Summer Hours

Effective Monday, May 9, the Law Library is operating on its Summer Hours schedule. The Law Library is open to the public from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and circulation and reference services are available during these times. Circulation and reference services to law students are also available 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Evening and weekend hours for law students are not offered during the summer. However, law students continue to have 24/7 access to the Law Library using their University ID cards.

Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

Congratulations to all the USD School of Law students graduating this year!  We are tremendously proud of your hard work and accomplishments.  The Law Library will be open until 5 p.m. today and is still stocked with coffee and snacks.  We welcome all the friends and family of our graduates to visit!   

National Poetry Month "Poetic Justices" Contest Winners!

Thank you to all the law students who participated in the Law Library's National Poetry Month contest.  Your literary interpretations of major court cases from your law courses were all very clever and creative!  Professor Pommersheim has completed his judging and selected the top five submissions, which are included below.  Congratulations to the winners!  Each received $10 in Amazon gift cards courtesy of Lexis and a signed copy of Professor Pommersheim's most recent poetry chapbook, Local Memory and Karma (The Buddha Correspondence, Vol. 2). Thanks everyone for your entries, it was a blast!

Summers v. Tice

by Ian Haubert

On a lovely fall day I went hunting with Tice

We were joined by a 3rd fella who seemed pretty nice

After checking our guns and devising a plan

We set out to hunt on the wide open land

As we approached a grass covered hill

We spotted a quail and were ready to kill

As I raised up my gun I let out a cry

One of those bastards had shot me in the eye

Pierson v. Post

by Alex Sieg

I seen Lodowick, giving chase,

Dogs and hounds, under his command,

A fox in front, its feet apace,

The field afore them, spanned,

I raised my Baker, beast in sight,

Shot once I did, my shot well known,

Down fell the fox, red snow once white,

The beast was mine, and mine alone.

New York Times v. Sullivan

by Jeff Holt

There once was a Times factual reporter-man

Who wrote some lies about Mr. Sullivan

But the Court said truth wasn't important

And could in fact write opinion accordant

As the press was somewhat actual malice-san

Johnson v. M'Intosh

by Jessica Four Bear

"I own the land, I will grant to you, 

For it is my authority to so do."

"Thank you kind sir, I bid you farewell,

I'm off to have this title recognized, with a story to tell."

"The Piankeshaw Nation has a bundle of rights! 

Title to lands, for that, they must fight!"

Justice Marshall peered down the bench 

"Mr. M'Intosh, who gave you that title, The Indians?! The Government or the French?!"

"My title is from the Government, Mr. Justice, Sir!

Rule in my favor, the Indian laws are nothing but a blur!"

"Were they conquered? No.

Were they discovered? Why, yes!

I think I have an answer that will fit best!"

"A custom of ownership shall be established this day,

Native culture does not recognize ownership quite the same way."

"Mr. M'Intosh, your title is hereby signed and sealed!

Sorry Johnsons, you see, maybe time will heal." 

Kelo v. City of New London

by Cody Raterman

Property taken for a public use

Without just compensation, one can deduce

A 5th amendment abomination

Unless economic development is your excuse.

Law Day

Justice Earl Warren via Wikipedia

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of one of our most famous court cases, Miranda v. Arizona. In recognition of this historic case, the ABA has announced that the theme for this years Law Day is "Miranda: More than Words."

The opinion of the Supreme Court was delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren and ruled that police had violated Ernesto Miranda's 5th and 6th Amendment rights. Referencing the existing practices of the FBI and the Uniform Code of Military Justice which required notifying a suspect of their right to remain silent, and a right to counsel, the Court stated, "As with the warnings of the right to remain silent and of the general right to counsel, only by effective and express explanation to the indigent of this right can there be assurance that he was truly in a position to exercise it."

The Miranda Warning has become a fixture in law enforcement and popular culture since the court decision was made in June, 1966. The ABA is encouraging us to reflect on not just the words of the warning itself, but the meaning of the words and the rights we safeguard and preserve through them.

Also, you can listen to the original oral arguments here, courtesy of Oyez. It's pretty awesome.

Summer and Post-Graduation Access to Legal Research Databases

Summer is almost here law scholars!  Whether that means graduation and bar study, a summer internship/externship, a research project, etc., we know your legal research needs continue.

