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Category: Research Guide

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Asylum Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

This post was co-authored by Robert Brammer and Barbara Bavis, Legal Reference Librarians. In the recent public debate regarding immigration reform, some groups have called for a change to our current method of granting asylum to those who fear returning to their country of origin due to “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on …

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Patent Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

For the next entry in our Beginner’s Guide series, I will touch upon patent law, an area of law that, despite its seeming need for specialization and technical knowledge, holds a large amount of interest for the public at large. The Law Library of Congress receives many questions regarding patent law, particularly with regard to …

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Contract Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

This post was coauthored by Robert Brammer and Barbara Bavis, Legal Reference Librarians. For the next installment of our Beginner’s Guide series, we will examine an area of law that never appears to go out of style—contract law.  Contract law is a constant part of our lives, whether it is signing a lease for a …

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Congressional Voting Records: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

For the next installment of the Beginner’s Guide series, I turn to a subject that is of recurring interest to our patrons—how to find congressional voting records (also called roll call information). This topic presents more challenges than may be readily apparent, because researchers must not only determine what resources cover the period of time …

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Employment and Labor Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

This post is co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, Legal Reference Librarians. Continuing with our Beginner’s Guide series, we turn next to labor and employment law.  This area of the law has been prominent in the news over the past several months, particularly in light of the union stronghold of the Midwest, Michigan, becoming …

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Immigration Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

While for years immigration has been a much-debated political topic, several issues have caused a recent increase in press attention, including: (1) numerous attempts to pass the DREAM Act in Congress; (2) the recent success of Question 4 in Maryland; and (3) the June 15, 2012 memorandum by Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security …

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Executive Orders: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

Although they are not specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, Executive Orders have been considered one of the President’s powers since George Washington’s administration.  Executive Orders are exactly what they sound like—orders produced by the President, as head of the executive branch, that are “generally directed to, and govern actions by, Government officials and agencies.”[1]  …