Legal Research News and Information with an Emphasis on Wisconsin
The latest InsideTrack from the State Bar of Wisconsin has an excellent guide on Investigating Wisconsin Administrative Rules. Author, Bev Butula writes: Many issues we research center around the rules established by administrative agencies. It is often beneficial to gather background information, reports, and analysis similar to a legislative history when investigating a specific rule. …
Wisconsin Attorney General Van Hollen recently issued a memorandum addressing the practical impact of the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court case, Schill v. Wisconsin Rapids School District. In Schill, the Court held that the Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. 19.31-19.39) does not require the disclosure of the contents of purely personal e-mails sent or received on …
In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the Federal Register launched a new online edition this week. From the press release: Federal Register 2.0 features a new layout that organizes the content by topics similar to a newspaper Web site. The site displays individual sections for Money, Environment, World, Science and Technology, Business and Industry, and …
Research Bulletin 2010-1 from the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau provides an overview of the acts and joint resolutions of the 2009 -2010 Wisconsin Legislative Session. Legislation is organized by topic with acts described under the appropriate subject heading or headings.
Informational Memorandum 10?3 from the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau analyzes all of the constitutional amendments submitted to the electorate since the constitution was ratified in 1848 and highlights those that may not comply with the separate amendment rule, based on a literal reading of Section 1.
The Appleton Post Crescent has a nice run down of major bills passed and rejected by the Wisconsin Legislature since the beginning of the two-year session starting in January 2009. The list appears below – for a description of each, see the full article: Clean energy Failing schools Raw milk Smoking ban Texting while driving …
From Et Seq, The Harvard Law School Library Blog: Can’t get enough of Congress? Is Book TV your idea of Must-see TV? If so, you’ll be excited to learn that “virtually every minute” of C-SPAN’s archives for the last 23 years are now available at C-SpanVideo.org. The total? 160,000 hours.
From Novalawcity: GovPulse.us is a fantastic new app that puts “the Federal Register at your fingertips”. The front page gives you lists (with links) of comments closing and opened in the last 7 days, followed by rules taking effect and proposed within that time period. Also on the front page is a map of your …
From beSpacific: Ley.mx is another terrific addition to the family of legal sources developed and hosted by Justia. With content available in both PDF and HTML, this straight forward, well designed site hosts a database providing quick access to primary law, including the Mexican constitution, state and federal laws, codes, and regulations. The site also …
FDsys.gov, the Government Printing Office’s replacement for the aging GPO Access website, continues to grow. It now covers the following: Congressional Bills, 103rd Congress (1993-1994) to present; BILLS 104th Congress (1995-1996) to present; CCAL Congressional Committee Prints, 100th Congress (1987-1988) to present; CRPT Congressional Directory, 104th Congress (1995-1996) to present; CDIR Congressional Documents, 104th Congress …