We often get questions on policies for use of the commercial research databases during the summer and post-graduation.  Below is a handy reference on the policies for Westlaw, Lexis Advance, and Bloomberg Law.  You should note, however, that it is important to ask your employer about any policy the firm or organization may have regarding the use of student accounts, in general, for firm/organizational business.  Depending on the employer you may receive access to an account that you are required to use for billing purposes.

Also, don’t forget that the Law Library staff is available to you during the summer months, whether you are a graduating student or a rising 2L or 3L.  We are just a phone call or email away - (605)677-3930 is the main library desk number and we check our main email account (llibrary@usd.edu) every day.  

Westlaw

During the summer, law students are allowed to use their accounts for academic purposes only, which include: summer law school classes and study abroad programs; law review and journal work, including write-on competitions, research assistantships, moot court, unpaid internships/externships, bar exam preparation, and job search. However, in order to extend your access over the summer, you will need to register here. 

Graduating students may also extend their academic access through November, for purposes of job search, bar study, etc., albeit on a limited basis of 60 hours per month. Graduates must complete the survey/registration at https://lawschool.westlaw.com to extend access. After November, graduates will have 1 hour of limited research per month for 12 months, including snippets of content only.

Lexis Advance

During the academic year, students may use their Lexis law school educational IDs for academic purposes only, which include: class preparation and assignments, research associated with moot court or law review/law journal, research associated with pursuing a grant or scholarship, service as a research assistant to a professor (either paid or unpaid), an unpaid internship, externship or clinic for school credit or graduation requirement, and de minimis research for non-academic personal reasons (e.g. review of news materials for current awareness).

However, summer access is available to all law students once classes end for the semester/academic year, for the months of May, June, July and August of 2016. During this period, the permissible uses of your LexisNexis law school educational ID are expanded to include use at any law firm, government agency, court or other legal position, internship, externship or clerkship.

Graduating students automatically have Lexis Advance access for 6 months, using the same username and password you used in law school.

In addition, graduates who are engaged in verifiable 501(c)(3) public interest work may apply for the ASPIRE program, which provides 12 months of free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, law reviews, Shepard's Citation Service and Matthew Bender treatises. For more information on grad access and to apply for the ASPIRE program, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/grad-access/. 

Bloomberg Law 

All law students are permitted to use their Bloomberg Law accounts during the summer without restriction. Additionally all law students’ access to Bloomberg Law accounts will remain active for six months after graduation.

Casetext - Seeking Student Ambassadors

In our last post here on the Prairie Law Blog, we mentioned Casetext, a free online legal research tool, which focuses on crowdsourced features, including annotations and analysis.  Casetext is currently seeking law students for its Fall 2016 Student Ambassadors program.  For more information and to apply, visit https://casetext.com/student-ambassadors.  This is a great opportunity for 2Ls and 3Ls interested in legal research!

Building a Practice

One of the harder things about starting your own practice is acquiring expensive software and hardware. To help fill that gap for small/new practices, I give you three online tools that can help.

Casetext
Search up-to-date State and Federal Law for free
Annotations and insights by attorneys
Publish case summaries, articles, and other legal commentary, linked to the law in Casetext's library

Logikcull
Makes eDiscovery easy
Upload all your documents, and Logikcull will OCR (Optical Character Recognition) them
Navigate by keyword
(I'm making this sound not so impressive and cool. This person explains it better)

LawGeex
Compare your contract with thousands of others and see how it holds up
Reviewed by real live lawyers
For a new practice or solo lawyer, having access to this many precedents can help free up your time, and let you stress about other things

Onward and Upward Law Scholars. Good luck with finals!

iCivics.org

Run your own firm of lawyers who specialize in constitutional law . . . via this computer game for children.

I got sucked into a Google vortex. While researching the Dean of the Law School at Wayne State University (because of an article about how she ran the Boston Marathon while 8 months pregnant) I saw that she and Sandra Day O'Connor were on the board of iCivics, a nonprofit that Justice O'Connor created to improve civics education throughout the country.

It's kinda cute.

Happy Earth Day Law Scholars!

Henry Diamond. Photo via parksandrecreation.org

Today, we're going to take a moment to talk about Henry Diamond. He was a lawyer and environmentalist who championed parks and conservation efforts for 50 years. He served as the first commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), edited the final report of the Outdoor Resources Review Commission, and later went on to establish the firm Beveridge and Diamond. To no one's surprise, it was the foremost national firm that practiced environmental and natural resources law. And these are only some of his accomplishments. In 2011 he received the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award from the Department of the Interior.

