This Week in the Law Library ... March 3, 2025

This week in the Law Library we're teaching advanced legal research and advanced searching techniques. We're also previewing US Supreme Court oral arguments, raising awareness of criminal justice issues through the National Lawyers Guild's National Abolition Week, spotlighting criminal procedure resources, and celebrating Women's History Month.

Monday, March 3, 2025

Advanced Legal Research: Transactional
Instructional & Reference Services Librarian Laura Dixon-Caldwell
Room 135
9:00am – 9:55am

Advanced Legal Research: Ohio
Associate Director Susan Boland
Room 135
10:05am – 10:55am

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Technology Tuesdays
Shannon Kemen, Legal & Technology Research Instructional Services Librarian
12:15pm - 1:15pm
Zoom
Canvas Q & A

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Advanced Legal Research: Fiction and Fact
Research Instructional Services Librarian Shannon Kemen
Room 107
10:05am – 11:00am

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Lawyering II, Advocacy, Cohort 4
Instructional & Reference Services Librarian Laura Dixon-Caldwell
Room 230
10:40am – 12:05pm
Advanced Searching Techniques

Lawyering II, Advocacy, Cohort 2
Electronic Resources Instructional Services Librarian Ron Jones
Room 230
3:00pm – 4:30pm
Advanced Searching Techniques

For the 2025 Week of Abolition (March 3-7), NLG law school chapters will be organizing events and actions related to the abolition of prisons and police, with a special focus building alternatives in our everyday lives, relationships, and institutions. 

March 3, 2025

NLG Tabling - Week of Abolition
12:00pm - 1:30pm

March 4, 2025

National Lawyers Guild Speaker Panel Event
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Room 145

March 5, 2025

NLG Tabling - Week of Abolition
12:00pm - 1:30pm

March 6, 2025

NLG Tabling - Week of Abolition
12:00pm - 1:30pm

Resources to Learn More

• NLG Webinars
  • NLG public webinars cover subjects such as protestor rights, the ethics of assisting incarcerated cliends with collective action, South Africa's Gaza case at the Hague, discussion of the legal attacks on the #StopCopCity movement, prison book bans, anti-terrorism laws, mass defense, labor rights and animal advocacy, and more.
• NLG Reports
  • The NLG has released reports documenting human rights violations at the border, in Haiti, and Venezuela, as well as reports on the surveillance of lawyers and the policing of speech and activism. 
    
• The Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook
  • A free resource for people in prison who wish to file a federal lawsuit addressing poor conditions in prison or abuse by prison staff.
• Know Your Rights
  • NLG staff, chapters, projects, committees, and members regularly create and update guides and trainings to help people face law enforcement and the legal system.

CALI Criminal Procedure Lessons

This Subject Area Index lists all CALI lessons covering Criminal Procedure. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.

Examples & Explanations: Criminal Procedure 1 The Constitution and the Police

Available via the Aspen Learning Library subscription, this study aid provides provides an overview of Criminal Procedure, together with examples that illustrate how these principles apply in typical cases. The text gives students a sense of the theoretical flow and logic of law enforcement by following police procedural order. New to the 10th edition: Fourth Amendment limits on cell phone and computer searches; police accountability and the limits of the exclusionary rule; and the recent cutback on Miranda as a constitutional doctrine. A series of problems at the end of each section or chapter assist you in testing your understanding. Answers are provided for these problems.

Examples & Explanations: Criminal Procedure II From Bail to Jail

Available via the Aspen Learning Library subscription, this study aid provides an overview of Criminal Procedure, together with examples that illustrate how these principles apply in typical cases. The text additionally contains information on non-criminal trial remedies for prosecutorial misconduct; treatment of ABA standards, especially those relating to effective assistance of counsel; emphasis on the continuing struggle with rules of discovery, both as a constitutional matter, and as a matter of court rules, both federal and state; the expansion of the right to counsel, in Rothgery and other cases; and the Court’s willingness to impose on counsel, but not on judges, the duty to provide defendants prior to entry of a guilty plea of important information on collateral matters. A series of problems at the end of each section or chapter assist you in testing your understanding. Answers are provided for these problems.

Principles of Criminal Procedure

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, this study aid gives you everything you need to know about basic criminal procedure principles. It includes references to recent, relevant decisions handed down by the United States Supreme Court. In addition, Principles of Criminal Procedure contains helpful study devices such as “focal points” at the beginning of each chapter, and “points to remember” at the end of each section.

Understanding Criminal Procedure Vol. 1 Investigation

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library study aid subscription, Understanding Criminal Procedure Volume One: Investigation focuses primarily on police investigative process and constitutional concerns. A chapter on the defendant's right to counsel at trial and appeal and other non-police-practice issues is included in both volumes. The eighth edition of Investigation incorporates all of the major Supreme Court cases since the last edition was published, such as Carpenter v. United States, Mitchell v. Wisconsin, Collins v. VIrginia, and Kansas v. Glover. It also includes an in-depth discussion of the mosaic theory of searches, and contains expanded coverage of issues surrounding border searches, the third-party doctrine, and the exigent circumstances exception to the warrant requirement.

Understanding Criminal Procedure Vol. 2 Adjudication

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library study aid subscription, Understanding Criminal Procedure Volume Two: Adjudication covers the criminal process after the police investigation ends and the adjudicative process commences. The text covers the most important United States Supreme Court cases in the field. Where pertinent, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, federal statutes, and lower federal and state court cases are considered. The broad overarching policy issues of criminal procedure are laid out and some of the hottest debates in the field are considered in depth and objectively.

ProQuest: Criminal Justice

ProQuest Criminal Justice provides information on virtually any criminal justice topic¸ including corrections administration¸ law enforcement¸ social work¸ industrial security¸ drug rehabilitation¸ and criminal and family law. 

Exam Study Guide: Criminal Procedure

Did you know the Law Library can help you prepare for class and law school exams? Consult this guide for our criminal procedure resources.

Constitutional Rights of the Accused

Available on Westlaw, Constitutional Rights of the Accused analyzes federal constitutional rights, focusing on frequently litigated topics such as arrest, search and seizure, and confessions. Organized to follow the course of any criminal action, it provides insight on topics such as:

• The pretrial process, trial, and posttrial situations
• The Sixth Amendment
• Capital punishment
• Probation, parole, and pardons
• Double jeopardy
• Electronic tracking devices
• Search warrants directed at attorneys
• Entrapment as a constitutional exception to Miranda
• Supreme Court cases and lower-court decisions reflecting constitutional rights of accused or convicted persons with a multitude of citations

Ohio Innocence Project Virtual Events

A YouTube playlist of the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Innocence Project virtual events.

National Lawyers Guild

Established in 1937, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is the nation’s oldest and largest progressive bar association and was the first one in the US to be racially integrated. The NLG's mission is to use law for the people, uniting lawyers, law students, legal workers, and jailhouse lawyers to function as an effective force in the service of the people by valuing human rights and the rights of ecosystems over property interests. 

This month is Women’s History Month and the Law Library will be celebrating all month with our display, candy, and blog postings. Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” As of March 3, 2025, President Trump has not issued a proclamation for Women's History Month.

The 2025 Women's History Month theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” According to the National Women’s History Alliance, "the 2025 theme celebrates the powerful influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership."

UC Events Celebrating Women’s History Month  

As of March 3, 2025, UC has unpublished and scrubbed its website of pages mentioning women's history month. You can view previous versions of UC websites celebrating Women's History Month through the Wayback Machine. 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

9th Annual Black Feminist Symposium
8:00am - 5:00pm
Tangeman University Center (TUC)
The Black Feminist Symposium is dedicated to celebrating Black feminist thought, scholarship, and activism both at UC and in the community. Each year, the event offers a rich array of voices through a full day of speakers, panels, workshops, and networking led by students, staff, and faculty, as well as community members from Greater Cincinnati and wider region. RSVP is required. This year’s theme, Seeds of Change: A Black Feminist Vision for a Free Future, asks us to envision that imaginative future. If we traveled back through time to gather seeds from our ancestors, what wisdom would we have to imagine and build a future where Black women and gender non-conforming people are truly free? In Pleasure Activism, author and activist adrienne maree brown wrote, “Our radical imagination is a tool for decolonization, for reclaiming our right to shape our lived reality.” Still, brown also felt at times “trapped inside someone else's capability. I often feel I am trapped inside someone' else's imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free.” For our own well-being and growth as Black women and gender non-conforming people - and for our future - we must break out of the box of what we know and how we have done things and use our collective imagination to reconfigure our future without bounds.

