New Digital Exhibit: "Equal Caricature Under Law"

The Riesenfeld Center and Law Library have released a new digital exhibit:

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag"

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag," showcases a complete collection of Supreme Court bobbleheads, produced by The Green Bag and its editor, Ross Davies. Artful, whimsical, and informative, the Supreme Court bobbleheads depict the "Supremes" in miniature bobbling form, with witty (and annotated) references to their notable opinions. The Law Library's online exhibit also features over 40 volumes drawn from the Riesenfeld Rare Book Center's Arthur C. Pulling Rare Books Collection. From John Jay to John Roberts, Jr., and from the Federalist Papers to Brandeis's dissent in Olmstead v. United States, the exhibit highlights the justices' careers and their contributions to American law.

The new digital exhibit memorializes the Law Library's popular 2016 exhibition of bobbleheads, which was on display in the Riesenfeld Center's gallery.   

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections 

Finals Study Break: Wednesday, Dec. 14

Come out next Wednesday for a study break during finals!  Grab coffee and fresh-baked donuts outside the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center.

When: Wednesday, December 14, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Where: Outside the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center (N30 - on the sub-plaza past Sullivan Cafe)

What: Coffee and donuts!

Good luck on finals, and best wishes for the holidays from the Law Library!

New Exhibit: "Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective"

A new exhibit, "Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective," is open at the Riesenfeld Center.

Trial of Charles I of England,
tried and executed for treason 
in 1649.

War and conflict are often witness to deep violations of law and justice. When armed conflict subsides, and after the fall of oppressive regimes, important questions arise as to which punitive measures and reparations can bring guilty parties to justice, and rehabilitate those subject to crime and loss. Transitional justice seeks to address these issues, and to understand how to achieve a just and stable society in the wake of conflict.

By what means, how far, and through whose agency, deep violations of law and justice are to be redressed in the wake of conflict, are not only contemporary questions but are as old as conflict itself. Historical governments at various moments have relied on markedly procedural measures against defeated political and military leaders, focusing on the punishment of offenders, the restitution of property and other rights, and the re-establishment of civil society.

St. Paul attorney and Dachau war crimes
prosecutor Horace Hansen's copy of
administrative manual for post-Nazi
Germany

"Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective," in the Library's Riesenfeld Rare Books Center, highlights volumes that touch on theories and moments of transitional justice and post-conflict reconciliation, from high medieval Europe through the war crimes trials following WWII. From the first academic commentary on a peace treaty, to the trial of Charles I, to the notebook of a Dachau war crimes prosecutor, the exhibit invites visitors to consider transitional justice from its foundations in history and comparative practice.

"Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective" was created as part of the Law School Human Rights Center's Transitional Justice Week and is open through the spring.

For more information or directions, please contact Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections (612-625-7323; rgreenwo@umn.edu).

Wednesday, November 2: Rare Books Group Open House

Come out this Wednesday to our November open house for the rare books group! Due to October success, we will have open houses on the first Wednesdays of the month. 

It is a great way to see (more) treasures from the Library's rare books collection, and of course enjoy free snacks and drinks!

Rare Books Group Open House

When: Wednesday, November 2, 1 p.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center (N30 - on the sub-plaza past Sullivan Cafe)

What: See treasures from the rare books collection, and enjoy snacks and drinks!

Our Year Books, and the Case of Thorns (1466)

Year Book, Michaelmas term, 6 Edward 4 (London, Tottle: 1557)

The English Year Books, the earliest English law reports, are a rich repository of English decisions dating back to the reigns of medieval kings.  The practice of reporting itself seems to have originated informally among students of the law; the early reporters are unknown and their reports circulated in manuscript before the advent of printing.  The Year Books stretch back to the 13th century and extend to 1535, and were printed and reprinted often in the 16th century.  The earliest title in our rare books collection is in fact an abridgement of case reports known as Statham's Abridgement (1490), and our collection of Year Books is one of the strongest outside of England.

In September, I showed several copies of our Year Books featuring the Case of Thorns (1466) in Professor David Weissbrodt's Torts class.  The class begins with an analysis of this English classic, with its early theory of civil liability.  In the case, a man who cuts branches from a bush on his own property and goes to retrieve the waste from his neighbor's property (where it had fallen), is found liable for trespass.

