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Posted by: Robert Brammer
This post was coauthored by Barbara Bavis. One of the defining features of the common law system is the emphasis placed on the precedential value of case law. Until recently, case law has not been widely available on the Internet, leaving researchers with no choice but to seek out print reporters and commercial electronic databases …
Posted in: Education, Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Robert Brammer
Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (alternately) release a compilation called The United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, better known as the “Plum Book.” This compilation features a list of over 7,000 civil service leadership and …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
The Law Library of Congress houses approximately 60,000 rare items, 25,000 of which are housed in our climate controlled vault. The Law Library’s rare books collection is managed by our Rare Books Curator, Nathan Dorn. For an item to be considered rare, it typically must have been published prior to 1801. This 1788 translation of the U.S. …
Posted in: Law Library, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Robert Brammer
Continuing with our unusual laws series, we turn to Tudor Vermin Acts. These acts allowed officials to hinder the growth of vermin by placing a bounty on nuisance animals, creating an incentive for private citizens to take it upon themselves to eradicate what were believed to be agricultural pests. Since the United States inherited its common …
Posted in: Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
The Law Library of Congress houses approximately 60,000 rare items, 25,000 of which are contained in a climate controlled vault. To be classified as rare, an item generally must have been published prior to 1801. One of our interesting rare items is a petition for a writ of process handwritten by a young lawyer named …
Posted in: Collections, Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
It seems that nearly every person who works with the law will, at some point in their career, come across a memorable case that stays with them. The circumstances could be inspiring, outrageous, or in my case, humorous. I have already written about my favorite case, Nickerson v. Hodges, 146 La. 735, 84 So. 37 (La. …
Posted in: Education, Law Library
Posted by: Robert Brammer
Law is a serious profession, but as anyone who has ever picked up a wacky laws book would know, law can occasionally be a source of humor. We’ve discussed unusual laws from foreign jurisdictions in the past. Today, we return to the United States to discuss the unusual case of Nickerson v. Hodges. Nickerson frequently …
Posted in: Education, Guest Post, Law Library