Thursday, February 28, 2019

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection from February 16 to 28, 2019 is now available on the Court website.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Law Library of Congress Report on Birthright Citizenship Around the World

The Law Library of Congress in Washington recently published a report on Birthright Citizenship Around the World:
"Based on a comprehensive survey of citizenship and nationality laws of the countries of the world, this report presents information on the laws of those countries that allow acquisition of citizenship based on the fact of one’s birth in the territory of the country (jus soli, or birthright citizenship).  In theory, the jus soli rule of citizenship stands in sharp contrast to the jus sanguinis rule, which grants citizenship only if one or both parents hold citizenship. In reality, the line between these approaches frequently blurs, as the various parent-based conditions for birthright citizenship listed in the table below illustrate."

"The research identified ninety-four countries that currently have, or previously had but recently terminated, laws granting citizenship by birth, with or without added conditions.  A centuries-old principle of British common law that grew out of feudalism, the unconditional right to citizenship by birth was limited in many common law jurisdictions during the second part of the twentieth century.  After exclusion of this right from British law by the 1981 Nationality Act, the application of the right changed in the British overseas territories as well. While jus soli was also a centuries-old tradition in Continental Europe, many of the civil law countries of Continental Europe opted for the jus sanguinis rule to determine citizenship in the nineteenth century, following the example of the Napoleonic Code. Today, however, a country’s jurisprudential tradition seems less determinative of its approach to birthright citizenship than geographic location: The report reveals that the vast majority of surveyed countries that currently grant unconditional birthright citizenship (all but six of thirty-three countries) are located in the Americas and the Caribbean."

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

A Day in the Life of a Law Librarian 1997 and 2018

One of the articles in the most recent issue of the Law Library Journal, a publication of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), is "A Day in My Law Library Life," Circa 2018 by Scott Frey:
"In 1997, Frank Houdek gathered responses to the request, 'Describe a single day in your law library life.' (...)

"Since 1997, various law librarians have recorded, in some form, a 'day in the life.' Perhaps most prominently, AALL held a 'Day in the Life' photo contest annually from 2005 through 2016. A 2007 issue of Law Library Lights was devoted to 'A Day in the Life of a Law Librarian.' (...)

"Why might we depict a day in the law library life to fellow legal information professionals or beyond? I suspect the main reason is that informing people about what we do relates to what we do in general: connecting people with information. Giving information about our daily work sheds light on services that can help people find legal information.."

"A side benefit of recording information about what we do is that we—and future readers—can learn about law librarians’ work over time. Using this and Houdek’s articles, one may compare law librarians’ activities in the 1910s, 1997, and 2018. And future legal information professionals may compare their workdays with prior days."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 8:17 pm 0 comments

Commercial Fishing Under Aboriginal and Treaty Rights: Supreme Court of Canada Decisions

The Library of Parliament recently released a research publication entitled Commercial Fishing Under Aboriginal and Treaty Rights: Supreme Court of Canada Decisions:
"In R. v. Sparrow, the Supreme Court of Canada considered for the first time the scope of section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Significantly, the Supreme Court made it clear that the rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 are not absolute and outlined a test whereby the Crown may justify legislation that infringes on Aboriginal rights. In 1996, the Supreme Court, in a trilogy of cases dealing with commercial fishing rights (R. v. Van der Peet, R. v. N.T.C. Smokehouse Ltd. and R. v. Gladstone), laid further groundwork on how Aboriginal rights should be defined. The Supreme Court decreed that a purposive approach must be applied in interpreting section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982; in other words, the interests that section 35 was intended to protect must be identified. To define an Aboriginal right, one must first identify the practices, traditions and customs central to Indigenous societies that existed in North America prior to contact with the Europeans; to be recognized as an Aboriginal right, the practice, tradition or custom must also be an integral part of the distinctive culture of Indigenous peoples. The Supreme Court reiterated that section 35 did not create the legal doctrine of Aboriginal rights but emphasized that these rights already existed under common law. The Crown can no longer extinguish existing Aboriginal rights but may only regulate or infringe on them consistent with the test laid out in the Sparrow decision. The following is a summary of the cases mentioned above, as well as the decisions of the Supreme Court in R. v. Marshall, which considered a treaty right to a small‑scale commercial fishery, and Lax Kw’alaams Indian Band v. Canada (Attorney General), which examined the evolution of pre‑contact commercial fisheries."

