Due Process: The Georgetown Law Library Blog

The Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative Announces a Beta Test of "Regulation Room"

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:18:35 -0500

The Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative is previewing its new Regulation Room at http://www.regulationroom.org/. Regulation Room utilizes collaborative tools and other innovative features to "increase and enhance public engagement during the administrative rulemaking process."

From November 12th - 22nd, Regulation Room is running a test commenting period on a proposed National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule on new tires. Note that this is only a test, however, as the NHTSA is no longer accepting public comments on the proposed rule.

The Regulation Room is moderated by Cornell Law School students under the close supervision of Law School faculty and the Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR) School's Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution. It is hosted by Cornell's Legal Information Institute (LII).

For more information, see the "About" and "FAQ" sections of the Regulation Room website.

UN Member States: On the Record

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:40:00 -0500

The United Nations has released a research tool, UN Member States: On the Record , which aggregates UN members states' documentation in a really helpful way, and in a manner more substantive than the kind of research that young students often perform for their "Model UN" exercises and the like. Susan Kurtas of the Legal Branch Library of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library describes its purpose as follows:

"It links to selected UN databases, websites, and other information resources to make the record of Member States' activities at the UN more accessible. There are no new resources here-- just links to exisiting resources that have been dispersed around the UN website for years. Information available for each Member State includes: the key documents related to its membership in the UN; statements made before the principal organs; draft resolutions sponsored; periodic reports submitted on Human Rights conventions, and more. Running behind this new research tool are pre-set searches on multiple databases maintained by the UN Libraries and other Secretariat departments. A single click links to the most accurate, up-to date results, and yet also includes extensive historic coverage. Full text documents are linked in all official languages of the UN."

So for example if you select member state Nigeria, you bring up a page with links to the full texts (unless not available electronically anywhere at the UN yet; if not it gives one a bibliographic record) of the original resolutions granting the country UN membership, statements their representatives made in plenary meetings (from the Index to Speeches database), their participation in the Security Council (which rotates over time) , draft resolutions they sponsored, periodic reports to the human rights treaty bodies, and biographies of their credentialed representatives. It save a huge amount of time over searching it all oneself.

Free case law searching through Google Scholar

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:10:00 -0500

Through Google Scholar's advanced search page, it is now possible to limit your search to case law and law journals available on the web. This includes law journal articles contained in select subscription databases. It is also possible to search journal articles and legal opinions combined, just federal case law, or just case law from a state of your choosing. The Internet for Lawyers web site has more information.

While this is an exciting and useful development, it is important to remember that not all law journals or case law is searchable through this interface at this time.

To be able to access journal articles in subscription databases when you are off campus, be sure to edit your Google Scholar Preferences to add Library Links for "Georgetown University Law Library."

Tweeting is illegal in District Court

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:26:09 -0500

In a recent decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, a reporter's use of Twitter during a trial was prohibited according to Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. The reporter for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer requested permission to issue tweets throughout the court proceedings of a criminal case, but the court found that this constituted "broadcasting" which is not allowed under the current rule.

Georgetown University Law Library Holds the Second Screening in the Law at the Movies Series

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:58:00 -0500

The Friends of the Georgetown Law Library invite you to the second screening in the Library's Law at the Movies series.

Film: Breaker Morant
Date: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
Time: 6:00 P.M.
Location: Hart Auditorium

Breaker Morant is an Australian film based upon a true story of a British court-martial of two Australian soldiers accused of a war-crime killing, authorized by their commanders. Join us for this examination of military and criminal law as well as the independence of the military legal system.

After the screening we will lead a discussion about the ethical and cultural issues in the film. The panel will include:

Michael Frisch, Georgetown Law's Ethics Counsel and Adjunct Faculty;
Naomi Mezey, Georgetown Law Faculty;
Kumar Jayasuriya, Associate Law Librarian for Patron Services;
Marylin Raisch, Associate Law Librarian for International and Foreign Law.

The next film in our series will be My Cousin Vinny on December 2 at 6:00.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library and to consider becoming a member, please look at the Friends Website.

HeinOnline Now Includes Bar Journals

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:08:39 -0500

Members of the Georgetown Law Community can now retrieve bar journals through our HeinOnline electronic database subscription. These PDF files provide access to the journals back to their inception. The database features over 60 bar journal titles, including:

ABA Journal (Vols. 1-94, 1915-2008)
Federal Lawyer (Vols. 1-56, 1953-2009)
Los Angeles Bar Journal (Vols. 1-53, 1925-1977)
Los Angeles Lawyer (Vols. 1-32, 1978-2009)
Record of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Vols. 1-63, 1946-2008)
Virginia Bar Association Journal (Vols. 1-35, 1975-2009)

Articles can be retrieved with a BlueBook citation, by browsing the Bar Journal library or by simply searching HeinOnline.

An Online Review of Legal Scholarship

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:33:41 -0500

Feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of legal articles and treatises to read, take a look at Jotwell.com (The Journal of Things We Like (Lots)). This brand new electronic publication, sponsored by the University of Miami School of Law, provides brief reviews of recent legal scholarship that the academic and practicing attorney-reviewers find worthy of greater dissemination. The site hopes to "celebrate works that make an original contribution" to legal scholarship.

The major areas of law currently featured include:

Administrative Law
Constitutional Law
Corporate Law
Criminal Law
Cyberlaw
Intellectual Property Law
Legal Profession
Tax Law

GAO Report: Issues Related to Law School Cost and Access

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:10:00 -0500

A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that as law school tuitions have increased, Hispanic and Asians/Pacific Islander enrollment in law school has increased or stayed at about the same level, while African American enrollment has declined. Contributing to increased tuitions have been increased emphasis on hands-on clinical experiences and smaller skills-based courses; increased diversity of course offerings, such as international law and environmental law; and increased student support, e.g., academic support, career services, and admissions support.

New Database for DC Municipal Regulations and Register: CITE TO THE OFFICIAL!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:48:02 -0500

The Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances has released their new database for finding current DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR) and copies of the DC Register (DCR). The DCMR and DCR are available in PDF format which make citation much easier. In fact, when citing to the DCMR or DCR, you must use the official DC version available on this website and not Lexis or Westlaw. Lexis and Westlaw's versions of the DCMR are not current nor up to date because of the many changes that have been made in compiling the new official online version. In compiling the DCMR for its new release, many inconsistencies and mistakes were found in prior versions of the DCMR and are still found in the Lexis and Westlaw versions. The new online version of the DCMR is the only source that contains the most up to date, official versions of the regulations. Many inconsistencies exist between the DC government version and versions found on Lexis and Westlaw. Be safe with citation, and in this instance, Lexis and Westlaw are not currently created equal to the official government source.

USPTO Issues the Sixth Edition of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:10:00 -0500

On October 12, 2009 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued the sixth edition of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP). The TMEP, provides USPTO trademark examining attorneys, trademark applicants, and trademark attorneys with detailed information about the practices and procedures for prosecution of applications to register marks in the USPTO.

The sixth edition incorporates USPTO trademark practice and relevant case law reported prior to September 1, 2009. The policies states that this revision supersede any previous policies stated in prior editions, examination guides, or any other statement of USPTO policy, to the extent that there is any conflict.

The TMEP may be viewed or downloaded free of charge from the USPTO Web site at: http://tess2.uspto.gov/tmdb/tmep/.

The Leadership Library on the Internet replaces the Yellow Books

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:47:00 -0500

Members of the Georgetown law community who used to rely on the print Yellow Books for detailed directory information should now try the dynamic electronic resource which replaced them called the Leadership Library on the Internet. Whether you're searching for a job, preparing for an interview, networking with alumni of your alma mater or tracking down subject specialists, the Leadership Library can provide you with brief biographies of attorneys, judges and corporate executives, as well as federal, state and municipal government employees, association executives and members of the news media.

Researchers can use the Leadership Library to "Find a Person", "Find an Organization" or search by keyword. Individual entries provide the best contact information, often including e-mail addresses, as well as career and educational history.

Feel free to stop by the Reference Desk if you have any questions about this invaluable resource.

Use CALI Lessons to Review Class Material and Test Your Knowledge

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:33:00 -0500

With the semester in full swing, are you in need of extra help in understanding some of the legal issues discussed in your courses? Would you like to test what you've learned before exam season approaches? Then you should take advantage of CALI Lessons. The majority of the lessons have been written by law professors and are designed to take less than an hour. Students may browse lessons by topic, author, casebook, or by those recently added.

Some of the most popular CALI Lessons for 1Ls are:

Some of the most popular CALI Lessons for all students are:

To access CALI lessons over the web, you must create a CALI.org account using your school's institutional authorization code. Please email the Reference Desk for Georgetown Law's code.

New Maroonbook (Chicago Manual of Legal Citation) now available

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:18:00 -0500

The 20th anniversary edition of the University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation, a competitor to the Bluebook, is now available for free online.

Federal Court Rules Research Guide updated

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:46:00 -0500

Our Federal Court Rules Research Guide has just been updated. The guide describes resources for finding both common (e.g., Federal Rules of Civil Procedure) and obscure (e.g., Rules of the Courts of Military Criminal Appeals) federal court rules. It also briefly explains the rule-creation process and describes sources for researching the legislative history of the rules. Finally, it recommends secondary sources that help with rule interpretation and practice.

Jury Verdicts and Jury Instructions Research Guide updated

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:59:34 -0500

Legal researchers cannot rely on regular case reporters to locate jury verdicts and settlement decisions. However, a number of specialty publications exist which do report jury verdicts and the library's updated research guide outlines some of the resources available in the library and online through our database providers.

The guide also includes direct links to the model jury instructions available for the federal circuits and access to the American Bar Association's publications on topical jury instructions.

One new feature of the revised guide is the link to resources which research jury decision making and the jury process, such as the American Judicature Society's Jury Center and the National Center for State Courts Jury InfoCenter.