Due Process: The Georgetown Law Library Blog - Washington Culture and News

New Congressional Investigations Research Guide

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:16:00 -0500

The law library has created a new guide to researching Congressional investigations. The guide provides guidance on how to find relevant primary source documents, such as Congressional hearing transcripts, as well as case law dealing with the authority of Congress to conduct investigations. We have also listed some valuable secondary sources to help you get started on your research.

Sotomayor Questionnaire Available

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0500

Nominees for the federal judiciary are required to complete a questionnaire created by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee has made Judge Sotomayor's responses and related documents available on its home page. Included are her publications, speeches, news clippings, and notable past decisions and opinions.

D.C. Court Open House on Law Day

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:12:00 -0500

The D.C. Court system is having an open house on Law Day (May 1). There will be activities for all age groups.

Learn more about the D.C. Courts by visiting its website or consulting our D.C. Legal Research Guide's section on the courts.

This year's Law Day theme is A Legacy of Liberty in celebration of the Bicentennial of Preisident Abraham Lincoln's birth.

National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off this Saturday

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:10:46 -0500

There's still a chill in the air, but the opening ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled for this Saturday at our Judiciary Square neighbor, the National Building Museum. This two week festival has been an annual Washington celebration of spring since 1912.

A complete calendar of all festival events highlights the Cherry Blossom parade, an April 11th fireworks show and the 43rd annual Smithsonian Kite Festival.

Read all about it and volunteer if you want to join the fun.

District of Columbia Voting Rights Act - A Research Guide

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:28:17 -0500

A voting representative in Congress for the District of Columbia has been proposed and debated throughout the course of this country's history. We've put together a Research Guide with links to the current legislation and Congressional documents available on the District of Columbia Voting Rights Act of 2009. The guide also links to current news coverage, law review articles on the topic and several historical Congressional hearing documents.

New "PRES-OBAMA" Database in Westlaw

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:14:27 -0500

Earlier this month, Westlaw released the Obama Presidential Documents database (PRES-OBAMA). It contains a series of documents issued by (or otherwise related to) the Obama White House since Barack Obama's election on November 4th, including executive orders, the inaugural address, and other statements. In the coming months, Westlaw plans to add additional documents reflecting the policies of the Obama administration, such as bills, regulations, and laws.

For more information on accessing presidential documents from both the the current and prior administrations, see the Georgetown Law Library's Presidential Documents Research Guide.

Follow Money Spent Under the Stimulus Plan

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:15:00 -0500

As a result of the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the White House has established Recovery.gov, a Web site designed to allow the public to follow the distribution of funds under the act. The site currently contains just an overview of the act and its purposes. But as federal agencies begin to allocate funds, the newly established Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board will be posting information in a variety of formats. Users will be able to see how the money is being spent and which states, districts, and contractors are receiving it.

Lincoln's Bicentennial - Resources and Activities

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:32:00 -0500

On the 200th Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, take a minute to check out our extensive collection on this lawyer President, who appears to be the inspiration of our current President. Here are some of the most recent publications we have acquired on Lincoln

E457.2 .P65 2009The Political Lincoln : An Encyclopedia, by Paul Finkelman, Martin J. Hershock, editors Washington, D.C. : CQPress, c2009

PS504 .L56 2009The Lincoln Anthology : Great Writers on his Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now , edited by Harold Holzer [New York] : Library of America, c2009

KF8742 .M32 2008 Lincoln and the Court, by Brian McGinty Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2008

E457.2 .M645 2008, President Lincoln : The Duty of a Statesman, by William Lee Miller New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008

E457.2 .D575 2007 Lincoln the Lawyer, by Brian Dirck Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2007

E457.2 .S8 2006 An Honest Calling : The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln, by Mark E. Steiner DeKalb : Northern Illinois University Press, c2006

To locate our entire collection, conduct a Subject search on Gulliver for:

Lincoln, Abraham

Also, the Law Library of Congress has prepared a website on Lincoln and the Law, which links to historical documents in their digital collection focusing on the legal career of Lincoln, as well as transcripts of the trials of the conspirators in Lincoln’s assassination.

