laws

The Law and Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search

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You won’t want to miss the webinar by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, entitled “The Law and the Reasonably Exhaustive (Re)Search” which was presented this evening (19 December 2017) and is available for free viewing for the next week. As Judy shows with very persuasive examples, you cannot possibly understand the contents of a record unless you understand the law that caused the record to be created.

Many of my own articles on federal records take that approach–with varying degrees of specificity–depending on the nature and purpose of the article.

Often, the reason the record was created is often as interesting–and sometimes just as informative–as the record itself.

Context is everything. History and the law provide that context.

 

Federal Laws Online

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I needed to hunt down federal laws a few times in recent weeks, so make it easier on myself and others to find online links, I’m posting them here.

High school civics lesson reminder: Federal laws are passed by Congress, then approved by the President. If the President vetoes (disapproves) the legislation, it can still become law if the Congress overrides the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Once they are the law of the land, they are published in the Statutes at Large.

Digital copies of the Statutes at Large can be conveniently found online at four websites listed below. (The links take you directly to the right place on each website.) There is some overlap between the sites, and you may find you like the interface on one better than the other.