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Posted by: Andrew Weber
On a recent drive back to DC from Indiana, I made a detour through Pittsburgh. I love to stop and visit the city where I went to law school. During the visit, I snapped this picture of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law surrounded by a blanket of snow. The Barco Law Library occupies the top three floors of …
Posted in: Pic of the Week
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 …
Posted in: Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Nathan Dorn
Today is the anniversary of the ratification of the first written constitution in American history, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which took place on January 14, 1639. The Fundamental Orders outlined the form of government that would be established over the Connecticut River Towns, enumerating its powers and describing the duties of citizens active in government. A fascinating document …
Posted in: Collections, In the News, Law Library
Posted by: Donna Sokol
The following is a guest post by David Mao, Law Librarian of Congress. He has previously guest posted Justifying Speed, Food for Thought, Another Trip Down Memory Lane, 2012 Burton Awards – Pic of the Week, Shreddy: From the Office of the Law Librarian – Pic of the Week, From the Desk of the Law Librarian, The Law …
Posted in: Guest Post, Law Library
Posted by: Andrew Weber
We have now completed our second full calendar year of In Custodia Legis. Our team of bloggers has continued to grow as we aim to share what we learn with you. We posted just over 240 times in the last twelve months! And we have been joined by Margaret, Tina, Jeanine, Donna, Barbara, and Robert during that period. Eleven …
Posted in: Congress, Global Law, Law Library, THOMAS
Posted by: Margaret Wood
Congress is once again in a lame duck session. The Senate’s Virtual Reference Desk Glossary website defines a lame duck session as: When Congress (or either chamber) reconvenes in an even-numbered year following the November general elections to consider various items of business. Some lawmakers who return for this session will not be in the next …
Posted in: In the News, Law Library, THOMAS
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 …
Posted in: Law Library, Research Guide
Posted by: Barbara Bavis
This week’s interview is with Monica Greene, a Library Technician in the Law Library of Congress Reading Room. Describe your background. I consider Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home, although I moved around a bit growing up and spent four years in Kyoto, Japan. After coming back to the U.S. I always wanted to return to Japan, so …
Posted in: Interview, 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