We can help you learn how to . . .

• use research resources to find what you need efficiently
• maximize the value of annotations, headnotes and secondary sources
• narrow search results to find the cases most on point
• update your research to make sure it remains valid
• use the Bluebook effectively

There is a reason your LP professors allow you to seek research help from the librarians. Why not give it a try! Send an email to reference@nyls.edu and we’d be happy to schedule a Zoom or Microsoft Teams appointment.

In an age of confusion, injustice and obfuscation, civil rights issues have seen an intense resurgence. As the nation continues to grapple with inequality, access to reliable information is critical to foster knowledge and facilitate civil discourse. To that end, the Mendik Library is pleased to announce the availability of Civil Rights and Social Justice, a new database in HeinOnline’s Social Justice Suite, which also includes Slavery in America and the World and Gun Regulation and Legislation in America.

Civil Rights and Social Justice covers the topic of civil rights in the United States as legal protections and definitions are expanded. It brings together a diverse collection of publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, hearings and committee prints, legislative histories of landmark legislation, reports by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), briefs from seminal Supreme Court cases, as well as curated lists of scholarly articles, books, and prominent civil rights organizations.

The larger HeinOnline legal database is linked from the Library’s updated Electronic Resources page. HeinOnline contains more than 2,800 law journals and law-related periodicals, essential government documents, Supreme Court records and briefs, constitutions, classic treatises, and much more.

The new Supreme Court term will begin this year on Monday, October 5, 2020. It will occur amidst political drama in light of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent death and the nomination and confirmation process for her potential successor.

In accordance with Supreme Court tradition, Justice Ginsburg’s Bench Chair and the Bench directly in front of it have been draped with black wool crepe in memoriam. In addition, a black drape has been hung over the Courtroom doors. The flags on the Court’s front plaza will be flown at half-staff through October 20. Visit the Supreme Court’s web site for an In Memoriam.

If you want a preview of the cases and arguments that lie ahead, visit the ABA’s Preview of the United States Supreme Court Cases. You can also visit Georgetown University Law Center’s Supreme Court Institute, A Look Ahead, Supreme Court of the United States October Term 2020. Finally, summaries of the cases to be heard this term can be found at the SCOTUSblog.

To follow the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to become the next Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, visit Georgetown Law Center’s Supreme Court Nominations Guide. It compiles a list of resources concerning Judge Barrett, including biographical information, court opinions, appellate briefs, Congressional hearings, and scholarly publications.  More information, including links to documentation for the confirmation hearings, will be posted there as it becomes available.

Happy Constitution Day!

Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the date on which thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, signed the United States Constitution in 1787. The Convention was convened as a result of dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States. In 2004, Congress changed the designation to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, to “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia offers a number of educational videos, including a virtual tour of the Center’s Signers Hall. The original Constitution is held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. but when you are in the Mendik Library (and we hope it won’t be too long before we see you there) you can pick up your own pocket-copy at the Reference desk!

As you may know, the Law School recently moved to a new website. Until migration of the Library web pages has been completed, please use these links to access the Library’s resources:

Library home page
https://www.nyls.edu/academics/library

Library Catalog
https://lawlib.nyls.edu

Course Reserves
https://nylaw.bywatersolutions.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-course-reserves.pl

Electronic Resources
https://libguides.nyls.edu/electronicresources

Library Orientation Materials
https://libguides.nyls.edu/findingthelaw20

• Bloomberg Law, Lexis+ & Westlaw Edge Registration Information
• CALI
• Research Skills Workshops (RSW) Registration

Research Tools
https://libguides.nyls.edu/researchtools

Please contact us if you have any questions:

Circulation 
email: circulation@nyls.edu

Reference Desk
Email: reference@nyls.edu
Chat With the Reference Desk
Log in to Microsoft Teams with your NYLS network ID, and use Microsoft Web App to connect.

As the home of the 19th Amendment, the National Archives is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Constitutional amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Visit their website to view the records that tell the story, including petitions, legislation, court cases, and more.

New York Law School has significant ties to the amendment.  Bainbridge Colby, an 1894 graduate of the law school who served as Secretary of State to President Wilson, signed the proclamation announcing the Nineteenth Amendment’s effectiveness after it had been ratified by the states. An August 27, 1920 headline in the New York Times reads: “Colby Proclaims Woman Suffrage.”

Welcome Back!  Although a number of things will be different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Library will certainly still be supporting your learning and research efforts.  Please don’t hesitate to ask questions and let us know what you need.

In addition to reviewing our new hours, please review the new Reserve Collection policy. If you have any questions, please contact our Circulation Librarian, Elina Oyola (elina.oyola@nys.edu)

The Practicing Law Institute, a leading provider of professional legal education, offers law students scholarships providing free access to all of PLI’s online educational programing (excluding its Patent Office Registration Exam Course). The program enables students to “quickly improve [their] skills and substantive knowledge, as well as gain a competitive edge in the job market with a better understanding of the ‘real world’ practice of law . . . [learning from] nationally known leaders in their fields on such topics as: Writing for Litigators; Trial Evidence; Trial by Jury; and Entertainment Law.”  Visit PLI’s website for additional information, www.pli.edu.  You can fill out the application for scholarships here.