Tax Forms Available Online

If you are starting to think about doing your tax returns (and a snowbound weekend might be the perfect time), federal forms are available from the IRS at http://www.irs.gov/. Minnesota forms are available at http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/current_forms.shtml.


MORE SNOW COMING.....
Mother Nature has given the weather forecasters something to talk about again this week, so as a reminder in case we get another big snowstorm, if there is a weather-related campus closure, a notice will be placed on the University Emergency Notification telephone (651- 523-5555), as well as online at www.hamline.edu. Every effort will be made to post this information at least two hours in advance of classes.

Legislative Histories Available Online

The Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C. has put together legislative histories for selected federal laws. The list includes legislative histories for such laws as the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994, the USA PATRIOT ACT, Copyright Law: Revision and Recodification, 1976, and many others. Check it out here.

Online Games

Want to test your knowledge of Constitutional Law? Professor Doug Linder of the University of Missouri Kansas City School of law has created some online games to keep law students amused and on their toes. The games include Constitutional Law Trivia (Jeopardy fans will love this), and for golfers, there's the Bill of Rights Golf game. Click on the links to try them.

WEATHER INFORMATION
If there is a weather-related campus closure, a notice will be placed on the University Emergency Notification telephone (651- 523-5555), as well as online at www.hamline.edu. Every effort will be made to post this information at least two hours in advance of classes. Special note for weekend law classes: In the event of cancellations, the missed classes will run on the "makeup/reading days" weekend of April 27-29.

Tidbits

Comparing Loislaw and Versuslaw
While law students are sheltered from having to pay for the databases that provide them with the legal sources they need, the reality is that legal research database subscriptions can cost a lot of money. There are lower cost alternatives available, two of which are Loislaw and Versuslaw. The February 2007 edition of The CRIV Sheet (at page 9) provides an article that compares these two lower cost alternatives. Both Loislaw and Versuslaw are available to Hamline students who want to explore these databases in more depth. Access them at the Law Library Website.

Database of Federal Court Filings Now Available
Justia recently launched a database of recently filed Federal District Court civil cases. The database is searchable by jurisdiction, name of party, date range, and type of lawsuit.

Search Engine for Research Guides

Cornell University Law Library has developed a search engine that allows you to search for legal research guides on any topic. Just type in the subject you are looking for and you get a result page with links to research guides on that subject. Check it out!

Lost and Found

Lose a mitten? Sunglasses? Your keys? Jump drive? Calendar or dayplanner? Books or notes? Assorted articles of clothing? These are just some of the items that have shown up in the library's lost and found cabinet!If you have lost something, we encourage you to stop by the circulation desk and ask for it. Unclaimed items are collected periodically by Safety and Security, so if you want to save yourself a trip, stop in soon!

CLICnet Problems

Students using IE may find a problem with the display of the CLICnet catalog. This problem includes flickering screens, pages not loading/displaying, etc. The CLIC staff and our vendor are working on this top priority problem. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon. In the meantime, the problem does not occur when using Mozilla Firefox, so if you have access to that, you can search the CLICnet catalog without problems.

Lost and Found

Lose a mitten? Sunglasses? Your keys? Jump drive? Calendar or dayplanner? Books or notes? Assorted articles of clothing? These are just some of the items that have shown up in the library's lost and found cabinet!
If you have lost something, we encourage you to stop by the circulation desk and ask for it. Unclaimed items are collected periodically by Safety and Security, so if you want to save yourself a trip, stop in soon!

Appellate Brief Writing Tips

As first year students start writing their first appellate brief, here are some useful sources that may be helpful:
Books:
Oates, Laurel Currie, JUST BRIEFS - On Reserve
Weiner, Frederick Bernays, EFFECTIVE APPELLATE ADVOCACY - On Reserve
Beazley, Mary Beth, A Practical Guide to Appellate Advocacy - On Reserve
Other books are available in the stacks--check the CLICnet catalog!
Web sites:
How to Write a Good Appellate Brief, by Andrew L. Frey and Roy T. Englert, Jr.
The Ten Commandments of Writing an Effective Appellate Brief, by Sylvia H. Walbolt and D. Matthew Allen

Executive Order Gives President Power Over Rulemaking

On January 18 President Bush signed Executive Order 13422 which gives the White House more control over federal agencies and the rules and regulations they issue. Each agency will be required to have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee of the White House. This office will oversee the development of rules that apply to regulated industries. While the White House and business groups are touting this order as "good government," consumer and other groups are protesting that this order gives too much power to the White House and will block agencies from rulemaking efforts that protect the public. Read an article from the New York Times about this executive order here.