You can read more about him here and here and here.

De-stress

Your stitched eyebrows, frown lines, and neck-aches need a break! The Law Library is once again offering a mini de-stress station (located in front of the "Reserve Room") to help you veg out. Coloring books, Play-doh, and neck massagers are all available. Please be courteous though, and return all items to the de-stress station so your fellow Law Scholars can ease those brows, and turn frowns upside down.

Also, we have some featured study aids at the same display. But, if what you're looking for is nowhere to be found, come to the circulation desk and we'll be happy to connect you with what you need.

Good luck on finals all!

Poetic Justices

The Poor Poet by Carl Spitzweg

If you haven't already heard, the McKusick Law Library has been collecting entries for our "Poetic Justices" poetry contest.  Winners will receive a $10 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of Professor Pommersheim's latest poetry chapbook. See previous blog entry for contest details.

Hurry and get your entries in! Friday is your last day to enter for a chance to win!

Mark Your Calendars . . .

Thursday, April 14, 2016 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Ferber Hall Old Main, Sarah Deer will be presenting on her book "The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America".
 

Sarah Deer is a Lawyer, Law Professor at William Mitchell College, and 2014 MacArthur Fellow. In her discussion, she will go over the cultural and legal reforms of the Violence Against Women Act. She has written numerous books and articles (many of which are on display in the Law Library this month and available through HeinOnline), and has been instrumental in the Violence Against Women Act and Tribal Law and Order Act.

This event is presented by USD Native Studies, Women and Gender Studies and Criminal Justice Studies.

Animal Law

Lola, courtesy the Washington Post

A court case will soon decide what the legal value of a pet (or fur baby) in Moynak v. Barking Hound Village.

The story starts with the death of the Moynak's beloved pooch, Lola, after they checked it into the Barking Hound Village Inn, while they went away on vacation. Shortly after picking up Lola, she died. The Moynak's say she was given their other dogs medication (who was also staying at the Inn) and was therefore made ill.

You can read more here.

Some background on what other states do for the loss of a pet as stated in the Washington Post article:

"But when it comes to damages for the death of a pet, state supreme courts have usually knocked down trial and appellate court decisions that award emotional or “non-economic” damages, Favre said, because they view it as a slippery slope. (Separately, a small number of states have enacted legislation on recoverable damages in such cases; Tennessee dog or cat owners, for example, can recover up to $5,000 “for the loss of the reasonably expected society, companionship, love and affection of the pet.”)."

APRIL!

Image courtesy poets.ca

Dearest Law Scholars and Burgeoning Bards,

To celebrate National Poetry Month and National Library Week, the Law Library is hosting a poetry writing contest - with a legal twist of course!

The Details:

• For your poem, select a major case covered in one of your 1L classes (think International Shoe, etc.) and rewrite it as a poem. The format is up to you; limerick, verse, prose, haiku, whatever. It must however, fit on the one page submission form.
• Professor Pommersheim has agreed to serve as the juror and will select the top 5 submissions. (The Law Library staff will redact student names before sending the poems off to Professor Pommersheim in Oregon, so it will be a blind review.)
• The top 5 will each receive $10 in Amazon gift cards courtesy of Lexis, as well as a signed copy of "Local Memory & Karma," Professor Pommersheim’s most recent poetry chapbook.
• Forms can be picked up at the Circulation Desk and must be placed in the submission box at the desk by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 22.  We will then send the poems off for review and the winners will be announced on Friday, April 29.

Need some inspiration? Visit our display on the Main Floor of the Law Library, which includes case citations to some actual legal opinions written in poem form (yes, they exist!), as well as some of Professor Pommersheim’s poetry chapbooks and other literary titles from our collection.   

Brief Downtime for E-Books Platform on Thursday

Law Students and Faculty take note:  The EBL E-books Platform will be unavailable from Thursday April 7, 2016 (4 - 6 pm) for scheduled maintenance.  The downtime is part of preparations by EBL for a new and improved interface.

Remember that the Law Library's e-books can be searched by going to our Research Databases and Resources A-Z list and clicking on the e-books link under "Featured Resources and Databases." 

The e-books are especially helpful for students working on longer research papers for law courses or independent research projects.  Through the e-books program, we are able to offer a wider variety of books that cover more specific subject areas and the titles are often more current than those available in print in the Law Library. 

