The Goodson Blogson

Our Government Documents collection on level 1 contains a variety of federal government publications, including agency decisions, research reports, and even a set of citizenship test flash cards . But we definitely don’t have most of the titles in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s new Government Comics Collection . We’ve previously written about online repositories of government films , which covered everything from 1950s nuclear-disaster preparedness to dramatic reenactments of historic Supreme Court trials. The digitized comics (which can be downloaded with a click of any of the book cover images) feature an equally expansive topic list, and some include familiar characters working overtime for the government: Charlie Brown testing his sister Sally for lazy eye (1968) Superman and Wonder Woman on the hidden dangers of land mines (1998) Captain America and the Campbell’s Soup Kids (!) discussing the virtues of energy conservation-- and, presumably, soup (1980) But the real hist...

What do you get the legal eagle who has everything? Just like any other law-related question: “It depends.” When cash seems too impersonal and disaster kits seem too depressing, turn to the Goodson Blogson for legal-themed gift ideas. The Billable Hour is probably the largest collection of gifts aimed squarely at the legal profession. They offer board games like LAWSUIT! , office accessories, and “ survival kits ” for all stages of law careers, including law school and the bar exam. Constitutional law fans and other SCOTUS geeks will find something to love at the Supreme Court Gift Shop , including its popular annual holiday ornament series . There seems no limit to what the Court will lend its official seal, including a ruler , guest room soap , and drinkware . (For the lawyers and judges of tomorrow, also consider the ABA’s Supreme Court Coloring Book , which comes complete with its own crayons.) If money is no object, try some of the gifts and fine art at LawGallery . The most aff...

The end of fall classes will bring some changes to the Goodson Law Library’s service hours and building access. Effective today, Reference Services will be available from Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Circulation/Reserve Desk will maintain regular hours during the reading and examination period, and will begin operating under winter break hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 18. The Academic Technologies Help Desk will remain fully staffed during reading and exam period, as well. Regular service hours will resume at the beginning of the Spring 2010 semester. As always, current members of the Duke Law community will retain 24-hour access to the Law School and Law Library with a valid DukeCard. For the latest updates, see the Library's Hours & Directions page.

December 6 marks exactly 144 years since the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. This shameful chapter of American history began in pre-colonial days, and resulted in the development of a surprisingly detailed body of law concerning the rights of slaves, the penal code as it applied to slaves, and the separate “slave court” systems which developed in many U.S. states. Although the contents of the relevant legal treatises and court opinions are appallingly inhumane to a modern reader, they do cast an interesting perspective on a portion of legal practice in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Each slave-holding state (and, previously, colony) maintained its own slave code , which defined the status of slaves, the powers of slave owners, and related legal issues (such as handling claims of emancipation or punishing crimes committed by/against slaves). For example, browse a hand-written copy of the District of Columbia’s 1860 s...