The Goodson Blogson

The Duke University community now has access to Oxford Bibliographies in International Law , a peer-reviewed, encyclopedic collection of annotated bibliographies on international law topics. The database (which can be found on our Legal Databases & Links page) contains more than 150 entries by respected international law scholars, each with references to texts, commentaries, encyclopedias, databases, journals, case law, treaties, and other research resources. These bibliographies are excellent starting places to learn basic concepts and to find additional resources on a particular international law topic. Individual bibliographies can be searched, browsed alphabetically by title, or sorted by Date Added to view the most recent additions. The database is updated on an ongoing basis. One of the most recent additions, Fair and Equitable Treatment in International Investment Agreements (updated August 23), illustrates the typical bibliography style: an introduction and overview of ...

The Goodson Law Library research guide to Legal Research for Non-Lawyers was updated this summer with several new resources in our collection. The library maintains a small print reference collection of legal books written for a general audience, many published by the self-help law publisher Nolo Press . Some newly-added or updated titles in the guide (and the library Reference collection) include: Emily Doskow & Frederick Hertz, Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions , 4th ed. (Ref. KF539.A23 .M25 2016). Updated Nolo Press title on same-sex marriage and other legal unions. Cora Jordan, Neighbor Law: Fences, Trees, Boundaries & Noise , 9th ed. (Ref. KF639.Z9J67 2017). Updated Nolo Press title dealing with all aspects of neighbor disputes. Deanne Morgan, Become an Informed Caregiver: What You Should Know When Caring for an Aging Loved One (Ref .RA645.3 .M68 2016). Written by a Duke Law legal research instructor, this is an ...

This past February marked 50 years since the ratification of Amendment XXV to the U.S. Constitution . Written to clarify the procedures for presidential and vice-presidential succession in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, the amendment also allows for a U.S. President to be sidelined by either his own declaration of incapacity, or by a declaration of "the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide." Since Donald Trump's inauguration, the 25th Amendment has been discussed on social media and in op-eds, in response to concerns about erratic presidential behavior. In May, the Atlantic summarized the growing discussion . More recently, UW law professor Hugh Spitzer explored the possibilities last week in the Seattle Times . In April, freshman U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin introduced H.R. 1987 , a bill which would establish an "Oversight Committee on P...

We hope you already know about the Goodson Law Library's research guides . Written and maintained by our reference librarians, these pages provide detailed guidance for researching more than three dozen legal subjects – and are great starting places (if we do say so ourselves!). Some of our recently-updated topics include Federal Legislative History , Court Records & Briefs , and Legal Research for Non-Lawyers . As proud as we are of our law library research guides, though, we know there will be times when you need to research a subject which they don’t cover. So here are some quick tips for finding a roadmap to your research topic. You could, of course, always use your favorite search engine to locate a research guide for your topic, with a search like international tax law research guide . But you could also use CALI.org's custom Law School Search Engine , which will automatically limit your results to those on the sites of ABA-accredited law schools. This custom sear...

Since 1861, federal publications have been issued by the U.S. GPO . Originally known as the Government Printing Office, GPO was renamed the Government Publishing Office in 2014 to reflect the increase in digital publication. The new book Keeping America Informed, The U.S. Government Publishing Office: A Legacy of Service to the Nation, 1861-2016 tells the story of GPO's evolution from massive printing-press operation to modern digital and print publisher, illustrated with beautiful photographs from GPO's history. A copy of Keeping America Informed is available in the Goodson Law Library's Documents collection on level 1. (A free digital edition is also available from – where else? – GPO.) From Keeping America Informed : "The Monotype keyboard section in 1915. 'The biggest battery of composing machines in the world,' according to the Monotype Co." In addition to printing and digitizing millions of pages of government information every year, GPO i...