This Week in the Law Library … June 17, 2024
This week in the Law Library we’re learning about Juneteenth, looking at bar exam resources, reviewing basic legal research skills for summer, and continuing to celebrate Pride Month.
Celebrating Juneteenth
(photo by USAG-Humphreys, CC BY 2.0 via Flickr)
Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people in Texas were free. Troops did not arrive until two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation!
Stop by and check out our small Juneteenth Display!
Note that the Law Library will be closed Wednesday, June 19, 2024 for the Juneteenth holiday.
Bar Exam Study Resources
Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.
The July 2024 bar examination will be administered at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio July 30-31, 2024. The Holiday Inn Roberts Centre room block opens on May 14, 2024, at 11 am. Learn more at: Ohio Bar Exam
5 More Resources to Help You Study for the Bar Exam
The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.
The Bar Exam Toolkit Podcast
Tune in to this podcast for advice on all aspects of the exam, from writing a passing essay to surviving bar prep with your sanity intact.
The National Jurist – Bar Exam Articles
The National Jurist has published many articles on the bar exam. You can view them all here.
Lori Lynn Eller, Bar Exam Nightmares, Solved, ABA Law Student Division (Apr. 18, 2024) (Video)
Get solutions for common nightmares experienced during the bar exam including forgetting a rule during essay portion, making sense of an unusual task during the performance test, and running out of time when you are up against the clock.
Krista Bordatto, How to Mentally & Physically Prepare for the Bar Exam, ABA Law Student Division (Apr. 18, 2023) (Video)
Preparing for the bar is very different than preparing for law school exams. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon that requires a different approach to preparation. This video will provide tips on learning how to mentally and physically prepare yourself to study and pass the bar exam the first time!
Heather Buck, Virtual Office Hours: 8 Essential Tips for First-Time Bar Takers, ABA Law Student Division (Apr. 20, 2023) (Video)
Taking the bar exam soon? These tips are easy to implement and will make sure you are on the right track to pass the bar exam the first time!
You can see the previous week’s featured bar exam resources on our June 10, May 28, and May 21 posts.
Summer Legal Research Tips
Previously, we looked at initial steps to take when you get a summer research project, looking at secondary sources, researching statutes in annotated codes, and statutory finding tools. Start by identifying the resources available to you at your place of summer employment and ask questions. Develop a research plan. Read more about developing a research plan on our Research Strategy & Documentation guide. Then you may need to do background research about your issue before jumping into primary sources such as statutes and case law. A good secondary source can explain the law around your issue and cite you to primary sources. It can save you a lot of time and effort! Learn more about researching in secondary sources in our Researching Secondary Sources Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within the various secondary source types. If your issue is statutory, you want to use an annotated code. An annotated code is a great research tool because it offers editorial enhancements such as: (1) cross references to related statutes and regulations; (2) more detailed historical notes, secondary source references; (3) if it is a Thomson Reuters code you will get topic and key number references to help you find cases; and (3) the case annotations. Once in an annotated code, use the statutory finding tools like indexes, tables of contents, parallel reference tables, and the popular names table to find the statutory sections you need. This week we will continue to take a look at researching a statutory issue in an annotated code, by covering updating and validating statutes. Learn more about researching statutes in our Researching Statutes Guide or watch our videos on using citators to validate statutes.
How Up-to-Date Is Your Code?
Statutes are constantly changing. Make sure that you are working with the most current version of a statute when researching a current issue. Print and online codes will tell you how up to date they are. Look for these currency statements when viewing a statute. Look for the number of the last session law integrated into the code.
Print codes are updated with annual pocket parts and supplements. Also look for legislative service pamphlets. These updates are published throughout the year and usually include a cumulative list of statutes affected by recently enacted laws and a cumulative subject index. Tables of amendments and repeals published in codes and advance legislative services provide citations to session laws that modify existing statutes. Just be aware that print supplements are often published to slowly for updating purposes so online sources are going to be most current.
Validating Statutes Using Citators
On Lexis, use Shepards to validate your statute and to identify any pending legislation that may impact your statute. In Lexis, when you shepardize a statute, the circle with an exclamation point indicates that a section has strong negative treatment. Such negative treatment would be things like it has been amended or repealed or that it has been declared unconstitutional or void. In Lexis, the upside-down yellow triangle with an exclamation point indicates that there is pending legislation that could amend your statute. In Lexis, the green diamond with a plus sign in it indicates that there is positive treatment of your statute.
On Westlaw, use KeyCite to validate your statute and to identify any pending legislation that may impact your statute. A red flag in Westlaw indicates that a section has been amended or repealed by a session law or that it has been declared unconstitutional or preempted. A yellow flag in Westlaw indicates that the statute has been renumbered or transferred by a recent session law; that an uncodified session law or proposed legislation affecting the statute is available; that the statute was limited on constitutional or preemption grounds; that its validity was otherwise called into doubt; or that a prior version of the statute received negative treatment from a court.
June Is Pride Month!
About Pride Month
Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2024 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.
Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!
Pride Month at University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a Premier Campus, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars in the Campus Pride Index, a national listing of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. The index is an overall indicator of institutional commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policy, program and practice. Additionally, in a recent national ranking the University has been ranked #52 among the top LGBTQ-friendliest colleges and universities.
UC Clermont, Frederick A. Marcotte Library Digital Display Pride Month
UCBA Library Pride Month Display
University of Cincinnati Alumni, Pride Month
Susan Helmick, Celebrating Pride Month in Cincinnati, The Graduate College News
UC Pride GrillOUT @ The Graduate
Thursday, June 20, 2024
4 – 7 p.m.
The Graduate Cincinnati
151 Goodman Drive
Cincinnati, OH
5 Resources to Learn More About LGBT+ Issues and History
Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!
American Archive of Public Broadcasting, LGBT+ Collection
The LGBT+ Collection includes over 500 public radio and televisions programs and original materials contributed to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) by 35 stations and organizations from across the United States. The recordings date from the late 1950s to 2018. The collection documents the representation of the LGBT+ community in public media, including conversations, social and political reactions, and cultural movements associated with LGBT+ history. These topics are presented through interviews, newscasts, lectures, and more.
Films On Demand Pride Month Collection (UC students, staff and faculty only)
Films On Demand is a web-based digital video delivery platform that allows viewing of streaming videos from Films Media Group.
PBS Pride Month Collection
A collection of documentaries and programs that highlight LGBTQIA voices and experiences.
Pride Collection on Kanopy (UC students, staff and faculty only)
University of Cincinnati Libraries subscribes to Kanopy Streaming video titles. All currently licensed films are available for immediate viewing.
Library of Congress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month Audio & Video
This guide page offers links to audio and video productions related to LGBTQIA+ books, poetry, literature, history, and more.
Posted June 17, 2024 by Susan Boland