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Thursday, February 21, 2019

Next Week is Copyright Fair Dealing Week in Libraryland

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries has created a list of events from across the country to mark Fair Dealing Week, which takes place February 25 - March 1.

As its Fair Dealing Canada website explains:
"The Canadian Copyright Act allows the use of material from a copyright protected work (literature, musical scores, audiovisual works, etc.) without permission when certain conditions are met. People can use fair dealing for research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review, and news reporting. In order to ensure your copying is fair, you need to consider several factors such as the amount you are copying, whether you are distributing the copy to others, and whether your copying might have a detrimental effect on potential sales of the original work."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:34 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Handy List of Law-Related Podcasts

Emma Durand-Wood has listed a series of law-related podcasts as part of a recent "SlawTip", a regular segment on the Slaw.ca website:
"If you were paying attention to the last installment of the Canadian Law Blog Awards (aka Clawbies) this past December, you probably noticed that podcasts are more popular than ever. The top prize even went to a podcast this year!"

"Today’s tip is to expand your professional development horizons past print and in-person, and check out a podcast."

"A good place to start is with the outstanding productions that were mentioned in the 2018 Clawbies (...)"

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:55 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Updated Research Guides From GlobaLex

GlobaLex, the electronic collection created by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law, recently updated some of its research guides.

These include:
  • Finding the Law of the Micro-States and Small Jurisdictions of Europe: "This article aims to provide an introduction to finding the sources of primary and secondary law for the "small jurisdictions" of Europe: the distinct European political entities having a population under one million persons. This update contains what materials and links have been accessible in English or the vernacular language from special areas and European enclaves and exclaves that have legal rights: either some degree of home rule or special residency and tax provisions. Suggested readings have been added to the listings for each jurisdiction based on their value to research in comparative law, and many citations and links to cited cases and works have been added. More than the original article it replaces, this version concentrates on the law and practice in those sectors that distinguish micro-states as legal and economic entities: bank secrecy, flexibility in trust management, tax sparing, asset protection, shipping, and political and juridical stability."
  • Researching Canadian Law (update by University of Victoria's Kim Nayyer)

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 3:35 pm 0 comments

Monday, February 18, 2019

Recent Library of Parliament Legislative Summaries

There are quite a few new Library of Parliament legislative summaries for some of the federal bills of the current session.

The summaries contain background and analysis of bills in front of the House of Commons and the Senate.

It is possible to follow the progress of all bills in Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

Among the recent summaries are:
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C‑75: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts: "This bill is intended to make the criminal justice system more modern and efficient and to reduce delays in criminal proceedings. The proposed amendments are in response to the Supreme Court of Canada rulings in R. v. Jordan and R. v. Cody, and to the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Delaying Justice is Denying Justice: An Urgent Need to Address Lengthy Court Delays in Canada."
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C-71: An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms: "Bill C‑71 received second reading and was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) on 28 March 2018. SECU reported the bill with amendments on 12 June 2018 and the House of Commons concurred in that report on 20 June 2018. The bill received third reading in that Chamber on 24 September 2018 and was introduced in the Senate on 25 September 2018. The bill was read a second time and referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on 11 December 2018. SECU amended the bill to, among other things, clarify for greater certainty that nothing in the Act shall be construed so as to permit or require the registration of non‑restricted firearms (new section 2(4) of the Firearms Act); prescribe new factors to be considered by the judge or the chief firearms officer (CFO) when determining an applicant’s eligibility to hold a firearms licence (amended section 5(2)(c) and new sections 5(2)(d) to 5(2)(f) of the Firearms Act); and specify that the terms “threatened violence” and “threatening conduct” include threats or conduct communicated to a person by means of the Internet or other digital network when determining an applicant’s eligibility to hold a firearms licence (new section 5(2.1) of the Firearms Act)."
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C-81: An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada: "As indicated by its short title, the bill enacts the Accessible Canada Act, with the stated objective of enhancing the 'full and equal' participation of all Canadians (especially persons with disabilities) in society, through the identification, removal and prevention of barriers in areas under federal jurisdiction."
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act: "First, the bill amends the Criminal Code (Code) to modify or repeal provisions that have been ruled unconstitutional by the courts or that raise risks of being contrary to the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). It also amends or repeals Code provisions that could be considered obsolete and/or redundant. Second, Bill C‑51 amends provisions in the Code relating to sexual offences. In particular, it sets out a procedure for determining the admissibility and use of the complainant’s records when they are in the possession of the accused. Finally, Bill C‑51 amends the Department of Justice Act to require that the Minister of Justice table a statement of a bill’s potential effects on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter for every government bill introduced in either House of Parliament."
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C-84: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bestiality and animal fighting):"Bill C‑84 amends the Criminal Code to define 'bestiality.' Although section 160 of the Criminal Code criminalizes bestiality, it does not include any definition of the term. The Supreme Court of Canada considered which acts are prohibited by this offence in its R. v. D.L.W. decision in 2016. The Court determined that the term 'bestiality' has a 'well‑established legal meaning and refers to sexual intercourse between a human and an animal' and stated that sexual penetration 'has always been understood to be an essential element' of the term. The court noted that it was not its role to expand upon this accepted meaning, but rather that it would be up to Parliament to 'broaden the scope of liability' for the offence by introducing an express provision in the Criminal Code."
  • Legislative Summary of Bill C-87: An Act respecting the reduction of poverty: "The bill enacts the Poverty Reduction Act (the Act), which provides targets for poverty reduction to be achieved by 2020 and by 2030, sets out Canada’s Official Poverty Line and other metrics to measure poverty, and establishes the National Advisory Council on Poverty."