See us in the Law Library if you have any questions about the e-books program!  You can also visit our E-books "How-to" LibGuide here. 

The South Dakota Law Review Symposium - Asset Protection and Trust Innovations

The South Dakota Law Review will hold its annual symposium tomorrow, April 1st. This year's topic "Asset Protection and Trust Innovations: South Dakota’s Role in Paving the Way for Innovations Nationwide" will feature keynote speaker, Jay Adkisson of Riser Adkisson LLP. Additionally there will be a "Hot Topics" panel and "Asset Protection" panel featuring practitioners and professors from across the nation.

Events start at 9 a.m. and will conclude at 5:30 p.m. For more information and further reading, you can check out our LibGuide here.

NALSA Symposium Tomorrow!

The 14th Biennial Indian Law Symposium will be held March 30 and 31. This year's topic is ICWA: Old and New Challenges. For this symposium, the McKusick Law Library has created a LibGuide for you that includes the schedule, some additional materials about or relating to the Indian Child Welfare Act, and materials from the Dillon Lecture and past symposiums. You can check it out here. We also have a small display featured in our Native American Collection providing easy access to materials on ICWA.

And as always, if you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to visit us up at the Circulation/Reference Desk!

Make History, Name an Eagle

"Mr. President" and the "First Lady" are proud to announce the birth of two bouncing baby birds, and they are asking for your help in naming their new bundles of joy. You are invited to make suggestions on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram with the hashtag #dceaglecam and #namethenestlings. The only stipulation given by the American Eagle Foundation is that names be gender-neutral or able to be cleverly altered once their gender is known. You can check out the eagle-cam here if you need to, you know, see the eaglets for inspiration.

http://dcist.com/2016/03/bald_eagles_naming.php

http://www.eagles.org/

Judicial Voices Project

As many of you know, today at the Law School Courtroom a panel discussion on the "Judicial Voices Project" was held. We here at the Law Library would like to remind you all of website celebrating the South Dakota Supreme Court's 125th Anniversary. The purpose of this oral history archive is to capture a "snapshot" of the South Dakota Supreme Court on this occasion for future generations.

Judge Mildred Ramynke via Judicial Voices Project

Included you'll find oral histories of past and present members of the Court, staff, and practicing attorneys. There is also a timeline, photos, and documents to complement these primary sources. Be sure to check out the Digital Library of South Dakota too!

Compiling a Federal Legislative History

Law Library of Congress via Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division

The Law Library of Congress recently created a beginners guide on how to compile a federal legislative history. In it, they go over:

• Locating an already compiled legislative history
• How to trace federal legislation

And include these other guides:

• How to Locate a United States Congressional Committee Report: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Locate a Published Congressional Hearing: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Locate an Unpublished Congressional Hearing: A Beginner’s Guide
• Debates of Congress: A Beginner’s Guide
• Locating a Congressional Committee Print: A Beginner’s Guide
• Locating Congressional Documents: A Beginner’s Guide
• Presidential Communications: A Beginner’s Guide

 
Happy researching!

The Hammer, The Gorilla, and YOU

Robert "Tito" Meyer billboard via duhaime.org

It's getting to be that time as we close in on graduation where the big question is on the tip of everyone's tongue... It's the cause of many a sleepless night, sweaty palms… the key decision that will be all important to your future… what will YOUR lawyer nickname be?  What reputable esquire worth their weight in affidavits is going to hire someone with the nickname "The Quarter Pounder?" Or worse yet, no nickname at all.

Additionally, and maybe (probably) more practically speaking, marketing you and your skills is more important than your sweet new moniker. Lucky for you USD Law Scholars, the McKusick Law Library can help guide you to your best sobriquet AND suggest resources for supporting and running a law practice. From navigating specializations, to interviewing, to developing leadership skills, we have you covered. Some suggested reads:

Reinventing the Practice of Law by Luz Herrera
The Lawyer as Leader, by Dr. Artika R Tyner
Advice for the Lawlorn by Ann M. Israel
Tomorrow's Lawyer: an Introduction to Your Future by Richard Susskind
Thrive: A New Lawyer's Guide to Law Firm Practice by Desiree Moore

All of these titles plus more can be found in our Career Resources Collection, which we've moved out of the reserve room and onto the main floor, to the left of the computers. We can suggest and help you locate other titles of interest too, and would be happy to serve as a sounding board for all your potential nicknames!

