Category: Law and Justice

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

Sommeliers, this one is for you. The Law Library is excited to announce the launch of our latest Story Map, American Viticultural Areas. Researched and written by former intern Regan Avery, this project details the legal history of viticultural areas, “viticulture” being the farming of grapes.

The history of vinification, the impact of prohibition on the viticulture industry, and information about governance are chronicled in this Story Map, accentuated by beautiful images from the Library’s Prints and Photographs collection.

Learn anything new? Let us know! We look forward to bringing you more interactive legal histories.

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

The following is a guest post by Peter Roudik, the Assistant Law Librarian for Legal Research at the Law Library of Congress and the director of the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Directorate. Peter has previously written the following posts for In Custodia Legis: New Report from the Law Library of Congress on Foreigners’ Right to Real Property Ownership: China, Iran, North Korea, Russian Federation; Law Library’s Newly Published Legal Report titled, “Carbon Neutrality Legislation Around the World”; Old Legal Theories Given a New Life; A Tour of the National Library of Naples – Picture of the Week; Passport, Visa, and What Else? and many more.

Recently, the Law Library of Congress surveyed laws and regulations of 13 jurisdictions around the world concerning the use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. Laws of Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are reviewed.

You can virtually read the Law Library’s report, “Regulation of Nitrous Oxide in Selected Jurisdictions.” 

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a colorless, odorless, nonflammable, sweet-tasting gas. Because of its unique features, this substance is usually used in the medical, technical, and food sectors. In 1977, the World Health Organization recognized nitrous oxide as an anesthetic and included it in its Model List of Essential Medicines. It has a drug indication for the treatment of anxiety, bipolar disorder, and some forms of depression.

Because inhaling nitrous oxide causes a feeling of euphoria, it is nicknamed “laughing gas.” This name was given to nitrous oxide by English chemist Humphry Davy, who in 1799 described “feelings of heightened imagination” after inhaling this gas. Experts believe that “easy availability, low price, short-lived effects, and the general perception by users that respiratory use of nitrous oxide is relatively safe and socially acceptable,” make this gas a popular drug around the world, even though its regular use can cause serious damage to the nervous system and sometimes even death.

Being concerned about recreational use of nitrous oxide and other inhalants from the public health perspective, government authorities restrict and regulate how nitrous oxide and its products can be manufactured, sold, purchased, and used. This is a relatively new area of regulation with legislation adopted at the beginning of the 2020s.

All countries surveyed attempt to control the circulation of nitrous oxide and limit the legal opportunity for its recreational use. The approaches vary from a ban on the use of this gas for purposes not formally established, to limiting its availability through adding N₂O to the list of scheduled drugs, or to establishing control over its application without formally prohibiting its use. Even where not outlawed, the recreational use of psychoactive inhalants is strongly discouraged by national health authorities. We found that existing restrictions are usually broad and relate to the production, importation, distribution, advertisement, and possession of psychoactive substances. Some countries specifically prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide for the purpose of recreational inhalation. Others ban the sale of nitrous oxide at specific locations or venues. When reading the report, you will learn about specific details of how national legal regimes implement law enforcement measures in an attempt to impose restrictions on the use, sale, or purchase of laughing gas, pertaining to the amount of substance or the size of the container used for inhaling the gas.

The report also highlights the differences among the countries in prosecuting unlawful handling of laughing gas and describes applicable punishments. This report is supplemented by the table of references to statutes and regulations related to the recreational use of nitrous oxide and other inhalants adopted in seven United States jurisdictions.

The report is an addition to the Law Library’s Legal Reports (Publications of the Law Library of Congress) collection, which includes over 4,000 historical and contemporary legal reports covering a variety of jurisdictions, researched and written by foreign law specialists with expertise in each area. To receive alerts when new reports are published, you can subscribe to email updates and the RSS feed for Law Library Reports (click the “subscribe” button on the Law Library’s website). The Law Library also regularly publishes articles related to health, narcotics, and drug abuse, and public health in the Global Legal Monitor.