Our rare books collection includes three printings of the Case of Thorns from before 1600.  The first two are Year Books from Richard Tottell's press, dating to 1557; the third, also by Tottell, from 1572.  Tottell was the most prolific printer of law books in 16th-century England, and a founding member of the Stationer's Company, who held a royal patent to publish law books from 1553 until his death in 1593.

Our first two copies of the Case of Thorns contain an interesting misprint of a key part of the case.  Instead of text that should read "ipso invito" (the thing [done] against his will), our 1557 editions have "ipso muto" (the thing having been changed).  The case depends on the fact that the thorns fell on the plaintiff's property "against or without [the defendant's] will."  In one of our editions an early student or lawyer even crossed out "ipso muto" and wrote in "ipso invito" (pictured below).  By 1572, Tottell and his workshop had corrected the error.  It may have annoyed practitioners, but was a good test for law students.    

Reading the text even in the early modern period took training - the Year Books were written in Latin or Law French and were highly abbreviated.  The dense Gothic script in which they were printed did not help matters much.  Below is the beginning of the Case of Thorns, with an approximation of the marks used to abbreviate the (already difficult) Law French.  It is a good thing that students who still wrestle with the Case of Thorns today do so in more readable form.           

Un home port br̃ de tñs quar̃ vi et armis clam̃ fr̃ et c. Et herbam suam pedibus conculcando consumpsit supp̃ le tñs en v. ac̃r et le def, dit quaunte a veñ et c.: et le trñs en les v. ac̃r de rien coup̃ et quant a le tñs en le v. ac̃r ac̃c̃ ne doit le pÌ aver̃ q̃r il dit q̃ il m̃ ad un ac̃r de terre sur quell un hay de thornes est…

First page of the Case of Thorns, with "ipso muto" struck out and "ipso invito" written above

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Wednesday, October 5: Rare Books Group Open House

Come out tomorrow to an open house for the rare books group! It is a great way to see treasures from the Library's rare books collection, and of course enjoy free snacks and drinks!

Rare Books Group Open House

When: Wednesday, October 5, 1 p.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center (N30 - on the sub-plaza past Sullivan Cafe)

What: See treasures from the rare books collection, and enjoy snacks and drinks! 

Bobbleheads Open House - Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the prize drawings from the bobbleheads exhibit open house! The main drawing, for a bobblehead of Supreme Court justice David Brewer (1837-1910), was won by Franklin Rosenberg. Among other case references, the Brewer figure stands at a washtub, representing his opinion in Muller v. Oregon (1908) that limited the hours women could work.  Great thanks to The Green Bag and its editor, Professor Ross Davies, for the Brewer bobblehead.

Equal congratulations to Alex Galle-From and Nick Muellerleile, the winners of the Roberts Challenge. The Challenge asked participants to correctly identify case references on the newest Supreme Court bobblehead, that of Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. The identifications were: a) the broccoli held in Roberts's left hand; b) the crab near his left foot; and c) the reference to "oysters and raisins" on the base of the bobblehead. Mr. Galle-From and Mr. Muellerleile's correct entries were selected from a drawing.


The answers to the puzzle are as follows: a) National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. In the Chief Justice's majority opinion, broccoli is referenced 12 times, most memorably as "the broccoli horrible," the hypothetical specter of a mandate to purchase the green vegetable. The crab refers to: b) FCC v. AT&T, a case in which Roberts noted that adjectival meanings of words, like "crabbed," may differ from their noun roots (i.e., crab). Finally, and interestingly for us, is c) Horne v. Department of Agriculture, a case that centered on the Takings Clause. In his opinion, Roberts distinguished "oysters" from "raisins" by observing that raisins were the fruits of Horne's labor, whereas oysters were "ferae naturae," or of a wild nature, belonging to the state. The government ultimately had to compensate Horne for a taking (by remitting a large fine).  

The principle that some animals are "of a wild nature" and owned by the state is reflected in an early English case that we have in our rare books collection. In The Case of Swans (1592), the royal court found the swans at issue were "ferae naturae," and thus could not be acquired by transfer or prescription. They were also "Royal fowl," owned by the Queen.     

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections     

     

Wednesday, September 21: Bobbleheads Fall Open House!

(Justice Blackmun, however, is not
the prize!) 

This fall, the bobbleheads are back by popular demand. All are invited next Wednesday, September 21, to an open house for the bobbleheads exhibit in the Riesenfeld Center:

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag"

When: Wednesday, September 21, 12 noon - 4:00 p.m
Where: Riesenfeld Center, room N30 on the sub plaza level

Enter a drawing to win a Supreme Court bobblehead!  Enjoy free food and refreshments throughout the day.

Artful and highly collectible, the Supreme Court bobbleheads depict historical and current justices with witty references to the justices' notable cases.  The bobbleheads are produced in limited runs, and are typically obtained only by receiving and redeeming a sought-after certificate.  The Law Library is proud to hold the only complete institutional collection of the figurines, apart from a similar collection at the Yale Law Library.  

The exhibit includes over 30 historical volumes drawn from the Riesenfeld Center's Arthur C. Pulling Rare Books Collection.  From the Federalist Papers to Brandeis's famous dissent in Olmstead v. United States, these volumes, and accompanying biographical information, highlight the featured justices' careers and their significant work.

Welcome New and Returning Students!

As the semester begins, the Law Library's Supreme Court bobbleheads exhibit is back, by popular demand, and on display in the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center through December (N30, Sub-plaza). Come by to our bobbleheads open house later in September and several of our related events:

Welcome Back Cookies
When: Thursday, September 8, starting at 10 a.m.
Where: Library Lobby
What: Cookies!

Constitution Day Celebration
When: Wednesday, September 14, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Library Lobby
What: Donuts and drinks (and a Constitution crossword puzzle for prizes).

Bobbleheads Open House
When: Wednesday, September 21, 12 p.m - 4 p.m.
Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center
What: Snacks and drinks, and a drawing to win a Supreme Court bobblehead! 

Good luck and best wishes this semester from the Law Library and Riesenfeld Center!

Our Colonial Indian Law Collection (Part II)

Code of Unrepealed Circular Orders (Calcutta, 1872)

Following up on our earlier post, we have identified additional rare titles in our colonial Indian law collection. The rarity of the titles was recorded by head cataloger Claire Stuckey, who searched OCLC holdings in the course of cataloging the collection. The project to identify works of particular importance was greatly aided by bibliographies that Professor Mitra Sharafi gathered on her website for the study of South Asian legal history, which are based in part on our collection. Sharafi's colonial law library and list of printed primary sources guided our own project. Her terrific research guide to colonial South Asian case law also directed our attention to our collection of case reports. 

In her work, Claire was able to add further titles to Sharafi's lists of printed primary sources. In many cases, few other US or foreign libraries have recorded copies of the titles - most typically Harvard or Yale and the British Library - and several are uniquely held at UMN. This is a link to the additional bibliography.    

Some of our copies also have marginal notation. One copy of an interesting digest is significantly interleaved with manuscript notes on additional cases. Ownership marks in many of the works may be interesting to provenance researchers as well.  

The genesis of our colonial Indian law collection, as unusually rare in North America and beyond, does not seem to stem from any one large acquisition, and instead formed part of the wider vision of Arthur Pulling. The Law School's first law librarian, Pulling succeeded in building the Law Library into one of the best legal research libraries in the US, in the short period between 1912 and 1942. Judging by accession records, the Indian law collection was developed as a matter of course, along with other titles of foreign and international law ranging across the world. At the same time, however, Pulling and his successor, Edward Bade, were particularly interested to acquire Indian law, and may have been advised by their main suppliers, Sweet & Maxwell in London and Cambray in Calcutta (Kolkata), both of which operate today.

To give a quick sense of the cost of items, 17 volumes of the The Sind Law Reporter (Karachi, 1926) were acquired from Sweet & Maxwell in 1935 for $175.70, just before another 12 volumes for $83.36. In the same year, the Library paid $31.44 for 5 volumes of The Indian Jurist. Remarkably, that same year, the first Magna Carta printed in England by a woman, Elizabeth Pickering, in 1541, was acquired for $36.94. Early printed Magna Cartas have certainly increased more in value over time, and there are various ways to measure what those prices mean today. But the Indian titles were often more costly than other foreign law, and did come in more frequently, particularly in the 1930s and 40s. It is a testament to the foresight of Pulling and Bade that they assembled a collection not only valuable and unique, but of significant research value today. 

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Our Colonial Indian Law Collection

[Zillah Decisions, Lower Provinces (Bengal)]

The Riesenfeld Center holds a rich and unique collection of colonial Indian law, published under the rule of British India between the 18th and 20th centuries. It is one of the very strongest in North America, comprising statutes, law reports, digests, treatises, journals and other important works. Taken together, the collection sheds significant light on the legal administration of India under the British Empire, and can help to address important questions of legal pluralism, innovation and adaptation. The breadth of criminal and civil materials are likewise excellent resources for the study of Indian social history across many regions, over an extended and very formative period.

Recently we completed a project to identify the rarest titles in the collection, and to move much of the collection to our temperature-controlled stacks or basement storage. This comes in addition to head cataloger Claire Stuckey's terrific project to catalog the collection, and to correct numerous records: over 250 new titles in the collection have now been searched and cataloged. During the process, Claire uncovered the rarity of the titles that have been relocated.

We have been able to identify more than 180 titles in the collection that are held in five or fewer foreign and domestic libraries, according to OCLC. Although OCLC records depend on reporting libraries and are not a full representation of existing copies, they give a strong sense of availability. Below are several recorded as held in five or fewer libraries:  

The Acts Passed by the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal in Council (Calcutta, 1865)
Baroda Law Reports (Vaḍodarā, 1891) [unique title]
Collection of the Decisions of the High Court and the Privy Council on the Hindu Law of Marriage and the Effect of Apostacy After Marriage Up to March 1891 (Madras, 1891)
Collection of the Decisions of the High Courts and the Privy Council on the Law of Succession, Maintenance, &c.: Applicable to Dancing Girls and Their Issues (Madras, 1892)
A selection of Indian leading cases: containing reports of cases decided by the Superior Courts in India (Calcutta, 1893)
The Criminal Cases: A Monthly Journal Containing Full Reports of All Reportable Criminal Judgments of All Superior Courts of India and Burma and of the Privy Council (Nagpur, 1929)

Material from the colonial period, including acts and high court decisions, can be found online, but lots of interesting colonial law has not been digitized. For more on researching Indian law, see the Library of Congress's page, and for historical research and sources, see Professor Mitra Sharafi's website. 

Stay tuned for a post on recently identified titles and the acquisition of items in the 1930s and 40s.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

From Our Stacks: Historical US State Law

This summer we have begun re-organizing and shifting parts of the rare books collection, including our collection of historical US state and territorial law. In undertaking the project, we are without the advice and help of our friend and colleague, Ed Gale, who passed away recently. His insights and presence are sorely missed. 

The state law collection is one of the Riesenfeld Center's areas of strength and takes up several rows in our stacks. A large part of the material comprises session laws and law reports, and we have journals of state constitutional conventions, digests, local ordinances, justice of the peace manuals, chancery reports, draft penal codes and a variety of other, often very interesting, material. 

One example, a copy of Documents of the Convention of the State of New York, 1867-68 (Albany, 1868), is witness to important local and national history. The records reveal the deep opposition faced by attempts to expand voting rights for African-Americans, in the wake of the Civil War and in the heart of the "free" northern states. Though slavery was abolished in New York in 1827, African-Americans without property or with criminal convictions were disqualified from voting; the property stipulation was unique at the time to New York. During the '67-'68 convention, the report of the committee on the right of suffrage noted that equal voting rights amendments were defeated 223,884 to 85,306 in 1846, and 337,984 to 197,503 in 1850. The committee advised that the matter be sent again to a state-wide referendum, and it was not until 1874, four years after the Fifteenth Amendment, that the property requirement was abolished by state amendment. For more, see Jim Crow in New York, by Erika Wood and Liz Budnitz.

Another example, from territorial New Orleans, reflects an interesting debate over early US libel laws. In a case reported by Francois-Xavier Martin in the Superior Court of New Orleans Territory in 1810, a judge dismissed an appeal against a libel conviction, where the appellant argued for the liberty of the press and invoked the truth of the libel as a defense. The court cited English common law - which had been adopted in the territory only several years earlier - that the truth of a libel was not admissible evidence. The court then cited Spanish and French law, which previously had jurisdiction in the territory, and invoked other US state laws, in rejecting the appeal. The court even acknowledged New York's People v. Croswell (though not the Zenger trial), from which arose the first statute allowing truth as a defense against libel. In the end, the New Orleans court found other state evidence (and the lack of contradicted English tradition) more persuasive in the early republic.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

 

   

The Reister Collection: Description and Highlights

Hale, The Law of Hereditary Descents
(London, 1700)

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center's recent acquisition of the Reister collection on wills, trusts and estates in Anglo-American law contains a rich range of titles, useful for students of the history of inheritance laws, testamentary practice and estate management. The titles may also be of interest to historians of family law, women's history, and those studying the divergence of American legal doctrines from their English sources.

In England, feudal customs on the division of property, including practices like primogeniture, arose and were reinforced in the medieval period. The first great treatise of English law, Glanvill's 12th-century work on the laws and customs of England, discusses inheritance and importantly records the priority of heirs, from closest kin to most remote.  

The earliest work in the Reister collection, a first edition of Henry Swinburne's A Briefe Treatise of Testaments and Last Willes (London, 1590), treats testaments in church law and is informed by the civil law in which Swinburne was trained. The popular and useful treatise was reprinted into the early 19th century. Works by important English jurists, including Matthew Hale's Law of Hereditary Descents (London, 1700), Francis Bacon's Reading upon the Statute of Uses (London, 1642), and William Blackstone's Treatise on the Law of Descents in Fee Simple (London, 1759), are also represented in the collection.

American material, like Robert McClellan's The Executor's Guide (Albany, 1862), for New York, and Noah Cheever's Law and Practice of Probate Courts (Detroit, 1884), for Michigan, treats local probate laws. Influential 19th-century treatises, by authorities like Jarman, are similarly included, with subjects ranging from excluded persons, to repugnancy, to fraud and undue influence, as invalidating the provisions of wills. One interesting case of inheritance fraud is on our Tumblr site. Amidst the trove are also contemporary works on humorous last wills.

Menchin, The Last Caprice (New York, 1963)

A particularly unique treasure in the collection is an 18th-century manuscript, a copy of part of a work on wills and testaments, in the hand of lawyer Richard Sheridan. Interestingly, his notes were passed to another student or lawyer, John Smyly, before the end of the century. 

For more on historical laws of inheritance, see the Library of Congress website.  

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections











   

New Rare Books Acquisition: The Reister Collection

Henry Swinburne, A Briefe Treatise of
Testaments and Last Wills (London, 1590)

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Rare Books Center have recently received a donation of important rare law books from the collection of Raymond A. and Ruth A. Reister. The donation comprises nearly one hundred titles on inheritance, wills and estates in Anglo-American law that were collected by Mr. Reister during his lifetime. The books range from a rare 16th-century treatise, to valuable 17th- and 18th-century material, including books by William Blackstone and Francis Bacon, to humorous works on eccentric wills.  The collection represents a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in the history of this foundational area of law. The Reister collection will be kept permanently at the Law Library and Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center, and made available to patrons.

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center is grateful to the trustees of the Ruth A. Reister Trust Estate, Robert Struyk (‘61) and Sonny Miller, for this generous donation. 

Raymond A. Reister (1929-2005), a long-time Minneapolis attorney, practiced for thirty-nine years at Dorsey and Whitney. A nationally recognized expert in Trust and Estate law, Mr. Reister was co-editor of Minnesota Estate Administration, and served, among other organizations, on the Board of the Minnesota Humanities Commission, as Treasurer of the Minnesota Historical Society, and Vice President of the Minneapolis Athenaeum. The Athenaeum seeks to acquire rare books and manuscripts for the public benefit. 

Mr. Reister's wife, Ruth A. Reister (1936-2015), graduated from Michigan Law School in 1964, as the only woman in her class. A leader in government and business, Ms. Reister worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, as deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and later served as president of FBS Agricultural Credit Corporation. She was also very active in the local community.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections



           

New Tumblr Posts: Illustrated Law Books

Detail from Damhoudere, Praxis rerum
criminalium (1570)

There are lots of great new posts on our Tumblr site, featuring more (wonderful) items from the Riesenfeld Center's collections. Barbara Berdahl, Special Collections Assistant Librarian, has mined rich veins of collection material in curating the Tumblr blog, and has mixed newly found and favorite items, from Supreme Court bobbleheads and fascinating trials, to medieval manuscript fragments. Although Barbara is departing soon, the Tumblr site is one terrific testament to her work.

Some of the greatest rare book and archival finds on the Tumblr blog are recent ones. Among many highlights, Barbara has honed in on examples of early modern illustrated works, including Andrea Alciato's pathbreaking Emblemata (1581), Johannes Buno's Memoriale Institutionum Juris (1672) - which uses intricate and beautiful visual mnemonics to teach principles of Roman law - and Joost de Damhoudere's Praxis rerum criminalium (1570), depicting in over 50 woodcuts the wide array of criminal offenses summarized in the work. Added to these are images from satirical works in our law and literature collection, our two accounts of the Minnesota state constitutional convention, a speech by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, images of medieval manuscript fragments that we have identified in the collection, and much more!

http://riesenfeldcenter.tumblr.com/
 
   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Good Luck on Finals from the Riesenfeld Center!

Giles Jacob, A Law Grammar
(London, 1817)

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center wish everyone the best of luck on finals! 

Although (perhaps) not of immediate use on exams, the Library's rare books collection contains a range of early legal study guides, many of which were commercially successful and helped to expand the legal publishing market. The most popular and prolific author of these in the 18th century, Giles Jacob (1686-1744), was lambasted by Alexander Pope in the Dunciad as "the blunderbuss of law," but Jacob's business was lucrative and provided a useful service.  

In the rare books collection there are a number of Jacob's works. Jacob's A Law Grammar; or, the Rudiments of the Law (our edition, 1817), appealed to students and laymen. It covers elementary definitions, maxims and principles of law, including this classic: if A wishes to kill B but misses and shoots C, he is held guilty of murder; if without intent, it is manslaughter. The work was still in print in 1850, more than 100 years after its first publication in 1744. 

Another work, The Compleat Attorney's Practice, outlines the "best rules and practice" in the King's Bench and Common Pleas, summarizing actions and procedure in those courts. The Statute Law Common-placed is an index of terms treated in the common law, with the statutes where they could be found discussed.

Jacob's most successful work, A New Law Dictionary, first published in 1729, combines a law dictionary with an abridgement of statutes, both important reference tools that were familiar and well-used by English legal practitioners. Jacob's own favorite work was reputedly The Student's Companion, which starts with the basic legal definitions of "accusation" and "action." 

It is too bad that Jacob is not around today: he would try to pen (and profit from) the best study aids for today's exams.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections      

William Sharp (1900-1961), Courtroom Satirist

William Sharp, detail from
"Nothing But the Truth!"

The Law Library was recently gifted a new rare lithograph by William Sharp (1900-1961), the book illustrator, etcher and lithographer who was noted for his humorous and satirical trial sketches. Sharp (born Leon Schleifer) and his wife fled from Nazi Germany to New York in 1934, where he began his American career and adopted a name that reflected his craft and satirical talents. The Library's new lithograph - "Nothing But the Truth!" - depicts a man swearing on a Bible, a bailiff gazing up in disbelief, and a skeptical court reporter seated nearby. Beyond courtroom scenes, Sharp depicted American society at large, lampooning political figures and capturing typical personas and social scenes of the 1940s and 50s. For more on Sharp, see here and here.

"Nothing But the Truth!" has been generously donated by University of Minnesota alumnus and retired Minneapolis attorney Douglas A. Hedin. The work joins four other lithographs by Sharp, collectively known as the Sharp Collection, located on the second floor of the Law Library. The Sharp Collection was donated by Mr. Hedin and his wife Barbara S. Hedin, in memory of early Law School graduate James Manahan (1889) and his daughter Kathryn Manahan Hoxmeier (1925).

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Bobbleheads in the News

The Riesenfeld Center's current exhibit, "Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag," has recently been featured in the Star Tribune. The article by Kim Ode, on the front page of the March 10 Variety section, highlights the exhibit, the history of the bobbleheads and the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum, who generously donated his collection to the Law Library and Riesenfeld Center. For more press on the popular bobbleheads, see here and here.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections 

Bobbleheads Exhibit Open House: Wednesday, March 2

All are invited to an open house this Wednesday, February 2, for the opening of the Law Library's 2016 spring exhibit:

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag"

Wednesday, March 2, in the Riesenfeld Center (N30, Sub Plaza Level)

Open House: 12 noon - 4:00 p.m.

Snacks and refreshments will be served through the day.     