Spring Break

Dear Law Scholars,
Your much needed study break has arrived! Whether you'll be donning a bikini or flannel pajamas all week, we hope that you will come back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to wrap up this semester.

In addition to spring break, this March brings with it Women's History Month and Saint Patrick's Day. To celebrate, we are featuring both Irish women and women that call The Great Plains home, who've shared their talents with the world. We also have some suggested reads that are on topic via HeinOnline.

AND, for you more artistic types, you might want to veg out to House of Cards while filling these and/or these in.

The Times - Unpublished Black History

Representative Adam Clayton Powell Jr. George Tames/The New York Times

As we wrap up Black History Month, I thought I'd bring your attention to this cool project The New York Times has been doing - Unpublished Black History. Every day for the month of February, The Times has been posting a picture from their archives that has never been published before. It runs the gamut, from politics to entertainment to local New York events. It's definitely a treasure trove of visual information, and could provide you with a nice yet educational break from your law studies *hint hint ;)

Keep up the good work Law Scholars! Spring break is just around the corner!

The American Library Association Supports Apple in Dispute with FBI

Direct Dial - Dial in secret without an operator!

On Wednesday 2/17, the ALA publicly showed their support in Apple CEO Tim Cook's refusal to develop new technology that would help the FBI unlock the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Why does this matter to librarians? Because it's part of the American Library Association's Code of Ethics (yes, librarians have a proper, written out Code of Ethics :p ).

"We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted."

Realizing that this case has nothing to do with a library user, the sentiment is the same - people have a right to privacy. Libraries have historically been advocates for privacy rights as a general rule, but as our Law Scholars know, there are always two sides (if not more) to every case. The violence and outright murder committed by Syed Rizwan Farook and  Tashfeen Malik is devastating, but putting millions of Americans freedom at risk would be also. In the spirit of Captain Obvious - both issues must be carefully, carefully considered. And from what I've read, it feels like a rats nest of issues and considerations. But don't take my word for it, check out some of the links below:



Bill Gates on Apple: Unlock Terror Suspect's iPhone - USNews 2/23/16
In Apple Dispute, FBI Director Urges A 'Deep Breath' Over Phone Security - NPR 2/22/16
More Support for Justice Department Than for Apple in Dispute Over Unlocking iPhone - PewResearch 2/22/16 
A Technical Perspective on the Apple iPhone Case - ElectronicFrontierFoundation 2/19/16 
Why Didn’t San Bernardino County Officials Have Access to the Terrorist iPhone? - KTLA 2/18/16

Presidents' Day

Law Library Hours - Presidents' Day

The Law Library will be closed to the public on Monday, February 15 for Presidents' Day.  We will also not be offering extended service hours to faculty, students and staff on Sunday, February 14.  Law faculty and students will continue to have 24/7 access throughout the holiday weekend using their University ID cards.

Animal Farm - A Not Fairy Story

Pep - Eastern State Penitentiary Inmate

It is well documented that Pep was wrongly accused and sentenced to Eastern State Penitentiary in 1924. (He did not kill the cat of Governor Pinchot's wife. Though, he was guilty of destroying cushions.) However, there is a history of animals being subjected to human legal proceedings. I highly recommend you stop everything, and read this blog entry from the Law Library of Congress. Srsly, stop what you're doing and click the link.

The Father of Black History

By David from Washington, DC (Carter G. Woodson  Uploaded by AlbertHerring) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

While the history of black Americans certainly does not begin with Carter Godwin Woodson, its realized importance is in large part thanks to him.

Carter Woodson was a teacher and historian who was concerned about the preservation of his culture, and convinced that African American history, and the history of other cultures was either overlooked or misrepresented. In 1915 he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (later the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). It was in 1926, that he and the Association for the Study of African American Life announced that the second week of February was Negro History Week (which, not so coincidentally, coincided with both Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays) and would place emphasis on the education of African Americans contributions to history.

Negro History Week would eventually grow into Black History Month in 1970, but became officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1979, as part of the United States Bicentennial.

And thus concludes this very, very brief history lesson on the history of Black History Month. Stop by the Law Library to see our Black History Month display, and get some suggested readings on other notable people and moments in African American history.

LAW LIBRARY CLOSING AT 1PM TUESDAY

Due to the blizzard conditions, the Law Library will be closing to the public at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2.  Law students will continue to have 24/7 access using their University ID cards, but the Law Library staff will not be available.

We anticipate opening at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday.  Stay warm and safe everyone!

