Conscription in the German Federal Republic began on July 21, 1956 when the German Compulsory Military Service Act (Wehrpflichtgesetz) entered into force. It lasted for 55 years until, on July 1, 2011, the German Bundestag (parliament) decided to suspend conscription and convert the German Armed Forces into an army of professional and volunteer soldiers. Instead of …
I recently re-read one of my favorite childhood books, Karen by Marie Killilea. The book recounts the struggles of the author’s daughter who was born with cerebral palsy and her challenges to lead a normal life. The author also mentions Frances Giden Berko who had cerebral palsy as well and this caught my attention because …
From a very young age, mysteries, crime novels and other types of legal fiction were always my favorites. I preferred the Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew. In college, I always went to Georges Simenon and Maigret whenever I had to read a novel for French class. And today when I’m on vacation you can find …
The following is a guest post by Tariq Ahmad, a legal analyst in the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress. Tariq has previously blogged about Islamic Law in Pakistan – Global Legal Collection Highlights, the Law Library’s 2013 Panel Discussion on Islamic Law, and Sedition Law in India. This post follows my …
The lecture delivered by Professor Ruth Mazo Karras, medievalist and chair of the Department of History at the University of Minnesota, was the fourth of the Law Library’s series of complementary lectures to the exhibition: “Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor.” The focus …
On January 6, 2015 434 representatives and 33 senators will take the following oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, …
This post was co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, Legal Reference Librarians. Social Security disability benefits have taken on an ever-increasing role in the press in recent months, and as such, it is no surprise that the Law Library of Congress has received many questions regarding the law in this area. In this post, …
As part of our annual Law Day celebration, we welcomed moderator Carrie Johnson, Justice Correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), who led an informative and lively panel discussion on equality. The program, “The Movement in America for Civil and Human Rights,” was developed to correspond with the American Bar Association’s national theme, “Realizing the Dream, …