Lexis Advance Tips: How to locate New York Law Journal (NYLJ) Cases on Lexis Advance

This is a question that we often get at the Reference desk since NYLJ is a popular source for faculty, students and attorneys.  If you are trying to locate NYLJ cases in Lexis Advance, try the following tip:

Type: NYLJ in the search box, choose Cases from NYLJ (ALM) from 1989 to set as a filter and run a search or choose the blue Get Documents link to automatically display results with today’s date first.  After running a search fill in the star Icon under the Narrow By Filters on the left side of the page to make a Favorite.

(Hat tip: Antoinette Stafilas, Esq., Lexis Law school Executive)
To access Lexis click here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

State Ballot measures database

Interested in state laws and politics?  Doing research on issues of interest to the public?  Check out the Ballot Measures Database from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The database is searchable by topic area, with options such as abortion, bond measures, criminal justice, education, elections, health, labor and employment, natural resources, tax and revenues, transportation and more. The database is updated as new ballot measures qualify to be on the ballot and goes back to 1902.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Senate Confirmation Hearings Begin for U.S. Attorney General Nominee

Yesterday, confirmation hearings began in the U.S. Senate for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Read more here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New GAO Report:Mobile Devices: Federal Agencies’ Steps to Improve Mobile Access to Government Information and Services

In its recent report, Mobile Devices: Federal Agencies’ Steps to Improve Mobile Access to Government Information and Services, the "GAO reviewed information on mobile users and how they access government information and services. This report describes (1) the demographics of mobile users and the factors that might be associated with the increased use of mobile devices, (2) the devices individuals are using to access government services and the challenges people face, and (3) the actions the federal government has taken to enhance access to government services via mobile devices. GAO reviewed pertinent federal legislation and guidance and conducted a review of literature; interviewed, analyzed and reviewed information from six randomly selected federal agencies; and interviewed officials from other federal agencies and consumer advocacy groups."

The GAO is not making recommendations in this report.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Library Closing at 1:00 p.m. Today

Due to inclement weather the law library will close at 1:00pm today and all day tomorrow.  Beginning at 1:00 today, the library will be accessible to law students and faculty via swipe card access only.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Lexis Advance Tips: How to locate a Matthew Bender Treatise for a specialty area

If you are researching a particular area of the law and are interested in finding Matthew Bender treatises, try the following tip:

Type the source name in the search box, i.e. Collier on Bankruptcy choose the blue Table of Contents link.  Fill in the star Icon under the source name to make a Favorite.  You can search within the Table of Contents Headings & Documents or select from the drop down menu on the left side to search just the Headings or just the Documents within the Table of Contents.   (Hat tip: Antoinette Stafilas, Esq., Lexis Law school Executive)
To access Lexis click here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

This Day in the Law: Roe v. Wade

Forty-two years ago, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its split decision in Roe v. Wade, which liberalized abortion rights.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Research Resources: BNA Collective Bargaining Negotiations & Contracts

If you are looking for a source that reviews information about negotiating and administering contracts, in addition to providing sample contract clauses relating to collective bargaining, try Collective Bargaining Negotiations & Contracts (BNA).  The manual contains chapters on pay plans, employee benefits, working conditions and provides sample clauses on economic weapons of labor, wages/hours and more.

To access the Collective Bargaining Negotiations & Contracts manual:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Labor and Employment Law" link
• Scroll down to "Collective Bargaining Negotiations & Contracts (BNA)"

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Supreme Court Rules on Religious Rights of Prisoners

In a unanimous decision today, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the refusal of the Arkansas Department of Corrections to allow Muslim inmate Gregory Holt to grow and keep a short beard for religious reasons violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), specifically 42 U.S.C 2000cc-1, despite the Department's claim that the restriction was necessary for security reasons such as keeping contraband out of its prisons. The full opinion in Holt v. Hobbs, including the concurrences of Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor, is available here.

For a clear understanding of this interesting case and its implications, a good starting point is Amy Howe's SCOTUSblog post, "A Unanimous Court Endorses Religious Liberties in Prison: In Plain English." And for those interested in keeping up with cases involving religion and the Constitution and related church-state and religious liberty issues, I also recommend Religion Clause, one of only 30 legal blogs comprising ABA Journal's 2014 Blawg 100 Hall of Fame.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Interactive Tutorials on Lexis Advance

Are you looking to enhance your research skills on Lexis Advance?  Try Lexis Advance's new comprehensive and interactive tutorials. Tutorial subjects include secondary sources, case law, legislative history and more.  The tutorials include short quizzes to refresh learned material. To access the tutorials click on the student home page under Online Learning in Lexis Advance.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat