UHLC Nota Bene

The United States grand jury system is receiving national attention in the wake of two controversial grand juries’ decisions that have prompted popular protests following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and the chokehold death of Eric Garner .   For persons interested in learning about grand juries in order to better follow the national debate, the following resource links may be of use: The grand jury was established in the United States by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, and Title III, Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure governs its operations in federal court.   A grand jury practitioner’s resource guide is offered by the Department of Justice .   The Fifth Amendment does not apply to state courts; the states themselves have the authority to chose whether or not to employ grand juries.   The following links lead to the relevant constitutional provisions, statutes or criminal code sections empowering grand juries in the var...

Several amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Practice and Procedure became effective on Monday. The Federal Rules govern the process of litigation in the federal courts. Amendments are proposed by the Judicial Conference of the United States and promulgated by the Supreme Court as authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 331 . The latest amendments affect the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Bankruptcy Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Civil Procedure, and Evidence. The amendments, as well as the complete text of the rules, can be found at the United States Courts website .  

Back in March, “Nota Bene” featured a post about finding Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports online. Last month, a new collection of CRS reports was published as a committee print by Congress. This new publication is noteworthy because, as we pointed out in our earlier post, CRS reports are typically made available only to members of Congress and their staffs, who rely on them for background information when considering new bills. While a handful of libraries and other institutions have made a limited number of CRS reports available online, the government has yet to provide free public access to the reports, even though they are not classified or protected by copyright. The new collection of reports is called “The Evolving Congress,” and it was produced to coincide with the 100 th anniversary of the CRS. As the title implies, the collection focuses on the ways in which Congress has evolved over time. Part I provides an overview of the history of Congress in the modern ...