In Custodia Legis
Official blog from the Law Library of Congress
Find the Law Library on:
Law and the Library Webcasts
Law and the Library is a series of debates and discussions on a wide variety of contemporary legal issues. The series presented by the Law Library of Congress ranges from talks by current or former Members of Congress to pressing foreign, comparative, and international legal issues. The series can also be found on YouTube and in iTunes.
Title: How Different Jurisdictions Treat Foreign Law 1 & 2
Speaker: Stephen Clarke, Ruth Levush, Edith Palmer, Vicki C. Jackson
Event Date: 3/23/2010
Running Time: Part 1, 100 Minutes Part 2, 40 minutes
Description: Three Law Library of Congress Senior Foreign Law Specialists discussed this topic while
Vicki C. Jackson, Professor at Georgetown University Law School, provides a unique perspective on the use of foreign law in different legal systems.
The Law Library of Congress (LLOC) co-sponsored this program with The American Society of International Law (ASIL), the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, D.C. (LLSDC), and the Federal Law Library Caucus (FLLC). The workshop provided an increased understanding of the use of foreign law in different legal systems.
View Webcast, Part 1
View Webcast, Part 2
Title: Frederic R. and Molly S. Kellogg Biennial Lecture on Jurisprudence
Speaker: Ronald Dworkin
Event Date: 10/26/2009
Running Time: 67 minutes
Description: The Law Library hosted the inaugural Frederic R. and Molly S. Kellogg Biennial Lecture on Jurisprudence. This biennial lecture series presents the most distinguished contributors to international jurisprudence, judged through writings, reputation, and broad and continuing influence on contemporary legal scholarship. This year’s speaker was Ronald Dworkin, Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London and the New York University School of Law. His lecture, “Is there Truth in Interpretation? Law Literature and History,” focused on the philosophical aspects of the law.
View Webcast
Title: Legal Challenges Facing NATO at 60
Speaker: Richard L. Prosen, Peter Roudik, Maj. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese Moderators: Yonah Alexander and Edgar Brenner
Event Date: 07/09/2009
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Description: The Law Library of Congress, in conjunction with the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, held a panel on July 9 about the North American Treaty Organization as it turns 60. NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe, its training mission in Afghanistan and its anti-piracy operations off the coastline of Somalia were discussed.
View Webcast
Title: The Approach of the Halakah and Sharia' to Contemporary Legal Issues
Speaker: Various Speakers
Event Date: 06/17/2009
Running Time: 93 minutes
Description: Judaic and Islamic legal systems (based on Halakah and Sharia', respectively) have endured for centuries despite the rapid changes and challenges of the modern world --from exploration of outer space to human cloning. They serve as a testimony to the relevance and universality of their underlying values and principles.
View Webcast
Title: Law Day 2009: Emancipation Proclamation
Speaker: Various Speakers
Event Date: 05/01/2009
Running Time: 80 minutes
Description: What effect did the Emancipation Proclamation have on the Civil War? Did it have a broader effect on the slave trade throughout the Americas? In celebration of Law Day, these questions and many more were discussed by Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Dean Kurt Schmoke and Professor Emeritus Roger Wilkins, with PBS Newshour's congressional correspondent Kwame Holman moderating. Presented with support from the Friends of the Law Library of Congress.
View Webcast
Title: Human Environment Challenges, Domestic and International:
A Talk by Barry Hill
Speaker: Barry Hill
Event Date: 04/27/09
Running Time: 60 minutes
Description: Distinguished EPA senior counsel Barry Hill defined human environment challenges and discussed the relationship between the rule of law and government enforcement of protective environmental laws to address these challenges. He stressed the importance of measuring governmental performance through appropriate performance measures, using Jordan as an example of how he works with other countries.
View Webcast
Title: Legislating in Heels--An Anecdotal Journal: The Honorable Constance "Connie" Morella
Speaker: Constance "Connie" Morella
Event Date: 03/18/09
Running Time: 69 minutes
Description: In her talk, Connie Morella recounted tales from her trajectory from Maryland's state senate to the U.S. House of Representatives and onward to an ambassadorship for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
View Webcast
Title: Looking Beyond Gitmo: U.S. and Foreign Approaches Toward Legal Treatment of Terrorist Suspects
Speakers: Clare Feikert, Louis Fisher, Ruth Levush, Charles "Cully" D. Stimson
Moderator: Peter Roudik
Event Date: 02/18/09
Running Time: 102 minutes
Description: The Law Library of Congress presented a panel discussion which dealt with U.S. legislation, Supreme Court decisions, and policies regarding the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of terrorist suspects as well as the points of view and legislation in some foreign states.
View Webcast
Title: Law Day 2008: The Rule of Law in Established and Emerging Countries
Speakers: Rubens Medina, Lindsey Graham, Harry T. Edwards, Rob Boone, Rosa Brooks, Thomas Carothers, Kurt L. Schmoke
Event Date: 05/01/08
Running Time: 87 minutes
Description: On May 1, 2008, the Law Library of Congress presented a panel discussion in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Law Day. The panel, moderated by Judge Harry T. Edwards, examined what the Rule of Law means to established and emerging countries. Opening remarks were provided by Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina.
View Webcast
Title: Former Oklahoma Representative Mickey Edwards Discusses Book on Conservatism
Speakers: Rubens Medina, Mickey Edwards
Event Date: March 5 , 2008
Running Time: 49 minutes
Description: Former Representative Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) discusses his new book, "Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost--And How It Can Find Its Way Back." Edwards argues that conservatism has been taken over by beliefs and policies which threaten the constitutional system of government.
View Webcast
Title: No Greater Challenge: Assessing Legal Responses to Terrorism
Speakers: Rubens Medina, James Renwick
Event Date: January 14, 2008
Running Time: 59 minutes
Description: A lecture by Dr. James Renwick, Australian Barrister and Visiting Fulbright Scholar. "No Greater Challenge: Assessing Legal Responses to Terrorism" focused on the United Kingdom's and Australia's legislative response to terrorism since 9/11, the supporting policy issues, and how they compare to the response of the United States.
View Webcast
Title: Extraordinary Rendition: Constitutional Issues
Speakers: Rubens Medina, Louis Fisher, Heather Sawyer, Daniel Huff
Event Date: December 5, 2007
Running Time: 89 minutes
Description: A discussion on "extraordinary rendition"— the transfer of suspected terrorists to countries known to employ harsh interrogation techniques that may rise to the level of torture. The panel also examined the role of the judiciary in the cases of Khaled El-Masri and Maher Arar.
View Webcast
Title: Indian Religious Freedom: To Litigate or Legislate?
Speakers: Louis Fisher, Kevin Gover (Pawnee), Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee), Dean Suagee (Cherokee)
Event Date: November 28, 2007
Running Time: 65 minutes
Description: Experts in the field of Native American Law discussed the difficulties of protecting American Indian religious rights through litigation and explored recent cases such as San Francisco Peaks and Cave Rock. Co-hosted by the Office of Workforce Diversity and the Law Library, the panel discussion served as the closing program of Native American Heritage Month.
View Webcast
Title: Strickland v. Washington: How Effective is the Right to the Effective Assistance of Counsel Standard? Panel 1
Speakers: Rubens Medina, Virginia Sloan, E. Michael McCann, Vanessa Ruiz, Bryan Stevenson. Moderated by Emma Schwartz
Event Date: November 7, 2007
Running Time: 1:36:27 minutes
Description: The Law Library and the Constitution Project cosponsored a day-long conference on the right to the effective assistance of counsel and, in particular, the case of Strickland v. Washington. Sandra Day O'Connor, retired Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, provided the keynote address and took questions from the audience. Justice O'Connor spoke of the impact of Strickland v. Washington and cited it as one of two cases that she will likely be most remembered for. Three panels explored why the effective assistance of counsel standard is important, the significance of Strickland v. Washington, and federal and state reforms to protect the right to the effective assistance of counsel. The panelists included prominent district and state attorneys, appellate judges, law professors, and experts from legal rights organizations. Dr. Rubens Medina, Law Librarian of Congress, and Virginia Sloan, President of the Constitution Project, provided opening remarks. Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress, addressed the audience prior to Justice O'Connor's keynote.
Speaker Names and Titles:
Opening remarks by Dr. Rubens Medina, Law Librarian of Congress and Virginia Sloan, President of the Constitution Project
Moderated by: Emma Schwartz, Associate Editor for US News & World Report
E. Michael McCann, former District Attorney for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Vanessa Ruiz, Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Bryan Stevenson, Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama
Title: Strickland v. Washington: How Effective is the Right to the Effective Assistance of Counsel Standard? Panel 2
Speakers: Alan Spellberg, Colin Starger, Carolyn Engel Temin, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. Moderated by Dahlia Lithwick. Introduction by Scott Messinger.
Event Date: November 7, 2007
Running Time: 1:16:27 minutes
Speaker Names and Titles:
Introduction by Scott Messinger, Chief Operating Officer of the Constitution Project
Moderated by Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor for Slate.com
Alan Spellberg, Cook County, IL States Attorneys Office
Colin Starger, Assistant Professor of Lawyering at the New York University School of Law
Carolyn Engel Temin, Senior Judge, Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Partner at Jenner & Block LLP who successfully argues ineffective assistance of counsel claim in Wiggins v. Smith in the United States Supreme Court.
Title: Strickland v. Washington: How Effective is the Right to the Effective Assistance of Counsel Standard? Keynote Address
Speakers: James H. Billington, Joan Biskupic, Sandra Day O'Connor
Event Date: November 7, 2007
Running Time: 43:28 minutes
Speakers:
Welcome by Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress
Introduction by Joan Biskupic, Supreme Court Reporter for USA Today and author of Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Court Became Its Most Influential Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (ret.), author of majority opinion in Strickland v. Washington
View Webcast Keynote Address by Sandra Day O'Connor
Title: Strickland v. Washington: How Effective is the Right to the Effective Assistance of Counsel Standard? Panel 3
Speakers: Stephen B. Bright, Rodney Ellis, Norman Lefstein, Ronald Weich. Moderated by Linda Greenhouse. Introduction by Scott Messinger
Event Date: November 7, 2007
Running Time: 1:33:27 minutes
Speaker Names and Titles:
Introduction by Scott Messinger, Chief Operating Officer of the Constitution Project
Moderated by Linda Greenhouse, Supreme Court reporter for The New York Times
Stephen B. Bright, president and senior counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights
Rodney Ellis, State Senator representing the 13th District of Texas, leader of indigent defense reform efforts in Texas
Norman Lefstein, Professor and Dean Emeritus at the University of Indiana School of Law, Indianapolis and coauthor of "Gideon's Broken Promise: America's Continuing Quest for Equal Justice"
View Webcast Panel 3: "Promises for Justice: Federal and State Reforms to Protect the Right to the Effective Assistance of Counsel"
Title: Native American Heritage Month Keynote Address by Rep. Tom Cole
Speakers: Rep. Tom Cole
Event Date: November 6, 2007
Running Time: 54 minutes
Description: Five years to the day after being elected to represent Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, Rep. Tom Cole delivered the keynote address for the Library's 2007 celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
View Webcast
Title: Law Library of Congress: "National Security and the Rule of Law" Panel Discussion
Speakers: Rubens Medina, Charlie Savage, Mickey Edwards, James Thurber, Virginia Sloan
Event Date: September 17, 2007
Running Time: 93 minutes
Description: Law Library Speaker Series and Panel Discussion presented in partnership with the Constitution Project featuring Charlie Savage, The Boston Globe; Mickey Edwards, Aspen Institute; James Thurber, American University.
View Webcast
Title: Law Library of Congress: “National Security and the Constitution” Panel Discussion
Speakers: Louis Fisher, Brian McKeon, Michael O’Neill
Event Date: September 12, 2007
Running Time: 88 minutes
Description: A Panel Discussion presented by the Law Library of Congress featuring Louis Fisher, Law Library of Congress; Brian McKeon, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; and Michael O’Neill, Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
View Webcast
Title: 175th Anniversary Gala
Speakers: Jeffrey Toobin, Rubens Medina, Ted Poe
Event Date: July 14, 2007
Running Time: 48:38
Description: The Law Library of Congress 175th Anniversary Gala featuring Jeffrey Toobin, Chair of the Honorary Committee; Rubens Medina, Law Librarian of Congress; and Ted Poe, United States Congressman.
Title: A Panel Discussion: “Torture, Detainees and the U.S. Military”
Speakers: Gary Solis, Patrick Finnegan, James C. Walker, Jacki Northam, Lee A. Casey
Event Date: July 11, 2007
Running Time: 1:31:03
Description: A panel discussion on Guantanamo, “high value” detainees, military commissions, fair trials, and allegations of torture by agents of the United States, including military personnel.
Title: Law Library of Congress: Law Day 2007 "Perspectives on Childhood and the Law"
Speakers: Karen J. Mathis, Rubens Medina, John Milewski, Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, Stephen J. Morse, Karen Pittman, David Young, Michael Zuckerman
Event Date: May 1, 2007
Running Time: 1:34:12
Description: A panel discussion presented by The Law Library of Congress and the American Bar Association Division for Public Education to commemorate Law Day 2007.
Title: Law Day 2006 “Separate Branches, Balanced Powers: Madison’s Legacy”
Speakers: Jeffrey Rosen, Richard Matthews, Hon. Adner Mikva, Gary Rosen, Hon. Patricia Wald, Ruth Wedgwood, Michael Greco, Peter Kalis, Harry Yee
Event Date: May 1, 2006
Running Time: 83:30.122
Description: The Law Library of Congress and the American Bar Association Division for Public Education commemorated Law Day 2006 with a panel discussion on “Separate Branches, Balanced Powers: Madison’s Legacy.”
Last Updated: 07/30/2012
