Tag Archives: Legal/Paralegal

Events, Featured Materials, Websites

Constitution day September 17th

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Celebrate Constitution Day by spending some time with the document that grants US citizens their rights and privileges. An annotated online version is available from Congress.gov that aims to increase understanding of the Constitution and how it affects our society.

Constitution Annotated allows users to browse through all the Articles and Amendments, providing links to Supreme Court decisions based on each. Users can also perform topic searches and find all the passages in the Articles and Amendments and the Supreme Court cases dealing with that topic. For example, I searched “religion” in the topic search bar at the top of the page, and a list is generated of all passages in the Constitution and in Supreme Court decisions that include the term.

Notice that all the State and federal laws held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court have been tabulated for easy cross-reference.

On the same site are links to digitized primary source documents from the Constitutional Convention. View George Washington’s copy of the constitution draft annotated in his own handwriting! Read a broadside “Ode” celebrating the Constitution. Peruse pamphlets published in state and national newspapers arguing for and against the national Constitution and its ratification process. There is a very helpful “Historical Note” on the formation of the constitution, that places all of these documents in context.

With all these resources, we can surely go forth and “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”

Books, School of Public Affairs & Social Services

New books for Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

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The Criminal Justice Student Writer’s Manual, Sixth Edition

By William A. Johnson, Jr., Richard P. Rettig, Gregory M. Scott, and Stephen M. Garrison

Call number: HV 9950 .J643 2015

View record in IvyCat

Now in our Reference collection for use in the library, “this comprehensive manual can be used throughout the reader’s college and professional careers to help improve research and writing skills.  It includes common types of criminal justice papers, covers the writing process, grammar, writing mechanics and page formatting, and focuses on research strategies” (Publisher).

Animal Law in a Nutshell, 2nd edition

By Pamela D. Frasch, Katherine M. Hessler, and Sonia S. Waisman

Call number: KF 390.5 .A5 F73 2016

View record in IvyCat

Designed for students or practicing lawyers as “a succinct exposition of the law … by outstanding authorities … in a compact format for convenient reference.” Each chapter includes suggestions for further reading. Indices include an alphabetical table of case titles, and a cross-referenced key word index.

The book is arranged topically and covers: “animal anti-cruelty laws, industrial and agricultural uses of animals, torts and other claims for harm done to animals, as well as federal, state and local regulation of animal ownership and use, animal rights activism, hunting, fishing and other recreational uses of animals, animals in entertainment, issues arising when animals are the subject of a contract or the intended beneficiary of a will or trust, remedies for harm done to animals, international animal law, and anticipated future legal developments in the field” (Publisher).

Essential Supreme Court Decisions: Summaries of Leading Cases in U.S. Constitutional Law

 By John R. Vile

KF 4547.4 .V55 2018

View record in IvyCat

“The only reference guide to Supreme Court cases organized both topically and chronologically within chapters so that readers understand how cases fit into a historical context, the 17th edition has been updated with 20 new cases, including landmark decisions on such topics as campaign finance, Obamacare, gay marriage, the First Amendment, search and seizure, among others. Updated through the end of the 2017 Supreme Court session, this book remains an indispensable resource for undergraduate and law school students, lawyers, and everyone interested in our nation’s laws and Constitution” (Publisher).

It contains over 500 case summaries. Appendices include a list of Supreme Court justices since 1789, the Constitution, and a glossary of legal terms. Cross references include an alphabetical list of cases, and the cases indexed by Chief Justice, as well as a comprehensive key word index.

