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Category: Law Library

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Thirty Years Ago – The Big Move

Posted by: Kurt Carroll

The following is a guest post by Mark Strattner, Chief of our Collection Services Division. February 2, 2011 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of the move of the Law Library from the Thomas Jefferson Building to its present location in the James Madison Memorial Building. On Monday February 2, 1981, the Collection Management …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

January Retrospective

Posted by: Andrew Weber

So how did we do in January?  Not bad based on our stats.  Our blog was viewed more this month than any other since we started back in August. There were several guest posts for In Custodia Legis this month, including two by Roberta Shaffer, the Law Librarian of Congress.  She first posted a holiday …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Coutumes of France in the Law Library of Congress

Posted by: Kurt Carroll

The following is a guest post by Dr. Meredith Shedd-Driskel, Law Curator. With the rise of feudalism in medieval France, the country had evolved into two judicial territories.  The provincial parliaments in northern France, acting as sovereign judicial bodies independent of each other and claiming independence from the king, applied droit coutumier, or legal principles …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Posted by: Christine Sellers

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In 1983, President Reagan signed H.R. 3706, a bill to make the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a legal public holiday, which became Public Law No: 98-144.  The day (and federal holiday) is declared each year via Presidential Proclamation and is in honor of the birthday of …