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Posted by: Jim Martin
On this day in 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed into law a bill making The Star Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics were taken from a poem by attorney Francis Scott Key who was inspired to write after witnessing the Royal Navy’s bombardment of Fort McHenry while on board ship …
Posted in: Law Library, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
The United States made a deal 100 years ago today, on March 2, 1917, when the Jones-Shafroth Act became law making Puerto Rico a territory of the United States.
Posted in: Collections, Hispanic American History, Law Library
Posted by: Andrew Weber
This week’s interview is with Walter Foggie. Walter is the facility design and space planner here in the Law Library of Congress. Describe your background. Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I have lived in Maryland since 2010. I served on active duty with the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer operations manager where my service …
Posted in: Interview, Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
I frequently suspect that my nearest and dearest sometimes heave a sigh when they see me coming. Although I can always be relied upon to provide some delectable baked goods, I can also be relied upon to hijack the conversation and natter on about some obscure date in history or some arcane legislative procedure. And …
Posted in: Congress, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
On this day in 1868, the House of Representatives voted to adopt a resolution that became eleven articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson after he dismissed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without the approval of the Senate in violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Johnson had attempted to remove Stanton on two occasions. He suspended Stanton during …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Jim Martin
The following is an interview with Theresa Reiss, who is currently working at the Law Library of Congress as a reference librarian in the Law Library Reading Room. Describe your background I am originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. But during my adult life, I have lived in Arizona, California, Illinois, and Virginia. I am a part-time …
Posted in: Interview, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
The Law Library of Congress is excited to bring you a collection of World War I declarations of war from around the world. If you’re not familiar with our collections, you might wonder how we came to acquire these century-old foreign legal materials. The reason is that, as the United States assumed a greater role in international affairs, the Law Library of Congress …
Posted in: Law Library, World War I
Posted by: Kelly Buchanan
Libraries are great places to learn about love. There are books about love and romance, of course, but you might also have or discover a lifelong love of books, or even meet the love of your life! You might not associate law libraries with love, but if you think about it, where else can you …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Andrew Weber
One week ago Jane Sánchez succeeded Roberta Shaffer as the Law Librarian of Congress. Roberta was the 22nd Law Librarian of Congress and was followed by David Mao. David was subsequently followed by Roberta again, which makes Jane the 25th Law Librarian of Congress. At a recent meet-and-greet between Jane and the Law Library of Congress …
Posted in: Law Library