International Women's Day
12:20 - 1:30pm
UCBA Muntz 119 Auditorium
Join the Business & Economics Department's annual event on Thursday, Match 6, 2025 to celebrate International Women's Day. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.Come celebrate with these amazing women from our community and hear how they have set a trend in their industries and the importance of this year's IWD Theme: #AccelerateAction.A light lunch will be served to those who pre-register. Please bring a donation item for the UCBA Food Pantry. You must RSVP.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Give Her Flowers
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Student Wellness Center
Drop by the Student Wellness Center to make a bouquet for a woman that has helped you during your time at UC to celebrate WHM!

Trivia: Women's History
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Student Wellness Center
Join us in the Student Wellness Center to play trivia as a individual or a team. Enjoy snacks, tea and compete for a chance to win some prizes. Round 1: Trailblazers, Round 2: Actresses, Round 3: Athletes.

5 Resources to Learn More about Women’s History

ABA, Women Leading the Way (PDF)

Learn more about trailblazing women, especially those in the legal profession, in US history. View short bios and see highlights of women recently honored by the various ABA Goal III Entities, including activists, judges, and other trailblazers.

ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, 21 Day Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession created the Grit Project “to educate women lawyers about the science behind grit and growth mindset – two important traits that many successful women lawyers have in common.” Grit and growth mindset, in turn, help to build resilience and confidence. When combined with a sense of purpose, authenticity and community, these traits help to keep women in the profession – even while we work to address the larger systemic challenges that threaten to deplete the number of women practicing law. The 21 Day Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge was created to help you develop and enhance your grit and growth mindset by consistently engaging in short, daily challenges: reading thought provoking articles, watching videos, reviewing case studies, and taking concrete, habit-forming actions. Do them on your own, or form a Grit Group to unpack the challenges and learnings together.

ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, Guided Conversations: Highlighting Experiences of Intersectionality Webinar

Created to improve dialogue about race, ethnicity, and gender, the Guided Conversations Project aims to illuminate the intersectional experiences of women of color and promote allyship in the legal profession. In honor of this vision and Women’s History Month, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, co-sponsored by the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, hosted a day of conversation to convene highly accomplished women to share their experiences. This free virtual program featured women lawyers of diverse demographic backgrounds and legal specialties in a 60-minute discussion moderated by former CWP Chair Michele Coleman Mayes, followed by a 30-minute Q&A portion.

ABA Young Lawyers Division, A Seat at the Table: Modern Career Paths for Women of Color Lawyers Webinar  

Gain valuable insight into pursuing modern options to find your own seat at the table, outside of traditional law firm life.  As lawyers we are engrained with numerous skills, many of which are transferable to other practice areas. Oftentimes, the typical associate track is not the only way to be successful as a lawyer. Discovering and acknowledging your skills can enhance your career path by taking you through doors that you may not even know existed. 

Stephanie A. Scharf et al., ABA Commission On Women in the Profession, Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers: Results and Best Practices from a National Study of the Legal Profession (2023) (PDF)

In this study, the Commission on Women in the Profession gathered and analyzed current data about biases faced by mothers and caregivers of children practicing law across various types and sizes of legal practice, with critical consideration of how these biases are further impacted by race, ethnicity, and other intersectional factors; and prepared and provided evidence-based policy and practice recommendations that may be implemented by law firms, in-house legal departments, state and local bar associations, and other organizations employing or supporting women lawyers.

US Supreme Court by Jarek Tuszyński CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

From SCOTUS Blog:

Monday Mar. 3, 2025

CC/Devas (Mauritius) Ltd. v. Antrix Corp. - whether plaintiffs must prove minimum contacts before federal courts may assert personal jurisdiction over foreign states sued under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

BLOM Bank SAL v. Honickman - wether Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(6)’s stringent standard applies to a post-judgment request to vacate for the purpose of filing an amended complaint.

Tuesday Mar. 4, 2025

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos - (1) whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States is the proximate cause of alleged injuries to the Mexican government stemming from violence committed by drug cartels in Mexico; and (2) whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States amounts to “aiding and abetting” illegal firearms trafficking because firearms companies allegedly know that some of their products are unlawfully trafficked.

Wednesday Mar. 5, 2025

Nuclear Regulatory Com. v. Texas - (1) whether the Hobbs Act, which authorizes a “party aggrieved” by an agency’s “final order” to petition for review in a court of appeals, allows nonparties to obtain review of claims asserting that an agency order exceeds the agency’s statutory authority; and (2) whether the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 permit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license private entities to temporarily store spent nuclear fuel away from the nuclear-reactor sites where the spent fuel was generated.

Posted Mar. 3, 2025 by Susan Boland

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