Legal Research News and Information with an Emphasis on Wisconsin
According to the Law Revision Counsel, by way of the GovDocs-l listserv, titles 1-9 of the 2006 edition of the official U.S. Code are now available on the House of Representatives U.S. Code Search site. See the about page for more information. The first four volumes (titles 1 to 10,
I’m pleased to report that the 2005/2006 Wisconsin Legislative Drafting Records are now available on the UW Law Library Web site. Records from previous sessions back to 1999/2000 are also available. The 2005/2006 records have actually been up for a few weeks, but Google has only just indexed them, thus enabling our search engine. You …
C-SPAN has created a video archive House and Senate floor proceedings. The new C-SPAN Congressional Chronicle is produced through a automated matching of the video recordings with the Congressional Record soon after the Record is available in the day following the session. Browse by date, bill number, or person’s name. Looks like there is even …
From JS Online: The state Senate unanimously voted Tuesday to add cell phones to the state’s “do not call” list and raise the maximum fine for violating that law from $100 to $1,000.
On December 1, 2007, a revised and restyled Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (F.R.C.P.) became effective. The Style Project, as it is called, rewrote the rules using “plain language” with the purpose of making them easier to understand. This project, begun in 1992, resulted in the most extensive revision of the rules since their establishment …
In an editorial yesterday, JS Online weighs in on another proposal to limit access to Wisconsin’s online court records. Companion proposals by Vos and Lassa would have state officials remove cases or charges involving a civil forfeiture or misdemeanor from the Web site within 90 days after being notified that the case or charge has …
Wisconsin Attorney General Van Hollen is backing a bill that would offer electronic access by law enforcement agencies to photographs on motor vehicle operators licenses and identification cards. According to Proof and Hearsay: The bill Van Hollen backs, which as he says “isn’t costless,” would sync up the police computers that already use this system …
The Wisconsin Personnel Commission is yet another agency abolished by the state budget. Others include the Revisor of Statutes Bureau and the Sentencing Commission. From their Web site: Pursuant to the provisions of the State budget that was recently enacted into law, the Personnel Commission has been abolished and its authority has been distributed between …
In response to my post last week about Wisconsin passing the nation’s first open records law in 1849, I received a request to post the full text of that law. So, I did a quick scan from our 1849 Wisconsin Revised Statutes print volume and here is Chapter 10, Section 137.
Two news items involving historical Wisconsin statutes: A Capital Times writer authenticates Wikipedia claim that the nation’s first open records law was passed in Wisconsin shortly after it became a state. WI Revised Statutes, 1849 – Chapter 10, Section 137 required every sheriff, circuit court clerk, county board clerk, register of deeds and county treasurer …