Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, which would allow photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising of court proceedings except when it would violate a party’s due process rights. A similar bill is already pending in the House. Complete information about the bill (S. 352) is available from THOMAS.
LIBRARY SPRING BREAK SCHEDULES
The Library will be open reduced hours during Spring Break. On the weekends of March 15-16 and 22-23, hours are from noon to 8 p.m. On the week of March 17-21, hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Library spaces on the 14th floor will be closed on Friday through Sunday, March 21-23, 2008.
Master Your Summer Employment
Want to develop practical skills and approaches to master your summer employment?
Attend the March 28, 2008 Bridge the Gap program at the New York City Bar, sponsored by the Law Library Association of Greater New York. Click here for a PDF version of the program announcement and registration form.
This full-day program will enhance your research skills in a number of specific practice areas (including intellectual property, employment and labor, tax, corporate transactions and securities, criminal law, commercial litigation, legal ethics, bankruptcy, and international and foreign law). The program concludes with a panel discussion about life as a summer associate. Panel members include Judge Elizabeth S. Stong, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York, Peter J.W. Sherwin, a litigation partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, Jeffrey Levitt, an associate at Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto, and Heide-Marie Bliss, NY Library Manager at O’Melveny & Meyers LLP.
National Center for State Courts’ Court Information Database
CourTopics, the NCSC court information database, features in-depth information on court-related topics. Features include Resource Guides, Overviews, Frequently Asked Questions, State Links, and much more.
RSS Feeds from the Law Library of Congress
The Library of Congress’s Law Library of Congress now offers RSS Feeds on the following topics: News & Events, Research Reports, Webcasts, and Global Legal Monitor.
The "Research Reports" feed, for example, includes such topics as "How to Do Russian Legal Research" and "Children’s Rights: International Laws."
These new feeds are just a small portion of the complete list of Library of Congress RSS Feeds.
(From the RSS4Lib blog)
Presidential Candidates on International Law Topics
The American Society of International Law (ASIL) recently announced International Law 2008, which features a collection of US presidential candidates’ policy statements on international law topics, candidate surveys about international law in US foreign policy, and other resources.
Foreign & International Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
These websites contain resources referencing the impact or influence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his philosophy. The references include cases, legislation, books, journal articles, and organizations. The included resources address civil rights activism, laws, and movements; social justice through community service activities; nonviolent social change; religious organizations and law reforms; and legal commentary on Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement.
The Legal Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Selected Resources
Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Activists and the Law: Selected D’Angelo Law Library Resources
Reminder: West’s Enhanced Key Number System Access
West has recently released a new tool that is sure to enhance legal research using the West Key Number System. Here is an excerpt of an announcement from West:
The Search for Key Numbers tool, released November 10, 2007, offers a lightning-fast solution: Type a short description of your issue and click Search. Key numbers—each with a link to a jurisdiction-specific Custom Digest result—are provided for you.
Done.
This new feature instantly identifies the key numbers assigned to your legal issue and retrieves on-point cases via the Custom Digest. To access the new Search for Key Numbers tool, click Key Numbers at the top of any Westlaw page or on the site map. A page is displayed that contains the Search for Key Numbers text box, as well as links to the West Key Number Digest outline and to KeySearch®.
To use the Search for Key Numbers tool, type a description of your issue, e.g., landlord duty of care to trespassers, in the text box. To select a jurisdiction, click Change Jurisdiction and use the check boxes provided. (If you don’t select a jurisdiction, the default jurisdiction is your home state.) Using West’s exclusive CaRE® technology, the same technology behind the scenes of ResultsPlus®, the Search for Key Numbers tool displays key numbers potentially relevant to your issue. Click a key number, and you retrieve jurisdiction-specific headnotes classified under the key number.
There is no charge for using the Search for Key Numbers tool to identify key numbers. If you click a key number and retrieve headnotes via the Custom Digest, you are billed in the same manner as with any other Custom Digest search.
You can access more information about the Key Numbers Search Tool here.
Library Closed for Martin Luther King Day
Monday, January 21, is the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. All Library areas and services will be closed on that day. However, the Library will be open regular hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., on the weekend of January 19 – 20.