Past Presentations

United States Law

Legal Research Webinars

Legal Instruction and Resources at the Law Library of Congress: Recent Developments
FDLP Webinar, October 13, 2020

This Webinar introduced attendees to new and developing resources at the Law Library of Congress: the Legal Research Institute, Legal Gazettes, and Legal Reports. The Law Library provides instruction on legal research and on how to use its vast collections, and these services have been enhanced through the introduction of webinars on the Legal Research Institute website.  Participants were oriented to the Legal Research Institute site and discover the instruction offered on U.S., and foreign and comparative law. In addition, participants  learned of how the Law Library is making available its extensive collection of legal gazettes collected from around the world and of the legal reports that are created in response to Congressional inquiry. Furthermore, received an overview of the efforts make available foreign legal gazettes and legal reports that are prepared by Law Library staff for Congress.

Presentation PowerPoint available (PDF, 10MB)

Foreign, Comparative, and International Law

Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series

The Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series of classes is designed to shed light on some of the foreign and comparative law issues currently being researched by the foreign law and international law experts at the Law Library of Congress.

2020 Series

Brexit: Legal Issues for the UK and EU
January 23, 2020

This entry in the series provides an overview of the EU and UK perspectives on Brexit, including the UK legal and political actions for Brexit, the Benn Act, the Withdrawal Agreement, art. 50 of the TEU, post-Brexit payments, and the future EU-UK relationship.

Everything You Need to Know about the Upcoming Israeli Election
February 27, 2020

On March 2, 2020, Israel is going to go through its third national election in 11 months, with the first taking place on April 9, 2019, and the second on September 17, 2019. The current (22nd) Knesset (Israel’s parliament) was sworn in on October 3, 2019. No Knesset Member was successful in forming a government following the first two elections. Therefore, the 34th Government, which was sworn in on May 14, 2015, continues to serve beyond its term of office as an interim government, subject to changes to ministerial portfolios made by the Prime Minister.

Profiling International Organizations: WTO, IMF, World Bank
March 5, 2020

This entry in the series discusses the organizations commonly known as the “Bretton Woods institutions,” which underpin the international system of economic governance, covering trade, finance, and development funding. In this webinar, “Profiling International Organizations: IMF, World Bank, and WTO,” Foreign Law Specialist Jenny Gesley and Legal Research Analyst Elizabeth Boomer will provide insight into the history, structure, key functions, and current developments at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Fighting Pandemics: Foreign and International Legislative Frameworks
April 23, 2020

In this entry in the series, foreign law specialists at the Law Library of Congress will discuss laws and institutions of other countries that are in place to deal with health crises, how these laws and institutions have played out during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and measures that have been taken to prevent and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Between Cooperation and Conflict: Islamic Religious Authority and Governmental Responses to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan
May 21, 2020

This entry in the series will focus on the varying and complex role that Islamic law, official Islamic institutions and councils, and nongovernmental religious bodies are playing in reaction to governmental responses to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan. The presenters will begin with a brief introduction of the place of Islamic law and official religious institutions in each country. They will then discuss the range of social distancing or lockdown measures that have been taken to ban or restrict religious gatherings and congregations. Lastly, they will discuss the various fatwas/declarations of official Dar-ul Iftas, Ulema councils, and prominent religious clerics in support of and/or opposition to these measures, taking into account the diverse political and social contexts and challenges in the three countries.

Regulating the Use of Technology to Combat COVID-19
June 25, 2020

In this entry in the series, Foreign Law Specialist Jenny Gesley will discuss legislation in foreign countries that allows using “electronic means” to assess the general adherence to confinement measures and to stop the spread of COVID-19. This discussion is based on research undertaken by the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. The webinar will highlight the different approaches that countries have taken with regard to location tracking and contact tracing and address privacy and data protection concerns.

Avoiding the New Wave: Response to the Pandemic in Japan and South Korea
July 23, 2020

Japan and South Korea’s COVID-19 infection rates are relatively low. In this entry in the Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series, Foreign Law Specialist Sayuri Umeda will discuss what both countries have done to make this possible and how they plan to deal with the next wave.

Hot Topics in Global AI Regulation
August 27, 2020

The legal developments regarding the use of A.I. in the European Union and its Member States, with an emphasis on the role of A.I. in the interactions between citizens and governments. Topics discussed will include predictive policing, facial recognition, and the use of A.I. in administering welfare benefits.

World Apart: Legal Responses to COVID-19 in New Zealand and Sweden
September 24, 2020

In this entry in the series, foreign law specialists Kelly Buchanan and Elin Hofverberg will examine the different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by the governments of New Zealand and Sweden. The discussion will include comparisons of the overarching policies and approaches, relevant laws, and how the governments communicated with the public about the pandemic and the approaches taken.

World Trends in Elections and Campaign Financing Regulation
October 26, 2020

This webinar will discuss global developments in election and campaign finance laws in the last twelve months, both before and during the pandemic. While some developments in these areas reflect the impact of COVID-19 on electoral systems, others may be seen in the context of specific challenges in the countries surveyed, not necessarily related to the pandemic. Among the topics that will be covered are: structural changes to governmental and electoral systems; voting access; eligibility for office; term of office; gender representation; campaign advertising; campaign finance; election monitoring; penalties for election related violations; and election scheduling.

