The Goodson Blogson

HeinOnline recently added a collection of historical Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory volumes, along with scans of its predecessor titles, Martindale's American Law Directory and Hubbell's Legal Directory . Taken together, the collection includes American lawyer directories spanning nearly a century, 1868-1963, and will certainly be a valuable resource for legal historians, genealogists, and other researchers. The directories offer location-based listings of law firms and attorneys (with alphanumeric codes providing educational background, reputational rankings such as "estimate of legal ability," estimated worth, and "promptness in paying legal bills"). Other features (which vary by the publication and time period) include lists of law schools and universities, specialized listings for selected non-U.S. attorneys, judicial directories, and even summaries or digests of state or foreign laws. Take, for example, the earliest listing in Martindale-Hubbell...

Today, acclaimed novelist Harper Lee passed away at the age of 89 . Lee was best known for her 1960 debut novel, To Kill a Mockingbird , a classic tale of criminal justice and race relations in a small Southern town. (A long-lost early draft of Mockingbird was released in 2015 under the title Go Set a Watchman , amid controversy about Lee's mental state and intentions not to publish the draft.) While Harper Lee's literary output may not have been prolific, To Kill a Mockingbird had a huge cultural impact which endures to this day. It remains one of the most widely-taught novels in American classrooms, and was also adapted into an Academy Award-winning 1962 film starring Gregory Peck as attorney Atticus Finch, who defends a black man accused of rape in Depression-era Alabama. Want to read, or re-read, Harper Lee's works? Although you may need to place a hold request for these popular books, both Mockingbird and Watchman are available in the Duke University Libraries co...

Yesterday, the world learned of the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who had been the longest-serving member of the current Court since the 2010 retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens. Excellent obituaries summarizing Scalia's life and legal philosophy are available at the New York Times (free) and in United States Law Week (NetID required). Justice Antonin Scalia (1936-2016) Photo from SupremeCourt.gov.   In a televised address to the nation last night, President Barack Obama noted that "today is a time to remember Justice Scalia's legacy" rather than speculate about future appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Justice Scalia's death – in the middle of the Court's current term, with a number of cases left to be argued and/or decided – has naturally sparked questions from the public about the continued operations of the Court. (The last time a sitting Justice passed away was former Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 200...

It's been said – many times – that the correct answer to most legal questions is "It depends." While it may be clichéd, the statement does emphasize how each legal situation is completely unique, and governed by a complex mix of the facts, the jurisdiction, and the controlling legal authority. 50-state surveys are an excellent tool for comparing the differences between jurisdictions on a particular legal matter. The latest edition of the National Survey of State Laws (7th ed. 2015) recently landed in the Goodson Law Library's Reference Collection. Like the previous editions, this reference work provides charts comparing state legislation on various topics, both civil and criminal. New this year, though, is an accompanying electronic edition of the National Survey series in HeinOnline . Get up to speed on state-by-state differences on such topics as legal ages (for parental emancipation, ability to sue, ability to make contracts, etc.), the minimum wage , and cri...