Due Process: The Georgetown Law Library Blog - Government Information

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.

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.

Data.gov Offers XML copies of the Federal Register back to 2000

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:37:57 -0500

The Washington Post reports today on the Office of the Federal Register's release of the Federal Register in XML form on Data.gov. Copies of the Federal Register are available on the website back to 2000. The new format allows users to transport the data to their own websites, store it, and repackage it for searching.

The release of the Federal Register in XML format is the latest effort by the government to release more raw data generated by the federal government. A searchable data catalog is available on the website that allows users to search for data based on federal agency or subject. Once a particular data source is located, the description of the data source offers a variety of descriptions, citation information, as well as ratings information (supplied by users of the data sets).

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.

New Hein Historical Archive of Taxation and Economic Reform in America Available

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:27:34 -0500

   Georgetown University Law Library now has access to a new database from Hein Online that contains a number of already compiled legislative histories on historic tax and economic reform legislation. The Taxation & Economic Reform in America: A Historical Archive 1781-2009 database includes the historic Carlton Fox Collection, which compiles 48 years of legislative history research for major tax legislation. Additionally, the database contains many other already compiled legislative histories.

   Don't forget that Hein Online links you to many other already compiled legislative histories via the Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories Database. When completing legislative history research, it is always helpful to be aware that someone may have already done the hard work of compiling a legislative history for you.

   For more information on legislative history research, please see our Legislative History Research Guide.

Federal Court of Appeals Still Issues Unpublished Appellate Opinions

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:18:00 -0500

In the August 24, 2009 issue of the National Journal, Aaron S. Bayer reports on the history of unpublished federal appellate cases. The article notes that there has been general criticism of the practice since at least 1985, when Supreme Court Justice Steven's dissent in County of Los Angeles v. Kling, 474 U.S. 936, 938 (1985), and compares the practice "like the decision to promulgate a rule spawning a body of secret law - plainly wrong."

The article states that according to the Judicial Business of the United States Courts: Annual Report of the Director, tbl. S-3, between 2000 and 2008 the federal courts have not published more than 81% of all appellate opinions issued. The number is not getting smaller. In 2008 the same courts failed to publish more than 81.8% of all appellate opinions issued. See Annual Report of the Director, tbl. S-3 (2008).

Bayer's article is available through subscriptions to the National Law Journal purchased by the Georgetown Law Library. Read it either in print or online versions.

Daily Updates on House and Senate Activities Now Available from the Library of Congress

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:44:52 -0500

The Law Library of Congress recently announced the availability of House Floor Today and Senate Floor Today daily feeds via RSS or e-mail.

Once Congress reconvenes from its recess, this tool will provide subscribers with daily updates identifying the latest bills and resolutions being considered on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Check it out!

Better Access to Public Court Records

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:52:00 -0500

According to a press release from the company Recap, it has created a free extension for Firefox that improves the experience of using PACER, the electronic public access system for the U.S. Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts. PACER contains the docket sheets and many documents filed with the federal courts.

The press release states: "RECAP is an extension to the popular Firefox web browser that gives PACER users a hassle-free way to contribute to a free, open repository of federal court records. When a RECAP user purchases a document from PACER, the RECAP extension helps her automatically send a copy of that document to the RECAP archive. And RECAP saves its users money by notifying them when documents they’re searching for are already available for free from the public archive."

You may learn more about how the extention work directly from the Recap website.

SCOTUS Blog's Supreme Court Term Statistics Released

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:23:47 -0500

The SCOTUS Blog has released their end of term "Super Stat Pack" presenting a variety of different statistical measures of the United States' Supreme Court's recent term. Data sets include information on opinion tallies, the number of times a particular justice was in the majority, scorecards for each circuit and a variety of other information. SCOTUS Blog allows you to download all charts as a PDF file.

A Vision of Financial Regulatory Reform

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:03:06 -0500

Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury Department released its vision for financial regulatory reform. The full report, which calls for numerous reforms, including the creation of a Financial Services Oversight Council and heightened supervision of large, interconnected financial firms is available here.

Also, a number of organizations, including the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Economic Policy Institute, OMB Watch and others, are following the government's actions on the bailout and have created a new website, called Bailout Watch. This site links to federal reports, recent newspaper articles and a calendar of upcoming bailout events, such as hearings and meetings.

Microsoft Unveils Bing, its Newest Search Engine - Early Reviews

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:05:00 -0500

Microsoft has now released Bing, its newest version of its own Internet search engine. PC World Magazine has weighed in on the new search engine and compares many of its features to similar features offered by Google and Yahoo. Even Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, has offered some praise for Bing.

Check out some other reviews for Bing:

Wired Magazine
Cnet
The Technology Cafe Review

Try out Bing and let us know what you think.

Sotomayor's Background included on Updated Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide

Tue, 26 May 2009 13:44:30 -0500

Our Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide has been undated to provide links to background material on Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who was nominated to the Supreme Court today by President Obama.We link to previous key decisions of Sotomayor on SCOTUSBlog, as well as many biographical resources and her previous confirmation hearings when nominated to the Circuit Court and District Court.

Additionally, we link to the Supreme Court records and briefs for her recent opinion, Ricci v. DeStefano, which is currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. As her confirmation process proceeds, we will continue to update this guide on a regular basis.

THOMAS Launches First RSS Feeds

Wed, 06 May 2009 15:45:22 -0500

As posted by Emily Feldman to the AALL Washington Blawg, THOMAS, a product of the Law Library of Congress, has launched its first RSS feeds. Information on how to subscribe to these feeds, including the Daily Digest, is available at: http://www.loc.gov/law/news/rss.php.

Treasury Department unveils FinancialStability.gov

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:52:22 -0500

The U.S. Treasury Department has unveiled a new website designed to detail the impact of President Obama's plan for financial stability and recovery. Interactive maps indicate the local impact of the Capital Purchase Program and fact sheets outline borrower's information for refinancing and mortgage modification.

Speeches and testimony made by Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner are made available here, as are TARP transaction reports.

Madoff Case Documents

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:27:00 -0500

Those who are following the prosecution of Bernard Madoff may want to take a look at this page, provided by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The page provides links to PDF versions of case documents, including the complaint, bill of information, briefs, and a transcript of Madoff's guilty plea.