Review of Recently Published Law Library Research Reports
November 19, 2020

The upheavals of the year 2020 will leave an indelible mark on legal systems throughout the world. This year, much of the work of the Law Library of Congress focused on the changes imposed by the pandemic. In this entry of the Law Library’s Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series, we will present on some of the recently published Law Library research reports prepared during these challenging times, and discuss trends in foreign law developments identified in the reports.

2021 Series

The French Civil Code
January 28, 2021

Law Library of Congress

Law Library of Congress Programs

Law Day

Social Movement Changing America: Legacies of the 19th Amendment
April 30, 2020

Co-sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Law Library of Congress, this year’s theme was “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy” and featured a panel discussion titled “Social Movement Changing America: The Legacies of the 19th Amendment.” The event was a panel discussion moderated by Kimberly Atkins, senior news correspondent for WBUR-Boston and contributor for MSNBC. Panelists included Martha S. Jones, Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and professor of history, Johns Hopkins University; Thomas Saenz, president/general counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Julie Suk, dean and professor of sociology, City University of New York Graduate Center. The program also featured an introduction by Law Librarian of Congress Jane Sánchez and ABA President Judy Perry Martinez.

Program booklet download (PDF, 1.86MB)

Biennial Kellogg Lecture in Jurisdprudence

Philosophy and Life: Fragility, Emotions, Capabilities
September 9, 2020 (rescheduled date)

The Kellogg Biennial Lecture in Jurisprudence presents the most distinguished contributors to international jurisprudence, judged through writings, reputation, and broad and continuing influence on contemporary legal scholarship. The 2019 Kellogg Lecture had to be rescheduled to September 9, 2020, due to the speaker’s unavailability. Brian E. Butler, professor of philosophy and legal scholar at the University of North Carolina Asheville, interviewed philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum on “Philosophy and Life: Fragility, Emotions, Capabilities.” 

Constitution Day

Bulwark of Freedom: African-American Members of Congress and the Constitution During Reconstruction
September 17, 2020

Constitution Day, officially known as “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” is a federal commemoration observed each year to mark the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, and to “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” On September 17, 2020, the Law Library of Congress and the Center for Learning, Literacy, and Engagement cosponsored a lecture to celebrate Constitution and Citizenship Day titled, Bulwark of Freedom: African-American Members of Congress and the Constitution During Reconstruction. Michael J. Murphy, a historical publications specialist from the Office of the Historian for the U.S. House of Representatives, discussed the lives of the first African-American Members of Congress and the challenges they faced.

Human Rights Day

The Impact of Women's Suffrage Movement Today
December 10, 2019

The event started with a viewing of the Shall Not Be Denied exhibition, followed by remarks and introductions by Law Librarian of Congress Jane Sánchez, who reflected on the importance of Human Rights Day. The panel discussion was then moderated by Dr. Colleen Shogan, the assistant deputy librarian of the Library Collections and Services Group and the Library’s representative on the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. The panelists were Corrine McConnaughy, associate professor of political science at The George Washington University and author of The Woman Suffrage Movement in America: A Reassessment, and Elaine Weiss, journalist and author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote.

Law Library of Congress Collections

U.S. Serial Set

Digitizing History: Collaborating to Digitize the United States Congressional Serial Set
FDLP Fall Conference, October 22, 2020

In this joint presentation, staff from the Law Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office discussed the multi-year effort to digitize and make publicly accessible over 16,000 volumes of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. On overview of the project and where it stands after its first year were given.

Presentation PowerPoint available (PDF, 14MB)

Foreign Legal Gazettes

Foreign Legal Gazettes Database
LCSG Fireside Chat, October 14, 2020

Staff from the Law Library’s Global Legal Collections Directorate briefed Library of Congress staff on the development of a database to inventory and track the digitization of the Library’s foreign legal gazette collection and to introduce a public ArcGIS interface. The Law Library of Congress has been collecting foreign official gazettes since the mid-nineteenth century and maintains one of the largest collections of these sources in the world.

Presentation PowerPoint available (PDF, 4.45MB)

Foreign Legal Gazettes Database
December 8, 2020

The Foreign Legal Gazettes database serves as an index to the Law Library’s holdings of official foreign government newspapers, where most jurisdictions first publish their laws. Users are directed to the appropriate bibliographic record in the Library’s online catalog for detailed holding information and from there to any digital copies of gazette issues that may exist or to the form for requesting physical items to be pulled for use on site. The webinar is designed to show users how to navigate the database as well as relay information on the history and building of the program on the ArcGIS platform.

Transcriptions

Spanish Legal Documents Transcription

Herencia: Centuries of Spanish Legal Documents is the Library’s first crowdsourced transcription project wholly in languages other than English.

The Law Library of Congress invites you to help improve access to our unique collection of historic Spanish legal materials through the Library’s crowdsourcing platform, By the People (BTP)! BTP is a virtual volunteering website where anyone with an internet connection can transcribe digitized Library collections to improve discoverability and use while engaging deeply with the materials.

In preparation for the first release phase of these documents later this month, we offer webinars to support volunteers working on this project. The first webinar will provide instruction on how to identify and transcribe the special scripts in the collection. This second webinar in the series will provide instruction on what to expect at the Transcribe-a-thon AND how to hold your own transcription event! The collection contains items in Spanish, Latin, and Catalan from the 15th to 19th centuries.

 

Webinars will continue to be added after they are processed and transcribed. Additional events and presentations may be available via our YouTube Channel.

Last Updated: 04/08/2021