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On the Shelf: Caribbean Collection Items

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

The Caribbean is a term for the area that comprises nearly twenty-five sovereign territories, overseas departments, and dependencies in the Caribbean Sea basin. The U.N. Statistical Division and the CIA World Factbook recognize the Caribbean as a distinct geographical subregion for statistical and economic purposes. Historically, the Caribbean has not generated much legal material compared …

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Appellate Judges Education Institute Summit–Pic of the Week

Posted by: Liah Caravalho

As a member of the Legislative and External Relations Office in the Law Library of Congress, I have the exciting opportunity to plan public events that celebrate law related observances such as Law Day and Constitution Day. I also have the pleasure of coordinating program visits for legal professionals and students from all over the world who want …

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Law Library Will Mark Human Rights Day with a Discussion Centered on Islamic Law

Posted by: Jeanine Cali

On Tuesday, December 8, 2015, the Law Library of Congress and the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division will recognize Human Rights Day with a panel discussion centered on Islamic law. The discussion, “Perspectives on Islamic Law Reform,” will feature a panel of distinguished Islamic scholars. The panelists include Sherman Jackson, King Faisal Chair of …

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On This Day: Congress Moves to Washington, D.C.

Posted by: Jennifer González

On this day, 215 years ago, Congress met in the Capitol Building for the first time.  The Sixth Congress established the residence of the Congress and seat of the United States government in Washington, D.C. with the move on November 17, 1800.   The newly established United States had nine capitals between 1776 and 1800: Philadelphia, …

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Political Philosopher Michael Sandel Delivers the 2015 Kellogg Biennial Lecture on Jurisprudence

Posted by: Liah Caravalho

Harvard professor and political philosopher, Michael J. Sandel is well known for his thought-provoking lectures on justice, ethics, democracy and markets. In fact, his course, “Justice,” which tackles some of the most complex ethical questions of our times, was the first Harvard course made freely available online and on television. Yet, despite his own commitment …

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Eastern State Penitentiary – Pics of the Week

Posted by: Jennifer González

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I stopped at the Eastern State Penitentiary. Opened in 1829, this was the most famous and expensive prison of its time.  Tourists and researchers came from around the world to study this innovative prison system, including Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Dickens. Eastern State Penitentiary was famous because it …

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Historical Statutes at Large Added to the Law Library’s Website

Posted by: Jennifer González

Last year, we added Statutes at Large to our Digitized Material page. Initially, each Congress from 1789-1950 had a webpage that included a large PDF file of all statutes for that congressional session. Then we began splitting the large PDF documents into smaller pieces, which meant that we had to browse each statute, add metadata to …

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Locating a Compiled Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Robert Brammer

This post is coauthored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, senior legal reference specialists. Compiling a federal legislative history may seem daunting, but it does not have to be. We hope, through our last few Beginner’s Guides, that we have made this process easier for researchers.  There is another, possibly less complicated, option for finding …