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Daily Archives: March 4, 2019

Literary Analysis of Law: Reorienting the Connections Between Law and Literature

Stern, Simon, Literary Analysis of Law: Reorienting the Connections Between Law and Literature (2018). 5:2 Critical Analysis of Law 1 (2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3329705
“This special issue of Critical Analysis of Law, devoted to new work in law and literature, features articles that dispense with the choice between “law in literature” and “law as literature,” to ask how legal and literary forms, methods, concepts, and attitudes can be productively explored in tandem. Conventionally, when scholars ask how legal actors and problems are portrayed in literature, or how hermeneutic theory may shed light on statutory or constitutional interpretation, these questions are meant to help solve a legal problem, at a doctrinal or conceptual level. But once we abandon the requirement that literature serve as an assistant in this fashion, many new possibilities for the literary study of law come into visibility. The essays in this special issue explore some of those directions”

Vital Statistics on Congress Data on the U.S. Congress, Updated March 2019

Brookings: “Vital Statistics on Congress, first published in 1980, long ago became the go-to source of impartial data on the United States Congress. Vital Statistics’ purpose is to collect and provide useful data on America’s first branch of government, including data on the composition of its membership, its formal procedure (such as the use of… Continue Reading

House Judiciary Committee Unveils Investigation into Threats Against the Rule of Law

“Today, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) unveiled an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into the alleged obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by President Trump, his associates, and members of his Administration.  As a first step, the Committee has served document requests to 81 agencies, entities, and individuals believed… Continue Reading

New York City’s Secret (Tiny) Subway

Now I Know: “The main branch of the New York Public Library, officially the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, is located in midtown Manhattan — and it’s enormous. The building runs from 40th Street to 42nd across 5th Avenue, stretching about a third of the way toward Sixth. It contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes of books… Continue Reading

See the more than 80 names receiving House Judiciary Committee letters in its investigation

CNN: “The House Judiciary Committee announced Monday that it is sending letters seeking information and documents from more than 80 groups, organizations and individuals, as part of its sweeping investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign, businesses, transition and administration. In an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” Rep. Jerry Nadler said Sunday the requests for… Continue Reading

Friends of the Library: Libraries’ Secret Weapon

BookRiot: “You might have seen bookmarks advertising their existence stacked neatly on the circulation desk at the library. Maybe they were included in the acknowledgements of a local literary event’s brochure. Perhaps their name was noted as a supporter of a float in the town’s parade. Or, it’s possible you even attended one of their… Continue Reading

How the N.Y. Public Library Fills Its Shelves (and Why Some Books Don’t Make the Cut)

The New York Times – Every book has to earn its spot in one of the world’s leading public library collections. Here’s what it takes: “…Every book is handpicked by a seasoned corps of 16 selectors and helpers who are the gatekeepers to the library’s circulating collection of nearly 5 million books, 1.7 million e-books… Continue Reading

Digital Hoarders Who Collect Tumblrs, Medieval Manuscripts, and Terabytes of Text Files

Gizmodo: “When it comes to their stuff, people often have a hard time letting go. When the object of their obsession are rooms full of old clothes or newspapers, it can be unhealthy—even dangerous. But what about a stash that fits on 10 5-inch hard drives? Online, you’ll find people who use hashtags like “#digitalhoarder”… Continue Reading