas Boring who has previously written for the blog on a variety of topics including FALQs: Freedom of Speech in France, How Sunday Came to be a Day of Rest in France, Napoleon Bonaparte and Mining Rights in France, French Law – Global Legal Collection Highlights, and co-collaborated on the post, Does the …
When President Obama announced the nomination of Merrick B. Garland, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on March 16, 2016, it garnered a lot of media attention. Thinking about my native Germany, I realized that I could not remember hearing or reading …
On April 23, 2016, breweries all over Germany and particularly in the Free State of Bavaria will celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the enactment of the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot (beer purity law); a regulation that mandates which ingredients are allowed for the brewing of beer. The Reinheitsgebot is one of the oldest food regulations in …
To “Uber” is now a verb. This development reflects the rapid expansion of the mobile ride-hailing company Uber in the United States and the rest of the world. However, in many European jurisdictions, and particularly in Germany, Uber has run into regulatory roadblocks. Uber offers “a technology platform that enables users of Uber’s mobile applications …
