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Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
Tomorrow, November 30, 2018, marks the centennial of the signing of the Danish-Icelandic Forbundslov (Danish-Icelandic Union Act), which entered into force the following day on December 1, 1918. Iceland—originally a Norwegian province—had been a part of Denmark ever since Norway became a part of Denmark in the 14th century under Queen Margaret I. It remained part of Denmark …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
Today, October 4, marks Cinnamon Bun Day (Kanelbullensdag) in Sweden. Despite being celebrated as a must-have in the Swedish fika culture, the cinnamon bun pastry did not become commonplace until the 1920s (after World War I), when its ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, yeast, and cinnamon) went from being on a list of rationed goods (ransoneringslista) …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
This blog post is part of our Global Legal Collection Highlights series intended to introduce readers to various foreign legal collections and resources. The creation of a nation is a particularly complex and difficult task. One might say that it often involves blood, sweat, and tears, as well as possibly toil and terror; the types of …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
This blog post is part of our Frequently Asked Legal Questions series. Svenska Akademien (the Swedish Academy) which was previously relatively unknown to most people, recently received heightened media attention because of internal disputes. The disputes involved allegations of sexual harassment against the husband of an Academy member, as well as allegations of financial impropriety (or at least …
Posted in: Frequently Asked Legal Questions (FALQ), Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
Just over 100 years ago, on December 6, 1917, Finland officially declared independence from Russia. The Declaration of Independence had been signed on December 4 by the Senate (then Finland’s highest governing body) and was adopted by the Finnish Parliament two days later. Work towards independence had commenced in March 1917 following the abdication of the Russian tsar. In …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
This blog post is part of our Frequently Asked Legal Questions series. Background As more and more countries are heading toward cashless societies, I became painfully aware of the realities of a country without cash as I toured Sweden this past summer. Not only did some stores not accept cash, but travelling by bus also required either an app …
Posted in: Frequently Asked Legal Questions (FALQ), Global Law
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
On the first weekend of February, in each year dating back to the 1600s, Sami traders gather at the Jokkmokk Market in Jokkmokk to trade their goods internationally. This year marked the 412th hosting of the annual market. Although I have yet to attend, its history fascinates me and I wanted to share it with you. Trade with …
Posted in: Global Law
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
December 2, 2016, marked the 250th anniversary of the first Swedish Freedom of the Press Act, which has been regarded as the world’s first statute related to freedom of the press. The Act abolished censorship and specifically provided a right for Swedish citizens to access government archives. It was therefore also the first act to establish …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
Today is the National Day of Iceland, which celebrates the establishment of the Republic of Iceland upon Iceland declaring full independence from Denmark on June 17, 1944. This seemed like a good occasion to share some of the highlights of the Law Library of Congress collection of Icelandic materials with In Custodia Legis readers. Jónsbók …
Posted in: Collections, Global Law