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

On March 12, 2026, the Law Library of Congress and the Supreme Court Fellows Program presented a conversation with Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court Fellows Program Annual Lecture. The Law Librarian of Congress, Aslihan Bulut, introduced the event, and Counselor to Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., Executive Director of the Supreme Court Fellows Program, served as the moderator. The event was live-streamed, and you can now watch a recording of the program.

Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 28, 1972. She married Jesse M. Barrett in 1999, and they have seven children. She received a B.A. from Rhodes College in 1994 and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1997. She served as a law clerk for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1997 to 1998, and for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1998 term. After two years in private law practice in Washington, D.C., she became a law professor, joining the faculty of Notre Dame Law School in 2002. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017. President Donald J. Trump nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat on October 27, 2020.

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Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

The Declaration of Independence was signed at the end of the Enlightenment, and the American Revolution is one of the key events of that period. The Declaration’s signers and their peers spent considerable time studying, writing, thinking, and speaking about the nature of authority and representative government, which were central doctrines of the Enlightenment.

William Paca, one of the four signers of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland, was well educated in a more formal way than was usual for the period. His education was very focused on logic, philosophy, and debate. His father, John Paca, sent William and his older brother Aquila to the Academy and College of Philadelphia for a classical education in 1752, when Paca was twelve. William continued his education at the College of Philadelphia (later developing into the University of Pennsylvania). It was understood that he would need to pursue a profession, as his older brother inherited the bulk of the family’s estates. While there, he followed a study course that was known to be “demanding.” (Stiverson, 34.) The curriculum at the college was “remarkable for its day because it marked the greatest divergence shown by any colonial college from the traditional prescription based on the medieval seven liberal arts…. The student was expected to cover advanced mathematics, physics, politics, history, economics, and public law… while reading classical texts and preparing exercises and orations as he went along.” (Russo, 5.) Paca graduated in 1759 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He traveled to Annapolis, the provincial capital of Maryland, to read law with Stephen Bordley, who was attorney general and one of the most prominent lawyers in Maryland. Paca helped found a debating society, the Forensics Club, which later included lifelong friend and fellow signer Samuel Chase. In 1761, he spent six months studying law at the Inner Temple in London, unusual for many colonial American lawyers. (Russo, 10.) He was admitted to the Mayor’s Court and tried his first case in 1764, soon after his return to Maryland.

It seems likely that his rigorous education and his post-graduate social activities, as well as his profession, particularly qualified him for his role as one of the architects of the government of the new nation, and his work on the first and second Continental Congresses. He married one of the wealthiest women in Maryland, Ann Mary Chew, in May 1763, which gave him access to influential political circles. He wrote articles in the Maryland Gazette and represented a local man in court in opposition to the poll tax that, in colonial Maryland, paid clergymen’s wages, as part of the Fee Bill controversy. He was one of the founders of the Maryland Sons of Liberty and led the local Stamp Act protest with his friend Samuel Chase in 1765. He was elected to be a member of the Homony Club, a social gathering of prominent Annapolis men. In 1767, he was elected to represent Annapolis in the Lower House of the Maryland Proprietary Assembly.

John Adams, a close friend of Paca’s, described Paca in his diary as a “deliberater”; they had long conversations about political issues and colonial rights outside of session when they were in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress. (Stiverson, 66.) Paca voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and signed it on August 2, 1776. You’ll find his signature on the Declaration on the second line of the Maryland delegates, the second name below John Hancock’s name.

From 1780-1782, he was a judge for the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture. He served as Governor of Maryland from 1782 to 1785, during the Revolutionary War, and while Congress met in Annapolis from November 1783 to August 1784. Following his term as governor, he was elected to both the Maryland Senate and the House of Delegates; he chose to sit as a member of the House of Delegates. (Stiverson, 90.) He was the Harford County representative for the Constitution Ratification Convention in 1788 (Jefferson wrote,“Mr. Paca will probably be, as usual, in the politics of Chase.”) (Smith, v. 2, p. 504.) He was an anti-Federalist and proposed the addition of 28 amendments to the Constitution, several of which, such as freedom of religion and freedom of the press, were later added to the Bill of Rights.