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Interview With Law Librarian of Congress Jane Sánchez

In Custodia Legis, the blog of the Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., posted an interview last week with Jane Sánchez, Law Librarian of Congress and Acting Deputy Librarian for Library Collections and Services:
"For library students and young librarians that might be interested in going into librarianship in a specialized area like law, what advice would you have? What kind of experience is important?"
"I would encourage library students to start with internships in the public and/or private sector, to discover what they like, what kind of work and work environment motivates them. New law librarians should take a chance and try different roles–either functional ones within their library or leadership roles within an association."

"In my own career, I have been a cataloger, created back-of-the-book indexes, developed and created databases, assigned metadata, been a reference librarian, and I have worked for a legal publisher and many different types of libraries, both inside and outside the federal government. Also, I suggest novice librarians build a support network early on; you never know who may assist you later in your career. Finally, consider public service! Public service offers opportunities to apply your knowledge in ways that may surprise you, allowing you to stretch beyond single areas of law."
The Law Library of Congress is the world’s largest law library, with a collection of over 2.65 million volumes from all ages of history and virtually every jurisdiction in the world.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:50 pm 0 comments

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection from February 1 to 15, 2019 is now available on the Court website.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:49 pm 0 comments

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Pan-Canadian Project to Translate Court Decisions

Robeside Assistance, the blog of the Carleton County Law Association in Ottawa, has reprinted a message originally shared on the listserv of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries.

Justice Canada is providing funding to the Centre de traduction et de terminologie juridiques at the University of Moncton:
"to compile an initial list of selected unilingual decisions requiring translation. The ultimate aim of the project is to increase the number of court decisions available in both official languages in all provinces and territories and thus to ensure that caselaw emanating from all over Canada is accessible to all."

"The project will favour the translation of court decisions which are more likely to have a serious impact on citizens’ private lives, notably in the field of family law and penal law. While decisions in these fields would be translated as a priority, other areas of law are certainly not excluded. We recognize that access to leading cases and landmark decisions in all fields of law is of paramount importance for the Canadian legal system."
People who are interested can fill out a Proposal Form with their suggestions of cases for translation.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:34 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Primary Research Group Survey of Law Library Use of Artificial Intelligence

New York-based Primary Research Group has published the results of a Survey of Law Library Use of Artificial Intelligence:
"The 90-page study presents data and commentary from 72 law libraries predominantly from the USA and Canada, about their use of artificial intelligence products in legal research and other applications.  In addition, the study highlights how these libraries are educating their patrons in artificial intelligence approaches to legal research and organizational management.  Survey participants also rate the impact and expected impact of artificial intelligence on various aspects of the legal profession including legal research, eDiscovery, law services marketing and other areas."
Among the highlights:
  • 2.78% of respondents indicated their organization had used artificial intelligence tools for predicting length of sentence or likelihood of imprisonment.
  • 40% of law firms sampled were using artificial intelligence tools to predict money awards of damages.
  • Respondents under the age of 45 were much more likely than older survey participants to say that artificial intelligence approaches had  significantly impacted docket searching.
Print or PDF versions of the report can be ordered for  $179US.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

CALL 2019 Conference Program Available

The program for the 2019 conference of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries is now available.

This year's event will take place May 26-29, 2019 at the Westin Edmonton.

