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Category: Law Library

View of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia. Photo by Robert Brammer.

Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Jim Martin

Two hundred and fifty years ago on Monday, February 27, 1773, the building of an Anglican church was completed in Alexandria, Virginia. This particular church has historical importance because of its association with George Washington, local planter, commanding general of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, and first President of the United States.  …

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The Wild Blue Yonder

Posted by: Jim Martin

Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, Act of July 26, 1947, ch. 343, 61 Stat. 495. The act had several major provisions including the establishment of the Department of Defense, the removal of the departments of War and of the Navy from the cabinet, and the creation …

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Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa gets a raise

Posted by: Jim Martin

The beginning of the 1942 Christmas season in the United States was an exceptional time. The country was entering the second year of a global war, which led to many men and women being away from their families, either in uniform, or working afar in war-related industries. Common consumer goods were subject to shortages, rationing, …

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“Old Soldiers Never Die…”

Posted by: Jim Martin

Wednesday is Veterans Day in the United States, a day dedicated to remembering and honoring the men and women who have served in the nation’s uniformed services. The holiday was established by an act of Congress in 1954 and was selected to replace Armistice Day, which marked the anniversary of the day when the fighting …

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Collections and Digitization Projects of the Vatican Apostolic Library

Posted by: Jim Martin

The following post is written by Dante Figueroa, a senior legal information analyst at the Law Library of Congress. He has recently written for In Custodia Legis on the Italian Parliamentary Library; Spanish Legal Documents (15th to 19th Century); Recent Legislation Enacted by Italy to Tackle COVID-19; and Italy: A New Silk Road Between Italy …

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75th Anniversary of End of World War II

Posted by: Jim Martin

On this day in 1945, the most destructive war in human history came to an end when representatives of the Japanese government signed the instrument of surrender on board the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Overseeing the event was General of the Army and Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur.   Representatives of …

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Birthday of First US Patent

Posted by: Jim Martin

On this day in 1790, the United States government issued a patent to Samuel Hopkins for an improvement in the means of making potash and pearl ash. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the Constitution of the United States of America provides the Congress the power to pass laws to protect intellectual property. However, …

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The Creation of Committees in the House of Representatives

Posted by: Jim Martin

Article I, Section 5, Clause 3 of the Constitution requires that both chambers of Congress keep journals of their proceedings and that the journals be periodically published. Unlike the debates of the early congresses, which were not compiled and published until some years later, the journals have always been published after the end of each …