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Posted by: Margaret Wood
We have written a number of posts about Lame Duck congresses and what happens at the beginning of a new Congress, but we thought this year we would take a moment to talk about what happens during the second session of a Congress. Before the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, Congress began on …
Posted in: Congress, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
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 …
Posted in: Education, In the News, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
This week’s interview is with Janice Hyde, recently appointed as the first director of the Global Legal Collection Directorate. Describe your background. I was born in the same town (Catskill, N.Y.) and delivered by the same doctor as my mother. I was raised in Owego, New York, which is so remote from the “Big Apple” …
Posted in: Collections, Interview, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
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 …
Posted in: Congress, Education, Law Library, World War I
Posted by: Margaret Wood
Once again, the Law Library will be participating at the National Book Festival. This will be our third year at the Library of Congress Pavilion. Our booth will be staffed by some faces familiar from last year as well as some staff new to the Festival. Law Library staff are also giving several presentations during …
Posted in: Event, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
This week’s interview is with Richard Wismer, a summer intern with the Public Services Division, Law Library of Congress. The Law Library’s internship program is in full swing and we are introducing all our summer interns to In Custodia Legis readers during the coming weeks. Describe your background. I live in Ellicott City, Maryland, which is …
Posted in: Interview, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
Generally when researchers visit the Law Library Reading Room with questions about marriage laws, I refer them to the relevant state code. The laws governing the contracting of a marriage or its dissolution are legislated by the state and usually in a chapter of the state code entitled “Domestic Relations.” However, in certain circumstances, the federal government will enter …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
We often think of law as a specialized, exotic creature, published in heavy tomes and largely inaccessible to laymen. But through my early childhood reading, I was introduced to one of the most important laws of the 19th century, which helped drive the westward expansion of this country. Like many children who read Laura Ingalls …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
A few years ago, the Law Library was asked to research and create web pages on commemorative observances. The project included identification of the laws which were passed and presidential proclamations which were issued to establish and annually observe these commemorations. The relevant pages can be found on the Law Library’s website under “Legal Topics.” Over the past two …
Posted in: In the News, Law Library