Paca was friendly with George Washington. He was willing to serve the new government, and in 1789, Washington appointed him as judge of the newly created federal District Court of Maryland, where he served until his death in 1799.

July 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Keep an eye out for more posts like this one that celebrate the Declaration, the lives of its signers, and the world in which they lived.

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Resources

E302.6.P12 S85 G. A. Stiverson and P. R. Jacobsen, William Paca: a Biography.

E332.88.M33 1995 Jefferson, Thomas. The Republic of Letters: the Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, 1776-1826, edited by James Morton Smith.

Russo, Jean B. William Paca’s Education: the Making of an Eighteenth-Century Gentleman and American Patriot.

JK3866.B56  E. C. Papenfuse, A. F. Day, D. W. Jordan, and G. A. Stiverson, eds. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland legislature, 1635-1789.

HC107.M3 H63 Hoffman, Ronald. A Spirit of Dissension: Economics, Politics, and the Revolution in Maryland.

F176.M18 Skaggs, David C., “Editorial Policies of the Maryland Gazette,” Maryland Historical Magazine, LIX (1964): pp. 341-349.

Constitutional Convention Broadsides no. 11. To the people of Maryland: The following facts, disclosing the conduct of the late Convention of Maryland, is submitted to the serious consideration of the citizens of the state. …

Use these classification numbers to find these items in the collection; you may find similar items in your local library with similar classification numbers.

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

The following is a guest post by Muneera Al-Khalifa, scholar-in-residence, working with Foreign Law Specialist George Sadek at the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. This post is part of our Frequently Asked Legal Questions (FALQs) series.

The establishment of specialized international commercial courts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reflects the region’s efforts to create a business-friendly legal environment. Driven by rapid economic growth, increased cross-border trade, and the rise of complex transactions, these courts address the limitations of general courts in handling sophisticated commercial and investment disputes. Specialized commercial courts in the GCC include the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts, the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) Court, the Bahrain International Commercial Court (BICC), the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) Court, and the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC). This blog post focuses primarily on the rise of International Commercial Courts in the GCC, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Qatar.

I. The United Arab Emirates

The UAE was the first country in the GCC to establish specialized commercial courts. In 2004, Article 121 of the UAE Constitution was amended to empower the Federation to enact legislation governing “Financial Free Zones” and to define their exemption from federal laws. Pursuant to this amendment, Federal Law No. (8) of 2004 on Financial Free Zones permits the establishment of financial free zones in any emirate of the UAE by federal decree. This law exempts these zones and the financial activities conducted within them from the application of federal civil and commercial laws; however, UAE criminal law still applies.

Accordingly, the ADGM and Dubai International Financial Center are empowered to establish their own specific legal and regulatory frameworks governing civil and commercial matters. I will begin with an overview of the ADGM Courts, followed by the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) Court.

1. The Abu Dhabi Global Market Court

The ADGM Courts were established in 2013 in accordance with Federal Decree No. (15) of 2013 and the founding law— Abu Dhabi Law No. (4) of 2013 (ADGM Law)— as amended. The ADGM Courts operate as an independent judicial body within the ADGM financial free zone and represent the first jurisdiction in the Middle East to directly apply English common law. The ADGM Courts are considered courts of the Emirate, and judgments are issued in the name of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. (Art. 13(1), (2). Law No. (12) of 2020) The Court of First Instance, composed of a single judge, comprises a commercial and civil division, an employment division, a small claims division, and an appeals division. (Art. 13(7).) The Court of Appeal, composed of three judges, has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine appeals against judgments and orders issued by the Court of First Instance (Art. 13(10).) The Court of First Instance exercises exclusive jurisdiction over:

1. Civil or commercial claims and disputes involving the ADGM, an ADGM authority, or any of its establishments;
2. Civil or commercial claims and disputes arising out of or relating to:
   • a contract entered into, executed, or performed in whole or in part in the ADGM;
   • a transaction entered into or performed in whole or in part in the ADGM; or
   • An incident that occurred in whole or in part in the ADGM.

3. Any appeal against a decision or a procedure issued by any of the ADGM Authorities in accordance with the ADGM Regulations;
4. Any request, claim, or dispute that the ADGM Courts have jurisdiction to consider under the ADGM Regulations; and
5. Any matter concerning the interpretation of any provision of the ADGM Regulations. (Art. 13(7).)

Furthermore, the ADGM Courts may hear and determine any civil or commercial claim or dispute where the parties have agreed in writing to submit such claim or dispute to the ADGM jurisdiction, whether such agreement is concluded before or after the claim or dispute arises. (Art. 13(8).) The parties may also agree to refer their claims or disputes to arbitration or may agree in their commercial contracts and transactions to submit to the jurisdiction of any other court other than the ADGM Courts of First Instance. (Art. 13(9).)

2. Dubai International Financial Center Courts

The DIFC Courts were established in 2004 pursuant to Federal Law No. (35) of 2004 that specifically established the DIFC as a financial free zone. Dubai Law No. (12) of 2004, as amended, which originally established the DIFC Judicial Authority and formed the DIFC Courts, has been superseded by Dubai Law No. (2) of 2025 (the “new DIFC Court Law”). In accordance with the new DIFC Court Law, the DIFC Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over:

1. Civil, commercial, and employment claims and applications:
   • involving the DIFC bodies or DIFC establishments or to which they are a party. (Art. 14(A)(1) Dubai Law No. (2) of 2025.)
   • arising from contracts concluded, performed, or to be performed wholly or partly within the DIFC. (Id. art. 14(A)(2).)
   • relating to incidents, transactions, or activities of DIFC entities or their employees occurring wholly or partly within the DIFC. (Id. art. 14(A)(3).)
2. Claims and applications arising out of or related to trust instruments established or registered in the DIFC, in addition to non-Muslim Wills registered with the DIFC Courts. (Id. art. 14(A)(4).)
3. Claims and applications for the ratification or recognition of Arbitral Awards under the DIFC Arbitration Law. (Id. art. 14(A)(5).)
4. Arbitration-related claims and applications where
   • the seat or legal place of arbitration is the DIFC;
   • arbitral proceedings take place within the DIFC, and the parties have not agreed on the seat or legal place of arbitration;
   • the parties agree to the jurisdiction of the DIFC Courts for disputes arising out of arbitration proceedings. (Id. art. 14(A)(6).)
5. The DIFC Courts have jurisdiction over claims and applications that fall under the DIFC Laws and Regulations, the laws in force in the Emirate, and any international treaty and convention to which the State has acceded or is a party to. (Id. art. 14(A)(7).)

Additionally, the DIFC Courts have jurisdiction to hear and determine civil and commercial claims and applications if the parties expressly agree in writing to the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction, whether before or after the dispute arises, provided that such agreement is explicit, clear, and specific. (Id. art. 14(B).)

The DIFC Courts may decline jurisdiction if the parties have agreed in writing to submit to another court’s jurisdiction, or where a final judgment has already been issued by another court and can be enforced within the DIFC. (Id. art. 14(C).)

II. Bahrain

In 2024, Bahrain established the Bahrain International Commercial Court (“BICC”) in accordance with Legislative Decree No. (9) of 2024. The BICC is an independent legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction over international commercial disputes, subject to the administrative supervision and oversight of the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, or another minister appointed by decree. (Art. 3 Legislative Decree No. (9) of 2024.)

The BICC has jurisdiction over the following disputes, provided that the parties expressly agree to its jurisdiction:

1. International commercial disputes:

• • A dispute is considered international if one party is located outside Bahrain, or if a substantial part of the obligations or the location most closely connected to the dispute is outside the Kingdom of Bahrain.
  • A dispute is considered commercial if it involves relationships of a commercial nature, whether contractual or not. This includes but is not limited to:
    • supply or exchange of goods and services;
    • distribution agreements, commercial representation, or commercial agency;
    • rights management, hire-purchase agreements, and factory construction;
    • consulting, engineering, licensing, investment, and financing;
    • banking transactions, insurance, franchising agreements, joint ventures, and other forms of industrial or commercial cooperation; or
    • transportation of goods or passengers by air, sea, or land. (Id. art. 10(a)(1).)