Essentials of the Reid Technique: Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, Second Edition

By Fred E. Inbau, John E. Reid, Joseph P. Buckley, and Brian C. Jayne

HV 8073.3 .I53 2015

View record in IvyCat

“Designed for students taking an interviewing course, law enforcement and government investigators, corporate security officers, attorneys, and loss prevention professionals,  this updated second edition of the best-selling Essentials of the Reid Technique: Criminal Interrogation and Confessions teaches readers how to identify and interpret verbal and nonverbal behaviors of both deceptive and truthful people, and how to move toward obtaining solid confessions from guilty persons using the Reid Technique. The Reid Technique is built around basic psychological principles and presents interrogation as an easily understood nine-step process. Separated into two parts, What You Need to Know About Interrogation and Employing the Reid Nine Steps of Interrogation, this book will help readers understand the effective and proper way that a suspect should be interrogated and the safeguards that should be in place to ensure the integrity of the confession” (Publisher).

A new chapter discusses legal issues concerned with interrogation and confessions. This edition contains new photos throughout, and real-world scenarios and examples including insights into how people behave when they are trying to lie. Each chapter concludes with exercises to aid in learning.

Databases, Library News, School of Public Affairs & Social Services, Updates

Lexis-Nexis becomes Nexis Uni

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Nexis Uni home page
We are excited to announce that Lexis-Nexis, our legal studies database, has implemented a major upgrade and changed the name of its academic service. It is now Nexis Uni. The new user screens are much easier to use; the layout is similar to our other databases. The filters and limits that you add as you are searching are now prominently displayed, and you can even save them for later searching. There are some differences in the Nexis Uni search results screen from Lexis-Nexis, but you will find the same functionalities and more. A good way to familiarize yourself with the changes is to open both Nexis Uni and Lexis Nexis and run the same search. Our access to Lexis-Nexis will be ending soon, so don’t delay!

Library News, School of Public Affairs & Social Services, Staff Profiles

Welcome to Spring term 2018!

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bigstock-Merry-Christmas-and-happy-New--211732684 copy
Yes, it is spring — in the academic calendar at least.

The Library’s mission is to help you have the most successful semester ever! We would like to extend a special invitation to Dual Credit students (and teachers) to use our resources. Research assistance is just part of what we offer:

Do you need computer access? Read more

Do you need help navigating IvyLearn or MyIvy? Our staff will guide you. We also assist with using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint; using different browsers; email; printing and scanning documents.

Looking for a quiet place to read or study? Read more

Looking for a tutor? We host the CAE English and Math tutoring on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Waiting for your textbooks? You can read Reserve copies in the Library. If you don’t see yours listed, use the online form in the link above to request it be added. Professors can add books to course Reserves at any time during the semester. Having a reserve copy available means all students can do the assigned readings.

We have several dozen new books on current issues. Each is shelved in the area relevant to the issue covered, but you can search the series titles in IvyCat: Thinking Critically, Issues in Society, Digital Issues, Cell Phones and Society.

We have over 150 databases that our vendors update, so instructors should check the resources and links you have used in the past. Our librarians are skilled in searching and a consultation will save you time. If we don’t have a book or article, our Inter-Library Loan clerk will request a copy you can borrow.

Have time for some recreational reading? Browse our local and national newspapers, popular magazines, or new bestseller print books. This month’s titles include poetry, mysteries, and science fiction.

Books, School of Arts, Sciences & Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Public Affairs & Social Services

Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Information Management

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510crmdr2b3l-_sx389_bo1204203200_By Dana C. McWay
Call Number: KF3827.R4 M395 2016
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Understanding the complex legal and ethical principles that govern health information management is more important than ever. To help you successfully navigate these legal issues, LEGAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT is revised, updated, and expanded, providing the opportunity to focus on law and ethics as they relate to HIM. Key topics include the role of social media in health care, expansion of existing materials on e-discovery, compliance, completeness of the health record, breaches of confidentiality, and much more. Features include enrichment activities, mapping to CAHIIM standards, and interactive quizzing and case studies to help develop practical application and high-level problem solving skills. Written by a seasoned HIM professional and lawyer, LEGAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, 4th Edition provides a complete solution for understanding the legal and ethical concerns that safeguard health care information today.

Books

Winning Marriage : The Inside Story Of How Same-Sex Couples Took On The Politicians And Pundits — And Won / by Marc Solomon

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Call number: HQ1035.U5 S65 2014

 Ten years ago no state allowed same-sex couples to marry, support for gay marriage nationwide hovered around 30 percent, and politicians everywhere thought of it as the third rail of American politics—draw near at your peril. Today, same-sex couples can marry in seventeen states, polls consistently show majority support, and nearly three-quarters of Americans believe legalization is inevitable.

In Winning Marriage Marc Solomon, a veteran leader in the movement for marriage equality, gives the reader a seat at the strategy-setting and decision-making table in the campaign to win and protect the freedom to marry. With depth and grace he reveals the inner workings of the advocacy movement that has championed and protected advances won in legislative, court, and electoral battles over the decade since the landmark Massachusetts ruling guaranteeing marriage for same-sex couples for the first time.
From the gritty battles in the state legislatures of Massachusetts and New York to the devastating loss at the ballot box in California in 2008 and subsequent ballot wins in 2012 to the joyous victories of securing President Obama’s support and prevailing in the Supreme Court, Marc Solomon has been at the center of one of the great civil and human rights movements of our time. Winning Marriage recounts the struggle with some of the world’s most powerful forces—the Catholic hierarchy, the religious right, and cynical ultraconservative political operatives—and the movement’s eventual triumph. (From B&N)
Books

In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences / Truman Capote

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Call number: HV6533.K3 C3 2000

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. 

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence. The detached yet penetrating account of the savage and senseless murder of a family.(From B&N)
Books

Get out of my crotch! : twenty-one writers respond to America’s war on women’s rights and reproductive health / editors Kim Wyatt & Sari Botton

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Call number: HQ1111 .G4826 2012

Literary Nonfiction. Women’s Studies. LGBT Studies. We are witnessing the patriarchy’s last gasp, and it’s not going down without a fight. Using legislation, language, and women’s own silence, it seeks to return us to a time when choice and self-determination were not options. In this collection, twenty-one fearless writers examine reproductive rights, access to health care, violence against women, and the rise of rape apologists in the twenty-first-century United States. Illuminating intersections of gender, class, and race, these stories speak to the challenges women routinely face, the attempts to undermine their rights, and the deliberate, systemic erosion of their agency and existence as equals. It’s time to revisit what’s at stake, what could still be lost, and why we must continually fight for equality and freedom for all. (From Google Books)

Books

Same-sex marriage in the United States : the road to the Supreme Court / Jason Pierceson

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Call number: HQ1034.U5 P54 2013

Same-sex marriage has become one of the defining social issues in contemporary U.S. politics. State court decisions finding in favor of same-sex relationship equality claims have been central to the issues ascent from nowhere to near the top of the national political agenda. Same Sex Marriage in the United States tells the story of the legal and cultural shift, its backlash, and how it has evolved over the past 15 years. There is a clear story of jurisprudential evolution with regards to same-sex marriage from Hawaii, through Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, and, remarkably, Iowa in 2009. This book aids in a classroom examination of the legal, political, and social developments surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage in the United States. While books about same-sex marriage have proliferated in recent years, few, if any, have provided a clear and comprehensive account of the litigation for same-sex marriage, and its successes and failures, as this book does. (From Google Books)

Books

Patients’ rights, law and ethics for nurses : a practical guide / Paul Buka

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Call number: KF2925.N8 P38 2008

This convenient pocket-sized book for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals is a comprehensive guide to understanding the legal and ethical rights of any patient in their care, which is essential to good clinical practice. Accessible, challenging and interesting, the book allows the reader to relate to the issues covered, including confidentiality, informed consent, abuse, the rights of the disabled, and end of life decisions. Pertinent quotes enliven the text throughout, while thinking points encourage reflection. Each chapter provides easy-to-follow guidance to this complex area. By focusing on principles of law and including clear outlines of essential case law, the author lays a solid foundation that will serve the reader requiring an introduction to law, ethics and the rights of the patient throughout their training and beyond. (From Google Books)