Registration is now open.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:51 pm 0 comments

Monday, February 11, 2019

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Webinar on "Pre-Crime"

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) is hosting a webinar on February 27, 2019 on Pre-Crime :
"This webinar will explore recent developments in Canadian law that indicate a new trend toward imposing punitive measures at increasingly earlier stages of the prosecutorial process. The result is a potentially new field of criminal management some academics have dubbed 'pre-crime'. Pre-crime, which seeks to use the law as a technology of surveillance, is based upon ideas now seen as commonplace in the era of the 'war on terror'. Specifically, the need to ensure security at all costs, the proliferation of digital data, and the development of drones, social networking, and cloud storage to gather personal data. The webinar will be of use to anyone with an interest in criminal law, policing, and surveillance, as well as those interested in how areas of law, such as immigration, health, and anti-terrorism, are mobilizing the logic of risk and surveillance in new ways that emphasize precaution."
The speaker will be Dr. Richard Jochelson, associate professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba.

The webinar takes place from 1 to 2:30PM Eastern.

Cost is $45.20 for CALL members ($28.25 for CALL student members), $67.80 for non-members.

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Thursday, February 07, 2019

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Project Profiles

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) has started a series of project profiles on its website.

The profiles are intended to showcase interesting or innovative work conducted by CALL members.

This most recent profile is about Project managing a database of regulatory requirements for an enterprise client and it highlights the work of Victoria Baranow, Project Manager—Regulatory Compliance at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada:
"We are creating a database of regulatory requirements found in legislation and in the documentation of other regulatory-type bodies for about 40 jurisdictions. These are requirements to which our client must adhere in order to be considered in ‘good standing’. It is an absolutely massive project. Our database currently has nearly 30,000 entries, of which more than 17,200 entries impose requirements upon our client."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:16 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

Law Library of Congress Interview With Jolande Goldberg, Law Classification Specialist

In Custodia Legis, the blog of the Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., has posted an interview this week with Jolande Goldberg, Law Classification Specialist:
"What is your professional history?(...)
In 1967, I began my career of 50 years at Library of Congress as a cataloger (Shared Cataloging Division/Dutch-Scandinavian Section) with special assignments for law and Latin language materials.  My first American publication, was an edition with commentary on Baldo degli Ubaldi (1137-1400), Consilium in casu privilegiorum Recanatensium, one of the stellar manuscripts in the Law Library.  My article caught the attention of Werner Ellinger, the first law classification specialist and pioneer of the schedule Class KF Law of the US (1967). He was instrumental for my swift change to the Subject Cataloging Division, followed by a transfer to the “Class K Project,” as it was known then. From 1972 on, I developed the major part of the Library of Congress schedules for Class K-KZ (Law), as a knowledge organization system relating to all regions of the world, including ancient and religious systems of law, indigenous law, and the Law of nations. Since 1992, I have been the Library’s Senior Law Classification Specialist."

"How would you describe your job to other people?
This is not easily done without describing the objective of the job.  As the Law classification specialist, my responsibilities are the planning, development, expansion and of the LC Classification for Law (Class K) for all countries and legal systems of the world, past and present.  Class K encompasses civil & common law, Ancient, Roman & Religious law- the latter including Canon, Jewish & Islamic law – and Comparative and International law (...)"

"What is the most interesting fact you ever learned about the Law Library?
How extensive in subject, how numerous in tongues  – country by country,  and how rare the collections really are. You ask for Medieval and Canon law? You get it. You ask for Islamic and Jewish law? You get it. You ask for everything “international law”: the laws of war and peace; international commons, such as the high seas and Antarctica; the International Criminal Court and the Hague/Geneva humanitarian law, and the organizations safeguarding it? You get it."
The Law Library of Congress is the world’s largest law library, with a collection of over 2.65 million volumes from all ages of history and virtually every jurisdiction in the world.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 6:15 pm 0 comments

Monday, February 04, 2019

Supreme Court of Canada Calendar of February 2019 Hearings

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its calendar of appeals that will be heard from February 11 to February 22, 2019.

To find out more about any particular case, click on the docket number in parentheses next to each case name to find docket information, case summaries as well as facta from the parties.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 3:19 pm 0 comments

Sunday, February 03, 2019

February 2019 Issue of In Session - E-Newsletter of Canadian Association of Law Libraries

The February 2019 issue of In Session is available online.

It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 5:28 pm 0 comments