UHLC Nota Bene

As a professor at New York Law School and a former president of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen has spent much of her career writing and speaking about constitutional law and civil liberties. Her latest book, HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship , draws on her decades of experience with these issues to present a thoroughly researched and strongly argued case against hate speech laws. As Strossen points out in her introduction, much of the controversy over the regulation of “hate speech” is rooted in the lack of a clear definition of the term, along with widespread confusion about what kinds of speech are protected by the First Amendment and what kinds of speech are punishable. She therefore begins by laying out two of the core constitutional principles at issue: viewpoint neutrality and the emergency test. Viewpoint neutrality is defined as the principle that government may not regulate speech “solely because the speech’s message, idea, or viewpoint is disfavore...

Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors. The law library has recently added to its collection Children's Rights: New Issues, New Themes and New Perspectives . The volume, edited by Michael Freeman, includes a collection of chapters authored by children's rights excerpts across the globe, each discussing current issues and developments in the law of children's rights. The collection of essays were brought together for the 25th Anniversary of The International Journal of Children's Rights , a leading journal in the field.  A key development in the law of Children's Rights was the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by 140 countries (with the notable and glaring exception of the United States. The CRC, effective since 1990, protects certain rights of children (humans younger than 18, unless otherwise defined by a nation...

Practising Law Institute has published the 2018 Internal Revenue Service Practice and Procedure Deskbook, 5th edition ( KF6301.S5222 ), by Erin M. Collins and Edward M. Robbins, Jr. , a three-volume softbound set designed to assist the tax practitioner but can also be help to the tax scholar or student. This source has eighteen chapters with detailed information, annotations to primary sources of law, practice pointers, and examples. Coverage includes the organization of the IRS, Circular 230, the rules of practice before the IRS, examinations, administrative appeals, civil penalties, collection process, tax court litigation, tax fraud, taxpayer access to information, and tax returns, among other topics. There is a table of authorities and subject index at the end of the third volume. This set is now available in the law library's print collection under call number KF6301.S5222 .

The O'Quinn Law Library collection now includes the 4th edition of Motions to Suppress: Protecting the Consitutional Rights on Immigrants in Removal Proceedings , a manual published by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Motions to Suppress is a practitioners' guide to removal proceedings.  In addition to a practice guide to filing motions to suppress, this work also includes a discussion of the law relating to motions in removal proceedings.  This work also addresses related topics such as warrants and discovery, as well as other issues that sometimes arise in situations that inspire motions to suppress, such as detention law and the administrative complain process. Motions to Suppress is currently available on the New Books shelf at the far end of reference desk. The call number is KF4824.T68 2018.

Black’s Law Dictionary defines arbitration as “a dispute-resolution process in which the disputing parties choose one or more neutral third parties to make a final and binding decision resolving the dispute.” Since the passage of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) in 1925, arbitration has been an increasingly important part of the American legal landscape, providing a less costly and less time-consuming alternative to litigation. For those interested in the practice of arbitration, the O’Quinn Law Library has recently acquired The Law and Practice of United States Arbitration , by Thomas E. Carbonneau. Now in its sixth edition, this book contains a comprehensive treatment of U.S. arbitration practice. Topics covered include the history of the FAA, objections to the federal policy on arbitration, contract freedom, federalism, statutory arbitrability, adhesive arbitration, and award enforcement. The book also includes a table of cases and an index for easy navigation.   The L...

Jesse H. Rhodes' Ballot Blocked: The Political Erosion of the Voting Rights Act gives readers a behind-the-scenes view of the history and future of the Voting Rights Act. The 1965 Act was signed into law by President Johnson, following the calls of activists in the Civil Rights movement. The legislation came in the wake of civil rights demonstrations from Selma to Montgomery, aimed at calling attention  to the desire of  African-American  citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The Voting Rights Act ( PL. 89-110 ) soon became a landmark federal achievement of the civil rights movement. The Act contains both general and special provisions. For general application,  Section 2 prohibits any jurisdiction from implementing a "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... in a manner which results in a denial or abridgment of the right ... to vote on account of race," color, or language, or minori...

Texas Torts and Remedies by Matthew Bender is an excellent practice guide for those researching a specific type of tort as well as the remedies available and the procedures involved in Texas tort actions. Typical of most practice guides, this source provides a detailed background of the law and references to primary sources of law as well as secondary sources. This six volume set has ten parts including the principles of liability, different types of torts such as negligence, nuisance and trespass, landlord tenant issues, products liability, intentional torts, and issues related to motor vehicles and other modes of transportation. Those who need to learn about the procedures involved with prosecuting tort actions in Texas will be introduced to the different types of compensation available as well as matters related to expert testimony. Products liability and insurance claims are among the other topics that are discussed. This is currently available in the Law Library's reference c...