UHLC Nota Bene

The O'Quinn Law Library collection now includes Taxation, Virtual Currency and Blockchain by Aleksandra Bal. Taxation, Virtual Currency and Blockchain is primarily a policy anaysis of the tax treatment of virtual currency transactions, but it also goes into some depth reviewing judicial decisions related to this topic.  Researchers looking for a bibliography of relevant cases and government papers might be interested in this book's review of the major publications addressing American and European law.  While primarity written for practitioners already familiar with the basic concepts, each chapter includes an introduction to the concepts that would make this book valuable to law students as well (even concepts like "income tax," not just concepts involving new technology). Taxation, Virtual Currency and Blockchain is is currently available on the New Books shelf at the far end of the law library reference desk.  This book's call number is K 4487.E43B35 2019...

New to the O'Quinn Law Library collection is The Law & Politics of Brexit, a collection of essays on the 2016 Brexit Referendum edited by Federico Fabbrini. Legal researchers interested in Brexit, or in either British or European Union law using Brexit as a case study, might find this book useful.  There are four main sections, three of which are devoted to specific aspects of law.  The first addresses European Union membership law; the second addresses the potential legal consequences of Brexit for Engish, Scottish, and Northern Irish law (Welsh consequences are not addressed); the third addresses currency law, criminal law, and trade/labor law in the European Union, as well as hor Brixit will affect British law in these matters.  The final section focuses on political speculation rather than legal discussion, but is equally well-written and could still be of interest to legal scholars interested in Brexit generally. UH students students can access this book at t...

The World Legal Information Institute (WLII) is currently expanding its International Privacy Law Library after receiving a grant of funds from the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, according to a recent press release . The Library is the world’s largest freely accessible, searchable collection of materials related to data protection and privacy law, and contains over 8,500 items from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and elsewhere. The types of materials available include case law, legislation, international agreements, and secondary sources. For a detailed description of the Library’s search capabilities, see its user guide . WLII is a member of a collective of legal information projects known as the Free Access to Law Movement (FALM), which aims to make legal information freely available online. This movement began in 1992 with the creation of Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute , a resource that will be familiar to most lawye...

The State Department recently submitted its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 to the United States Congress. These reports, which are submitted annually in accordance with U.S. law, cover individual, civil, political, and worker rights in all United Nations member states and all countries receiving U.S. assistance. They are influential in shaping foreign policy, and are a valuable resource for anyone interested in foreign and international affairs.   In addition to the current reports, past reports going back to the year 1999 are available on the State Department’s website. They can be navigated by region and by country. Since 2011, the online versions of the reports have included the “Build a Report” feature, which allows the user to create a customized report by selecting the desired countries and subject areas, such as “Arbitrary Arrest or Detention” and “Freedom of Religion.”    

Ever wonder which countries have constitutional provisions protecting freedom of expression?  Or if the United States is unique in providing a constitutional right to bear arms?  A new resource from the Comparative Constitutions Project can help you answer these questions and more!  Their recently launched Constitute Project contains information about over 175 constitutions from around the world.  You can choose to read a particular country’s constitution, search the full-text of the documents, or browse constitutional provisions by topic.  If you browse by topic, you can select from over 300 different options and see a list of countries with provisions on that subject, along with the text from the constitutions.  Broad topic areas include Amendment, Culture and Identity, Elections, Executive, Federalism, International Law, Judiciary, Legislature, Principles and Symbols, Regulation and Oversight, and Rights and Duties.     If you are ...