2. Disputes arising from any matter related to arbitration, including those concerning interim measures, the appointment or challenge of arbitrators, setting aside of arbitral orders and awards, or the enforcement and recognition of arbitral orders and awards. (Id. art. 10(a)(2).)

Additionally, the BICC has jurisdiction over a dispute if it is submitted to the court and the other party accepts its jurisdiction, either through explicit agreement or by implied consent, provided that the dispute falls within the scope of ‘international commercial disputes.’ (Id. art. 10 (b).)

The parties to a dispute may agree on the law governing the dispute. In the absence of such an agreement, or where the chosen law is contrary to the public policy of Bahrain, the Dispute Resolution Tribunal shall determine the applicable law in accordance with the conflict of laws rules it deems appropriate for the dispute. (Id. art. 14.)

Judgments issued pursuant to Legislative Decree No. (9) of 2024, are considered judgments issued by a competent authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain and are subject to immediate enforcement. However, the Dispute Resolution Tribunal or the Appellate Tribunal hearing the appeal may, at the request of the parties, suspend provisional execution if enforcing the judgment could cause serious harm and the grounds of appeal raise a reasonable possibility that the judgment may be set aside. (Id. art. 15.)

The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR), on the other hand, was established in 2009, and functions both as a legislatively mandated court — the BCDR Court — with defined jurisdiction, and as an arbitration and mediation center.  The BCDR Court was established by Legislative Decree No. (30) of 2009, as amended in 2014 and 2021. The BCDR Court has jurisdiction over disputes in which the claim exceeds BHD 500,000 (approx. US$1.3 million), and the dispute is:

• of an international commercial nature (Art. 9 (2) Legislative Decree No. (30) of 2009);
• between financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain, or between these institutions and other institutions, companies, and individuals (Id. art. 9 (1));
• between commercial companies licensed under the Bahraini Commercial Companies Law, relating to obligations arising from the commercial relationships. (Id. art. 9 (3)); or
• real estate disputes under the Real Estate Regulation Law No. (27) of 2017. (Art. 8.)

Furthermore, the BCDR Court also has jurisdiction over disputes relating to trusts that are governed by Legislative Decree No. 23 of 2016.

III. Qatar

The Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) was established in 2009 pursuant to the Qatar Financial Centre (“QFC”) Law No. (2) of 2009, as amended. It serves as an independent judicial body within the QFC framework. The QICDRC consists of:

• a court specialized in the resolution of civil and commercial disputes for entities operating in or connected with the QFC; and
• a regulatory tribunal, tasked with hearing appeals raised against decisions issued by the QFC Authority, the QFC Regulatory Authority, and other QFC institutions.

The First Instance Circuit of the QICDRC Court has jurisdiction over civil and commercial disputes arising:

• from transactions, contracts, arrangements, or events taking place in or from the QFC between entities established therein.
• between QFC authorities or institutions and entities established in QFC.
• between entities established in the QFC and its contractors or employees, unless the parties agree otherwise.
• from transactions, contracts, or arrangements between entities established within the QFC and residents of the State, or between entities established in the State but outside the QFC, unless the parties agree otherwise.
• between other entities, assigned to the QICDRC Court by law. (Art. 8 (3)(c) Law No. (2) of 2009, as amended.)

In addition, Law No. (15) of 2021, which amends Law No. (34) of 2005 concerning the Qatar Free Zones, confers jurisdiction on the court to resolve all civil and commercial disputes arising in connection with the Qatar Free Zones. (Art. 44.) Parties may also expressly agree to designate the QICDRC Court as the “Competent Court” for an arbitration seat in Qatar, in accordance with Law No. (2) of 2017, issuing the Arbitration Law in Civil and Commercial Matters. (Art. 1.)

Additional sources on Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE

For additional information on Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE, visit our Global Legal Monitor or contact the Law Library using our Ask a Librarian service.

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

An Orientation to Legal Research: U.S. Case Law

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Content: The Orientation to Legal Research Series provides a basic introduction to legal sources and research techniques. These orientations, taught by legal reference librarians, are typically offered once a month on a rotating basis. This entry in the series provides an overview of U.S. case law research, including information about the U.S. federal court system, the publication of court opinions, methods for researching case law, and information about locating records and briefs.

