Month: May 2023

Pride Month 2023!

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June is LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex) Pride Month! Originally celebrated as Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, Pride Month gradually became a month-long event.

The Stonewall site was declared a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation. The Stonewall uprising is regarded by many as the most important catalyst for the dramatic expansion of the movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQI+ Americans.

A  Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2023 was issued by President Biden to launch Pride month, “calling upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people…”

Stonewall Inn Johannes Jordan/Wikimedia Commons

Today, LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world and has grown to a month-long series of events such as parades, picnics, parties and concerts, including some great events to check out right here in Connecticut:  https://www.ctvisit.com/articles/pride-month-celebrations-2023

Many legal changes for the LGBTQI+ community have been made since the police raided the Stonewall Inn nearly fifty years ago. However, continuing LGBTQ+ civil and equality rights issues remain relevant today.  HeinOnline features a LGBTQ+ Rights database.  This collection charts the gay rights movement in America, showing the civil rights codified into law in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as the inequalities that still exist today.  To learn more about the newest database check out HeinOnline’s blog here and for additional research, check out UConn Law’s Research Guide, Sexuality, Gender Identity and the Law.

Westlaw, Lexis & Bloomberg Summer & Post-Graduate Access

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Summer is upon us!  Whether you are preparing for a summer internship or post-graduate plans, there are online resources available to you.  Here’s what you need to know about access to Bloomberg Law, Lexis, Westlaw and library databases. Need a dose of research help?  Research & Instruction librarians are available throughout the summer to assist with job or internship questions!

Westlaw

Returning Students

You may use your Westlaw account through the summer for noncommercial research, such as law school activities, research assistant assignments, work for a nonprofit, or in an unpaid internship.

Graduates

Graduates can register for Westlaw’s Graduate Elite Program, which provides for six months of access after graduation.  Graduates also have access to the Knowledge Center eLearnings and tutorials for 18 months after graduation.

In order to extend access you will need to opt into GRAD ELITE by logging into  www.lawschool.tr.com. Use the drop-down menu by your name to go to GRAD ELITE Status or go directly to https://lawschool.westlaw.com/authentication/gradelite.

Lexis

Returning Students

Lexis access continues through the summer with no restrictions on time or usage.

Graduates

You will have access to Lexis until December 31, 2023 with no registration required, or restrictions.  Use the same Lexis account log on credentials you used in law school.  If you are working for a nonprofit organization, you may be able to extend your access even longer through the ASPIRE Program.

Bloomberg Law

Returning Students

Bloomberg access continues through the summer, this access is automatic (no registration required) and is unlimited and unrestricted.

Graduates 

2023 graduates have continuous access for six months following graduation, through November 30, 2023. This access is automatic (no registration required) and is unlimited and unrestricted (if students register for Bloomberg Law access before graduation).  For any questions on using Bloomberg Law, students and graduates continue to have free access to our 24/7 Help Desk at (888) 560-2529 or help@bloomberglaw.com.

 Other Library Databases

Returning Students

Returning students have full access to all of our databases, such as Hein and Proquest throughout the summer.

Graduates

Alumni are always welcome to use the library and seek research help from the reference librarians.  If you stay in the area as you begin your legal careers, remember that the majority of our electronic resources can be accessed by any patron from within the library, including Westlaw. We look forward to see you back in the library!

 

Public Laws and Proclamations – Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrated in the month of May, originated in 1978 when Congress passed a joint resolution that became Pub. L. 95-419.  This law directed the President to issue a proclamation designating the week beginning on May 4, 1979 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. Pub. L. 95-419 was amended in 1990 by Pub. L. 101-283  which expanded the observance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage week to the month of May in 1990.  Finally, in 1992, Congress passed Pub. L. 102-450 which permanently designated May of each year as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.”

Pursuant to Pub. L. 102-450, American Presidents have annually issued proclamations designating May as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.  On April 28, 2023, President Biden issued A Proclamation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2023.  

Presidential Proclamations are policy statements issued by the president to the public. Although often ceremonial, they can have legal effect (examples are proclamations regarding national emergencies, foreign policy, and federal land management). An example of this would be President Biden’s Proclamation 10315 (revoked on December 28, 2021) which suspended entry of certain individuals in countries where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been detected.

This informative CRS Report Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Speech Resources: Fact Sheet provides excellent summary of both Public Laws and Proclamations pertaining to Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.  Also by CRS, the publication, Presidential Directives: An Introduction, discusses the differences between presidential directives.

The Law Library display features an assortment of academic and leisure reading books selected in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for 2023.  Be sure to stop by and check one out for summer reading!  Have a great summer!