New report from the National Conference of State Legislatures: A report providing a first look at introduced legislation in 2008 and presents selected examples of enacted laws relating to immigrants and refugees. Read the report
Month: May 2008
Microsoft Shuts Down Live Search Book, Live Search Academic, and Its Digitization Projects
In a blog post dated May 23, Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Senior Vice President, Search, Portal and Advertising announced that the Company’s Live Search Books and Live Search Academic sites would be taken down this week and that both projects were being terminated. Books and scholarly publications will continue to be integrated into the Company’s SE results, but not through separate indexes. This also means that Microsoft is winding down its digitization programs including its library scanning and in-copyright book programs. Read more
Faculty Publications
Johnny Rex Buckles, Is the Ban on Participation in Political Campaigns by Charities Essential to Their Vitality and Democracy? A Reply to Professor Tobin, 42 U. Rich. L. Rev. 1057 (2008).
Mark A. Drumbl, Book Review, 19 Eur. J. Int’l L. 443 (2008) (reviewing Jordan J. Paust, Beyond the Law: The Bush Administration’s Unlawful Responses in the “War” on Terror).
New Electronic Resources Added by Leyburn Library
The university libary has added several new electronic resources since April: Heritage Quest, Latino American Experience, Praeger Security International Online, Elsevier’s Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, and Cultural Sociology (e-journal). Links to these resources can be found in Annie.
Trade Observatory
Formerly known as WTO Watch, Trade Observatory is a project of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). The site offers an extensive news feed, which includes both press releases and links to coverage, with an emphasis on the World Trade Organization, North American Free Trade Agreement, Free Trade Area of the Americas, International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development activities. The news feed is syndicated via RSS. There is an extensive “Library” of original documents collected and submitted by multiple partner organizations. This section is browseable by topic or language (English, Spanish, French, and German), and is full-text searchable. Most documents are available in PDF. Access at Trade Observatory.
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey is a fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London’s central criminal court. Access at Old Bailey
Law Professor Discovers Flaw in Appointment of Patent Judges, Could Undo Thousands Of Decisions
Professor John F. Duffy, of George Washington University School of Law, has discovered a defect in the appointment process of Patent Judges. These Judges have been appointed by a government official, who does not have the Constitutional power of appointment. Currently, 46 of the 74 Judges on the Patent Court have been appointed by this flawed process. This flaw could invalidate thousands of patent law decision by these courts. Read the New York Times article here
Faculty Publications
Frederic L. Kirgis, International Law in American Courts – The United States Supreme Court Declines to Enforce the I.C.J.’s Avena Judgement Relating to a U.S. Obligation under the Convention on Consular Relations, 9 German L.J. 619 (2008), available at Westlaw
A. Benjamin Spencer, Plausibility Pleading, 49 B.C. L. Rev. 431 (2008), available at Westlaw.
Doing Legal Research in Canada
This page is an online guide to doing legal research in Canada. The guide provides information and links to print and online resources and is aimed primarily at researchers outside of Canada needing an overview of Canadian legal research. There are six major sections:
Introduction: The Canadian Legal System
Canadian Primary Legal Resources
Canadian Secondary Legal Resources
Canadian Legal Organizations (law libraries, law schools, . . .)
Canadian Legal Publishers (including online vendors)
Canadian Legal Research: By Topic
Access at Canadian Research
Faculty Publications
Rodney A. Smolla, The First Amendment, Journalists, and Sources: A Curious Study in “Reverse Federalism”, 29 Cardozo L. Rev. 1423 (2008).