Instructor: Louis Myers. Louis holds a B.A. in history from Kent State University, a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from Kent State University.

Please register to join the Orientation to Legal Research webinar. 

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Orientation to Law Library Collections featuring the Law Library of Louisiana

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Content: The Orientation to Law Library Collections (OLLC) Webinar is designed for patrons familiar with legal research who would like an introduction to the Law Library of Congress’s collections and services. The purpose of the State Law Libraries Outreach Project is to strengthen the ties between the Law Library of Congress and state law libraries by sharing information about our collections, products, and services with one another and with the public. This project involves providing a guest spot for state law librarians, or their designees, to discuss the collections and services they offer during our OLLC Webinars.

Instructors: Anna Price. Anna is the Head of the Reading Room at the Law Library. Anna holds a B.S. in communications from Ithaca College, a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington iSchool.

Please register to join the Orientation to Law Library Collections webinar.

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Lunch and Learn Webinar: Using Secondary Sources in Legal Research

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Content: This webinar will provide an overview of secondary sources such as legal encyclopedias, treatises, and dictionaries. In addition, the webinar will provide examples of how these resources are used in practice. The presentation will demonstrate how secondary sources are an important step in the legal research method and how they can guide researchers to primary sources. Many of the materials and content for this webinar have come from the Law Library’s research guide, Legal Research: A Guide to Secondary Resources.

Instructor: Olivia Kane-Cruz. Olivia Kane-Cruz is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Olivia holds a B.A. in political science from Humboldt State University (Cal Poly Humboldt), a J.D. and a master’s of environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington.

Please register to join the Lunch and Learn webinar.

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To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

On April 30, 2026 at 3 p.m. EDT, the Law Library of Congress and the American Bar Association will cohost our annual Law Day celebration with a virtual lecture on the philosophical underpinnings of the Declaration of Independence.

We hope you can join us.
Please register to join our Law Day celebration.

This year, the American Bar Association’s 2026 Law Day theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” As the American Bar Association explains:

The 2026 Law Day theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” The rule of law—the idea that no person is above the law—is what ensures the rights of the people to live their lives as freely as possible and to pursue their dreams. The ABA encourages all Americans to recognize Law Day on May 1, 2026, and to reflect on how the rule of law ensures all Americans have the ability to fulfill their dreams.

Dr. Andrew Shankman, in conversation with Dr. Kevin Butterfield, will help us celebrate Law Day and America 250 by discussing what the philosophical and historical context of the Declaration of Independence can teach us about the rule of law in America. The program will be introduced by the American Bar Association National Law Day Chair Mike Flowers and the Law Librarian of Congress Aslihan Bulut.

Dr. Andrew Shankman received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and is professor of history at Rutgers University.  He is president-elect of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, president of the Executive Council of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and the former editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. Professor Shankman is the author of Crucible of American Democracy: The Struggle to Fuse Egalitarianism and Capitalism in Jeffersonian Pennsylvania, and Original Intents: Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the American Founding and the editor of The World of the Revolutionary American Republic: Land, Labor, and the Struggle for A Continent, Anglicizing America: Empire, Revolution, Republic, and Rethinking America: From Empire to Republic.  He has published over 20 essays on revolutionary era and early national U.S. history and his article “A New Thing on Earth: Alexander Hamilton, Pro-Manufacturing Republicans, and the Democratization of American Political Economy” received the Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEASE) best article prize and the Ralph D. Gray Prize from the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic for best article published in the Journal of the Early Republic.

Dr. Kevin Butterfield is the acting chief of the Library of Congress Manuscripts Division. Dr. Butterfield is a historian of the post-revolutionary United States. He most recently served as the director of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and the executive director of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon.

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

In February, Robert shared a post about adding Senate Committee Membership to Congress.gov. This is a great new feature that we had users requesting. Our March release had more behind the scenes infrastructure improvements.

With today’s release, we build upon the previous House Roll Call Vote work and add the 117th Congress (2021-2022) vote data. We plan to continue to add some additional congresses of vote data to Congress.gov. We have had feedback from users to continue to add more votes.

Enhancements

The enhancements to Congress.gov in this release include:

Enhancement – House Roll Call Votes – 117^th Congress

Enhancement – House Committee Prints – Browse

• The committee is listed in the first column of the House committee prints browse page.
• Select the title of a committee print to link to the full text.

Congress.gov Tip

Congress.gov added deep linking to the XML/HTML version of the bill back in January 2020. Did you know that for legislation without an XML/HTML version and only PDF that you can deep link into that? To deep link into a PDF, add #page=[number] to the end of a PDF URL to go straight to a page. For example, https://www.congress.gov/119/plaws/publ4/PLAW-119publ4.pdf#page=26.

Most-Viewed Bills

Below are the most-viewed bills for the week of March 29, 2026.

Number in list	Bill number	Bill title
1.	H.R.22 [119th]	SAVE Act
2.	H.R.4818 [118th]	Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023
3.	H.R.7296 [119th]	SAVE America Act
4.	H.R.7147 [119th]	Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026
5.	H.R.1 [119th]	An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.
6.	S.1383 [119th]	Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act of 2025
7.	H.R.4405 [119th]	Epstein Files Transparency Act
8.	S.3971 [119th]	Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act
9.	H.Res.939 [119th]	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States for high crimes and misdemeanors.
10.	S.1180 [119th]	Abolish TSA Act of 2025

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Source: US Global Legal Monitor

Today’s post is a guest post by a foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress, Louis Gilbert. Louis has previously published the following posts for In Custodia Legis: “Wait, It Is Not About Wigs?” – The Story of Faso Dan Fani Court Robes in Burkina Faso, What “Haute Couture” Really Means in French Law and Join us on 6/26 for a Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar: “Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Evolution of Surrogacy Law in France and Colombia.”

Please join us on April 23, 2026, at 2 p.m. EDT for our next foreign, comparative, and international law webinar titled: “Nationality, Borders, and Stability: A Historical Legal Analysis of Citizenship in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” 

Please register here to attend virtually.

Citizenship law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has long been tied to borders, identity, and conflict. Under Belgian rule, colonial citizenship laws were broadly inclusive. After independence, restrictions targeted and often excluded the Banyarwanda population, Kinyarwanda speakers with deep historical roots in the region. Key milestones include the 1964 Constitution, the 1972 law imposing residency cutoffs, and the 2004 Nationality Law. These measures, often shaped by ethnic and tribal criteria predating 1908, have fueled disputes, statelessness, and recurring violence over Banyarwanda status.

This webinar will trace Congolese nationality from colonial provisions based on jus soli to restrictive post-independence laws. It will examine how successive Belgian and Congolese laws have regulated territory and political authority and discuss potential reforms amid ongoing debates.

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The webinar will be presented by Louis Gilbert. Louis Gilbert is a foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress. He conducts research and writes reports on topics relating to the laws of French-speaking jurisdictions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Essex, England, a master’s in comparative law from the Université Paris Nanterre, France, and a J.D. from American University. He is a member of the District of Columbia bar.

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To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

Today, Maundy Thursday, marks the day that Swedish Easter witches (påskkärringar) fly to the (imaginary) island of Blåkulla. While the occurrence and place of Blåkulla is recognized as a myth today, 17th century Swedish court documents, especially from the Swedish witch trials, paint a different picture, where “Blåkulla” was described as a real and awful place, and visiting was punishable by death.

What are the Swedish witch trials?

The Swedish witch trials were local trials against practicing witches, men, women, and children, although the majority were women, typically for the crime of celebrating with the devil. For example, in 1675, when 71 witches were killed and their bodies burnt in Sweden’s largest reported ” witch bonfire,” all but six were women. Geographically, the trials also included local areas that are no longer part of Sweden, such as Åland (now part of Finland).

While there were witch trials in Sweden already during the late 1400s (for celebrating the Norse god Odin (Swedish: Oden), for example), most of the witch trials took place during the second half of the 1600s, and then for charges of participating in satanic celebrations. It is also during the 1600s that the (imaginary) place of Blåkulla is repeatedly described in the court documents. In particular, Stora oväsendet (literally, “the big noise”) was a period marked by numerous witch trials taking place between 1667 and 1676 in Stockholm and northern Sweden and causing quite the stir and fright among the local population. During this period alone some 300 witches were killed. In total, thousands of Swedes were accused and tried as witches and about 400 sentenced to death.

What was the actual crime?

Trolldom och vidskepelse (witchcraft and superstition) was criminalized as a result of the religious practices and roles that were formalized into law during the Middle Ages.

Trolldom och vidskepelse continued to be criminalized in the Swedish Code of 1734. Specifically, the 1734 Missgärningsbalk, chapter 2, section 1 on trolldom och vidskepelse provided that

Den som använt sig av trolldom och skadat annan till kropp eller dess egendom mister livet. Om någon dör av gärningen skall mannen steglas och kvinnan halshuggas och brännas på bål.

[Anyone who has used witchcraft and harmed another person’s body or property loses his or her life. If someone dies as a result of the act, the man shall be strangled and the woman beheaded and burned at the stake.](Translation by author.)

What was Blåkulla?

The place Blåkulla can be found described in Swedish local and appeals court judgements from the 17th century. The accounts and actual location of Blåkulla differ, but a common theme was for Blåkulla to symbolize the place where the witches came to party with the devil, and the court documents describe how the women brought children to Blåkulla.

How did the witches get to Blåkulla?

From the aforementioned court documents and witness testimonies, it appears most travel happened by flight or when the person was asleep.

Stockholm City has published an 1815 account written by Carl Gustav Walberg, which specifically describes how a person can get his or her ordinary broom to fly them to Blåkulla.

It describes a special ointment (made of raven gall and the brains of a hen, and other undisclosed ingredients, with no exact amounts specified) that must be placed on the broom, or if lacking a broom even a silk umbrella would do.

After that, it was enough to proclaim

“Häraf och häran! Till Blåkulla fram!” [Hereof and Hereto. To Blåkulla Onwards. ](Translation by author.)

But according to the 1815 account, that short proclamation was now insufficient and had been expanded.

”Till gästabud fram [To a feast onwards]
Bland qvastar och dam! [Amongst brooms and lady]
För sötgröten nu [For the sweet porridge now]
Till Belzebubs fru! [To Belzeebub’s wife]
Mjuk och god [Soft and good]
Är min häst, min klenod.[Here my horse, my treasure.]
Rör speleverken [Stir the musical instruments]
Pling plang! [Pling plang!]
Ulla Winblad kom med i särken! [Ulla Winblad join us in the nightgown]
Klingeli, plingeli, klingeli, plang!” [Klingeli, plingeli, klingeli, plang]”

Turns out, that today, some 200 years after the 1815 account, you don’t even need a broom. You can drive, bike, or walk; 27 places in Sweden are reportedly named Blåkulla.

How did the prosecution of witches come to an end?

In 1676, some 350 years ago this year, a royal Commisorial Rätt or kommission (Commission) was established in Stockholm to review the trials of witches (also known as stora owäsendet, literally “the big noise”) in Stockholm. (Kongliga Commisorial Rättens Rannsakning om Trollväsendet I Stockholm 1676 1677.) This followed a royal proclamation that a review was needed.

The commission declared that there had been insufficient evidence to convict the accused and that the many children’s witness statements had all been imaginary.

That did not mean that witch trials came to an end nationally. The last local witch trial was reportedly held in Leksand in 1757; in the end, the women were declared innocent and awarded damages.

And while less prevalently enforced, the crime “trolldom” (witchcraft) remained on the books in the criminal code until it was amended through the adoption of the 1864 Criminal Code (1864-års strafflag), which did not include a provision on trolldom.

Half of the 300+ people who were killed as witches during det stora oväsendet were from Härnösand, and the Swedish Church has since created a special memorial in recognition that those who were killed died innocent.

However, the legacy of the Swedish witches that flew to Blåkulla remains. To this day, children dress up as witches on Maundy Thursday and go knocking on houses in return for candy.

Where can I find additional information about the Swedish witch trials?

Online

In print

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