Good News for those who Trust Groundhogs

Photo Courtesy ShannonPatrick17

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow! An early spring is predicted amongst this terrible winter storm. This was independently verified by Shubenacadie Sam (Canada's foremost Groundhog weatherman) that it is indeed true - we can in fact expect an early spring. So enjoy this winter wonderland, it won't be long till we're hit with tornadoes and daffodils!

Febrrrrrrary

We're kickin' off February with blizzards! Aside from that though, February is a pretty big month, what with groundhogs, and love, and birthdays, and it's a leap year.

Be sure the check out this month's displays and learn some fun facts about our nation's leaders in this book, remember that Valentine's Day isn't always for lovers, and discover notable achievements by African American pioneers in history.

It's an exciting, albeit short month. Before you know it, SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!

Professor Simmons Reviews New Title: A Legal Theory for Autonomous Artificial Agents

Professor Tom Simmons is contributing to the collection development effort of the USD Law Library. Under this program, professors make recommendations for titles to be added to the Law Library's collection. Consistent with the Collection Development Policy of the Law Library, titles recommended for acquisition by the faculty are given priority consideration. Below Professor Simmons provides a review of a title acquired under the program. Thank you Professor Simmons!

Review of: Samir Chopra & Laurence F. White, A Legal Theory for Autonomous Artificial Agents (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011)



Philosophy Professor Chopra and attorney White’s work synthesizes both the philosophical and legal dilemmas of emerging autonomous entities with some measure of artificial intelligence. They consider thinking robots in the context of contracts, agency, and tort. Their concluding chapter on the possibility of legal personhood contains their most stirring and creative propositions.

Noting that legal personhood does not necessarily signify moral personhood, the authors emphasize that when the law endows personhood on a non-human, it does so largely for functional and practical reasons: “The law might or might not require this change in status given the functionality and social role of artificial agents. But pragmatism can be wedded to normativity: the case for artificial agents’ legal personality can come to acquire the aura of an imperative depending on the nature of our relationships with them, and the roles they are asked to fulfill in our future social orderings.” (p. 154)

Legal personhood does not necessarily imply full personhood. Corporations are persons insofar as they can own property, contract, hire agents, sue and be used, and suffer prosecution for misdeeds. Yet corporations cannot adopt children. Nor may corporations be considered victims of assault and battery. The contours of personhood for non-humans are drawn according to social norms and functionality.

Chopra and White’s book explains how the capacity of autonomous entities for consciousness, awareness, or at least the ability to execute discretionary decisions will drive the recognition of personhood. The technological future of thinking robots will meet the law in recognizable and perhaps even predictable encounters.

Jurisprudential Love

Tulane University, Louisiana Research Collection Robert G. Polack Papers (New Orleans Lawyer)

Nice try Robert B. Polack, but that telegram is hardly legally binding! For us serious lovers seeking to secure a Valentine, docracy.com has us covered. 

Welcome to Spring 2016!

Welcome back Law Scholars. Hopefully this semester finds you rested and ready to get back to the books. If you aren't quite excited to be lost in legalese . . .well. . . only 8 more weeks until Spring Break!

In any case, we're glad to have you back, and are ready to assist you with any reference needs.

New library news: we have changed our hours for faculty, staff, and students. In addition to 24/7 access to the library (even during holidays and breaks), we will be offering circulation and reference services Monday-Thursday until 9 p.m. and Sundays 12:30 - 9 p.m.

Again, welcome back, and good luck with the upcoming semester!

The 91st Legislative Session

South Dakota’s 91^st Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, January 12^th after Governor Dennis Daugaard addresses both the House and Senate with the State of the State Address. The State of the Judiciary follows on Wednesday, January 13^th.  For the first time, one of the leaders from the nine Native American tribes in South Dakota will address the legislature with a State of the Tribes Address on Thursday, January 14^th. State of the Tribes is similar to State of the State and will provide lawmakers an opportunity to hear about issues on the reservations. For more information on State of the Tribes please access the following links: 

Keloland

San Francisco Chronicle 

The Legislative Research Council offers updates and live feeds of this year’s session from the LRC website.

South Dakota Pubic Broadcasting also offers comprehensive coverage. You can take advantage of SDPB’s Statehouse via radio, television, and online. 

The Law Library currently offers a display featuring the legislative session on the Main Floor of the library. For more information regarding this year’s legislative session, don’t hesitate to speak with our staff members.