Artful and highly collectible, the Supreme Court bobbleheads depict historical and current justices with witty references to the justices' notable cases.  The bobbleheads are produced in limited runs, and are typically obtained only by receiving and redeeming a sought-after certificate.  The Law Library is proud to hold the only complete institutional collection of the figurines, apart from a similar collection at the Yale Law Library.  

The exhibit includes over 30 historical volumes drawn from the Riesenfeld Center's Arthur C. Pulling Rare Books Collection.  From the Federalist Papers to Brandeis's famous dissent in Olmstead v. United States, these volumes, and accompanying biographical information, highlight the featured justices' careers and their significant work.

2016 Spring Exhibit: "Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag"

Bobbleheads of Justices Bader Ginsburg, Breyer,
Thomas and Scalia.

The University of Minnesota Law Library and Riesenfeld Center are pleased to announce the 2016 spring exhibits:

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag"

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag," showcases the complete set of Supreme Court bobbleheads produced by the entertaining (and scholarly) journal of law, The Green Bag.  Our collection was recently and generously donated by the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum ('69), Federal District Court Judge for the District of Minnesota (ret.).

Artful and highly collectible, the Supreme Court bobbleheads depict historical and current justices with witty references to the justices' notable cases.  The bobbleheads are produced in limited runs, and are typically obtained only by receiving and redeeming a sought-after certificate.  The Law Library is proud to hold the only complete institutional collection of the figurines, apart from a similar collection at the Yale Law Library.  

The exhibit includes over 30 historical volumes drawn from the Riesenfeld Center's Arthur C. Pulling Rare Books Collection.  From the Federalist Papers to Brandeis's famous dissent in Olmstead v. United States, these volumes, and accompanying biographical information, highlight the featured justices' careers and their significant work.

In addition to the bobblehead exhibit, our gallery also features an exhibit of the personal and judicial papers of the Honorable David S. Doty ('61), Senior Federal District Court Judge for the District of Minnesota.  Judge Doty served for over twenty years as the arbitrator for the National Football League collective bargaining agreement, and has decided numerous important criminal and civil cases.

"Equal Caricature Under Law: Supreme Court Bobbleheads by The Green Bag," and the personal and judicial papers of Judge David S. Doty, are on display in the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center from this Wednesday, March 2, through August 1, 2016.  There will be a digital version of the exhibit to follow.

The exhibits were designed and curated by Barbara Berdahl, Special Collections Assistant Librarian, Pat Graybill, Digital Technology Specialist, and Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections.  

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Clarence Darrow and Leopold and Loeb on PBS

Clarence Darrow at right, with defendants Leopold and Loeb
center (Courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society)

The Riesenfeld Center holds the preeminent national collection of personal letters written by and to Clarence Darrow (1857-1938), as well as numerous books, pamphlets, and other writings by and about the great American trial attorney. The manuscript letters have been transcribed and digitized as part of the Law Library's award-winning Clarence Darrow Digital Collection. The Darrow Digital Collection is a full research portal that also includes a biography and timeline of Darrow's career, over two hundred images, a collection of important Darrow case materials and summaries, and a searchable Westlaw database of all Darrow cases and cases that refer to Darrow.

Last year, an associate producer at PBS contacted us to use one of our Darrow photographs in a documentary on the Leopold and Loeb "trial of the century." At the 1924 trial, one of the most controversial of Darrow's storied career, Darrow successfully mounted an insanity defense to save the lives of two wealthy young Chicagoans who murdered a boy simply, as they admitted, "for the thrill of it."

The PBS documentary on Leopold and Loeb, titled "The Perfect Crime," has now been broadcast as part of the PBS American Experience documentary series, and can be viewed online.  The film expertly captures the courtroom drama and describes Darrow's strategy on behalf of his doomed clients. The website for the documentary also features the Darrow Digital Collection as a source for further reading.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections, and Michael Hannon, Associate Director for Access Services & Digital Initiatives

New Rare Titles on U.S. Constitutional Law

A replica of Fulton's steamer Clermont (Courtesy of the Library of Congress) 

Recently we acquired several interesting works related to 19th-century U.S. constitutional law. The earliest of these, "The Right of a State to Grant Exclusive Privileges" (New York, 1811), by iconic inventor Robert Fulton and his partner Robert Livingston, is a rare and impassioned defense of their state-granted steamboat monopoly on the Hudson River in New York, which had been challenged by boat operators in Albany.

Several years after Fulton's pamphlet, steamboat operator Aaron Ogden - granted the same exclusive rights of navigation between New York and New Jersey - squared off in court against his former business partner Thomas Gibbons. At stake was the great question of whether Congress or the states could regulate interstate commerce. A historic 1824 Supreme Court decision, led by John Marshall and based on the Constitution's Commerce Clause, settled the issue in favor of Congress and paved the way for expanded federal regulation. The pamphlet of Fulton and Livingston provides excellent context for the issue, including arguments on concurrent jurisdiction, the Commerce Clause and states' rights.

Another pamphlet related to monopolies, "The Opinion of Mess. Binney and Chauncey, on the Acts of the Legislature of New-Jersey" (Trenton, 1834), defends the right of a legislature to extend exclusive corporate privileges by contract, and to restrict a subsequent legislature's ability to rescind those rights. Three years later, the noted Charles River Bridge case (1837) was settled by the Supreme Court, which rejected asserted monopoly rights in a charter granted to the Charles River Bridge Company for their Massachusetts bridge. The New Jersey pamphlet provides contemporary background for these early constitutional issues.

Abraham Lincoln, by Abraham Byers (1858)

Two others are also notable. "The Decision of Chief Justice Taney, in the Merryman Case" (1862), contains Taney's opinion on the controversy over Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Merryman, a Maryland militia member, had been arrested and imprisoned for treason, and his writ of habeas corpus was rejected by his Union army jailers. US Supreme Court Justice Taney, then sitting as a federal circuit court judge, declared that only Congress could suspend habeas corpus. Lincoln replied publicly that the Constitution was silent on whether Congress or the President had the authority to suspend habeas corpus in times of rebellion or invasion, and that with Congress in recess, he was compelled to act.

Finally, Samuel Bassett's 1854 pamphlet, "An Address Made to the People," on the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, advocates state nullification of the Act and demands jury trials for alleged runaway slaves. Failure to fulfill that constitutional guarantee rendered the Act unconstitutional and void. The pamphlet was a particularly special find because there is only one other recorded copy in libraries.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections    

Rare Swedish and Norwegian Law

Den Norske Low-Bog (Copenhagen, 1604)

Among the interesting historical collections at the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center are significant works of rare Swedish and Norwegian law. These books range from rare medieval law codes, to law dictionaries, to a British printing of Nazi documents seized on Norway's Lofoten Islands during WWII.

The Swedish collection comprises about 50 rare titles. The earliest volume, the Leges Suecorum Gothorumque (1614), is a collection of medieval Swedish law published in Stockholm early in the reign of King Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632), the monarch who transformed Sweden into an early modern power. Another of the early volumes, the Lexicon Juris Sveo-Gothici (Uppsala, 1665), defines and traces Swedish legal terms with reference to Roman law, not unlike the De Jure Sveonum et Gothorum Vetusto (Stockholm, 1672), a work on civil and criminal procedure.

Sverikes rikes lagh-boker (Stockholm, 1666)

Many of the early Swedish books have bookplates, signatures and annotations. These important features recently gained the attention of Visiting Professor Eric Bylander, from Uppsala University, who undertook research on the collection this past fall. A rare book collector and expert in heraldry, in addition to his modern legal expertise, Bylander uncovered in our Swedish books interesting connections to noted jurists, families and booksellers, and has continued his research back in Sweden.

The Norwegian law collection contains slightly fewer volumes, though a number are also notable. Among these is the Magnus Lagabøters landslov, an important 13th-century collection of laws promulgated by King Magnus VI (or Magnus Lagabøte, the Law-Mender) of Norway. This past November, Professor Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde visited the Law School from the University of Bergen to lecture on this collection. As Sunde noted, it was one of the most comprehensive law codes in medieval Europe and remained in force for over four centuries. Sunde is currently preparing a critical edition of the text based on a large and complex manuscript tradition, as part of a project he leads at Bergen.  

Notes in Sverikes rikes lagh-boker

    
Although our collection lacks any manuscripts of the Magnus Lagabøters landslov, the Riesenfeld Center was recently able to acquire a work containing the first printed edition of the text to add to the collection.


   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections