Ballot Measures Database

Law students tracking public policy issues across the states for research papers often rely on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and their superb web site. But they may not know that beyond 50-state surveys of state legislation on a wide range of topics, NCSL also has a Ballot Measures Database. This database makes it easy to locate and track past and upcoming state ballot initiatives by providing background and descriptions, along with passage or failure status or when these initiatives are scheduled for a vote. Users can search four types of of measures: the legislative referendum, popular referendum, and the initiative, as well as ballot measures from other sources, such as state commissions, back to 1902. A clear explanation of the distinction between an initiative, a referendum, and a recall can be found here.



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The Pardoning of the Turkey

Today, President Obama pardoned two turkeys -- Courage and Carolina. Both turkeys will live out their days "in peace and tranquility" at Disneyland. You can read the Remarks by the President on the Pardoning of the National Turkey on the Whitehouse website.

For more information on presidential pardons (of the non-turkey variety), take look at the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

As a reminder: the library will be closed on Thursday 11/26 and Friday 11/27 for the Thanksgiving break.

Enjoy the break!




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Blue Tips

Have trouble figuring out the Bluebook? This is not uncommon, but there is now some help in addition to the reference librarians. The Bluebook - Blue Tips is a compilation to Bluebook format in the following catagories:
Cases
Citation Structure
Cross-References
Miscellany
Periodicals
Punctuation
Quotations
Signals
Statutes
Subdivisions

This is a place to look when there are no librarians around.


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Research Resources: BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report

If you are looking for a current awareness resource about securities regulations, try BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report. This publication is a weekly report covering regulatory,legal and legislative developments affecting the regulation of securities and commodities at the federal and state level. It reports the activities of Congress, the Administration the SEC, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, FASB, and the professional associations regulation accounting practices in the securities and commodities industries.

To access BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Commercial and Corporate Law" link
• Scroll down to "Securities Regulation and Law Report (BNA)"

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