In addition to the Georgetown Law art exhibit on Lincoln, other Washington institutions are celebrating the Bicentennial this weekend. Here are just a few that we’re located:

Smithsonian Institution’s celebration of Lincoln’s Bicentennial

Ford’s Theater: Grand Reopening

Library of Congress

National Archives: Display of the Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln Memorial

February is Black History Month

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:15:00 -0500

This year's them is the Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas. The Library is featuring research materials on this topic in the Reading Room.

Learn more by visiting the Law Library of Congress' online exhibit The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship.

There are countless ways to celebrate Black History Month in DC. We've listed a few below. Feel free to add your favorite in the comments.

The Smithsonian has art exhibits, performances, reenactments, readings and more. Find them all on its Black History Month calendar.
The National Archives is displaying the Emancipation Proclamation and hosting many events.

Legal Times publishes the 25 Biggest Legal Stories of 2008

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:33:28 -0500

Check out the review of 2008 from a legal perspective in the Legal Times Special Report: 25 Biggest Legal Stories of 2008. Everything from Detainee Drama to Fallen Firms is covered in this retrospective look.

Status of Guantanamo Bay Cases

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:20:00 -0500

The Law Library staff has been following the status of the habeas corpus petitions filed by hundreds of detainees being held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. For those trying to understand how the cases will be handled in light of the Supreme Court's Boumediene decision in June, we have summarized the current state of the proceedings, along with links to relevant documents.

There are over one hundred cases pending, involving well over two hundred detainees. The open cases have been divided into three groups. The first group is that of 17 Chinese Uighurs detained at Guantanamo. In October, these detainees were ordered released into the United States by D.C. District Court Judge Ricardo M. Urbina. The case has been appealed to the DC Circuit Court, which held a hearing on November 24, but has not yet issued a decision.

The rest of the cases are currently in front of the District Court. The Court held an executive session to discuss how to proceed in these cases, and issued a resolution in July. The result of the session is that most of the cases have been transferred to Judge Thomas F. Hogan, strictly for the purposes of determining the procedures to be used. These cases will eventually be returned to approximately twelve judges, who will decide these cases on their merits. Judge Hogan has consolidated all of these into a single case for this purpose, and issued a case management order outlining the procedures.

The third group of cases consists of those that have been retained by Judge Richard J. Leon, who has not consolidated them. Judge Leon has issued separate case management orders which establish the procedures he will be using in his cases. We have attached those orders in a zipped folder, and you can see them by clicking the "Download" link at the bottom of this post.

If you are looking for more information, the New York Times has created a database which lists all of the detainees by name, and the District Court's page contains further case documents.

(Georgetown Note: Judges Urbina and Hogan are both graduates of the Law Center and Judge Leon is an adjunct faculty member.)

Update: On December 16, Judge Hogan substantially amended his case management order, outlining the procedures to be used in most of these cases. SCOTUSblog explains the implications of the new order.

Wednesday Event to Mark Washington's Designation as Country's First Human Rights City

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:17:31 -0500

Dec. 10 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, Washington, D.C., will be designated as the first Human Rights City in the United States. The American Friends Service Committee and the People's Movement for Human Rights Learning will host a celebratory event with local political and civic leaders.

A press conference will be held immediately following the event, at 3 p.m. in the Murrow Room at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW. The event is free and open to the public.

Guantanamo Release Order

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:09:35 -0500

Yesterday, it was widely reported that a U.S. District Court judge has ordered the release of five detainees held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.

If you've been following this story, you can take a look at the judge's order and the response from the Justice Department.

The Plum Book!

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:21:29 -0500

Looking to support the new administration? The 2008 edition of the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly referred to as the Plum Book, is now available in PDF format. This publication contains over 200 pages of information on "Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment."

Inauguration 2009

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:37:33 -0500

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has posted information about the 2009 inauguration ceremonies.

The website also has information about previous ceremonies and links to images from previous inaugurations.