According to the SCOTUSblog:

The Court has released the opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), on whether the District's firearms regulations  which bar the possession of handguns and require shotguns and rifles to be kept disassembled or under trigger lock  violate the Second Amendment. The ruling below, which struck down the provisions in question, is affirmed...Quoting the syllabus: The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditional lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

Justice Scalia authored the majority opinion, available via the SCOTUSblog here, and two dissenting opinions were filed, one authored by Justice Stevens (joined by Justices Souter, Ginsberg and Breyer) and one authored by Justice Breyer (joined by Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsberg).

Every year, the Washington Post publishes the Post 200 which highlights the largest employers in the DC area. This year, Skadden Arps and Latham & Watkins report almost twice as many employees as any other law firm in the metropolitan area.
 
Check out the complete list of law firms online. Click on the firm name for a brief profile of each entity.

From April 24th through May 24th, Washingtonians are encouraged to read (or re-read) F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as part of the annual Big Read DC program.  Related events include: book discussions, films, performances, art deco architecture tours, Charleston dance lessons, an exhibition at the MLK Library, and a reading by area novelists influenced by the book.

The Big Read is a nationwide program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to encourage pleasure reading among Americans.  Currently 126 communities are participating in this year's program.

On April 16, 1862, eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation, President Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act and ended slavery in the District.

The D.C. Government celebrates Emancipation Day today with a series of events including lectures, performances and a parade.

You can read more about Emancipation Day in First Freed: Washington, D.C. in the Emancipation Era which is available on the 5th floor of Williams Library.

The Law Library of Congress will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Law Day on May 1st with a panel discussion entitled, "The Rule of Law in Established and Emerging Countries." Georgetown Law Professor Jane Stromseth will be one of the panelists. 

Law Day is a celebration of the appreciation of U.S. liberties and loyalty to the country, as well as a "rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law with each other and with other countries." 36 U.S.C. 113 (2000).

Here's a list of other commemorative observances you may not know about.

Have you been longing to see that hometown newspaper?  You've probably heard about the Newseum's grand opening this weekend on Pennsylvania Ave., but check out their website which displays the front page of hundreds of daily newspapers in their original, unedited form. You can sort the papers by region, scan through a list organized by state or click on a map to see the dailies covered. Once you view a paper, a direct link to the publication's website is available for easy browsing.

I was pleasantly surprised to see not one, but two, articles featuring Georgetown University Law Center in my April issue of the Washingtonian Magazine. The first article highlights Prof. Lisa Heinzerling as one of the 30 "Green Powers" in the DC area for her work on the Supreme Court case, Massachusetts vs. EPA. The second article features the photographer who recently created the panoramic photos of the Law Center featured on the GULC website.

So, when I wanted to share these articles with a colleague, I checked the magazine's website and found out that the current month's articles are not electronically available. I then went to our E-Journal Finder to see if the articles were available through some other online source. While E-Journal Finder indicated that the Washingtonian Magazine was available on both Lexis and Westlaw, a search of these resources found that the April 2008 issue was not yet available.

Many magazines, such as the Washingtonian, embargo their material so that online resources don't take away from their print circulation. So, if you have a minute, check out the April 2008 issue of the Washingtonian, kept in the Loewinger Lounge or on Reserve at the Circulation Desk in the Williams Library and remember that not everything is available online.

For those environmentally conscious beer drinkers out there, Slate has investigated whether canned or bottled beer is greener. The inevitable question looks for a "green beer" answer just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

Check out the official website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival to make plans for the upcoming events, including a parade, 10-mile race and soccer tournament. Volunteers are needed throughout the festival if you're looking for a study break.

The latest buzz is all about Democratic Superdelegates.  (Check out articles in the Wall Street Journal, Politico, Village Voice, Globe and Mail.)  With the race as close as it is, superdelegates may influence- some even say determine- the outcome of the Democratic National Convention. 

Superdelegates are current and former elected officeholders and party officials. These delegates' votes are counted along with the delegates elected by each state (through the primary vote, caucus, etc.) to determine the nominee. 

Learn more about superdelegates from these resources:

• Superdelegate Wikipedia entry
• Superdelegates.org -interactive website attempting to track superdelegates- who they are and which candidate each is endorsing.
• Law Professor Richard Hasen explains  why primary rules- including the use of superdelegates- are legal.