Inter Alia: Minnesota State Law Library Newsletter May 2018

Inter Alia

NCLC Digital Library Now Available

NCLC Fair Debt Collection Treatise cover

The State Law Library is pleased to offer access to the National Consumer Law Center's Digital Library. NCLC offers 20 treatises on consumer law, which offer summaries of the law and sample pleadings on a variety of topics, including Fair Debt Collection, Student Loans, and Mortgages. Our collection includes print versions of these treatises, and we also offer electronic access to the NCLC Digital Library in the library. The Digital Library makes these titles keyword searchable, so you can quickly find the information you need online. 


Appellate Court Oral Histories

Photo of Justices Keith, Gardebring, and Popovich
The oral histories of Justices Sandy Keith, Sandra Gardebring, and Peter Popovich have been digitized and are available to stream online.

 

Starting in the 1970s, Minnesota began collecting the histories of Supreme Court Justices. This included recording interviews with those who served on Minnesota's highest court about their lives and judicial careers. Many of these recordings have been digitized. You can now stream the interviews of Justices Sandra Gardebring, Alexander M. (Sandy) Keith, and Peter S. Popovich through our Oral History Subject Guide. Additional oral histories will be added in the coming months. In the meantime, you can still read the transcripts and visit the library to view recordings in our collection. 


Attorney Registration Rolls

Images from May 11, 2018 Swearing In

From 1858 to 1983, Minnesota tracked attorney registrations by having new attorneys sign their names in the rolls of attorneys. The rolls were the official record of an attorney's license to practice law, and of any discipline received by attorneys. The signatures of thousands of attorneys, including two who went on to be U.S. Supreme Court justices, can be found in the attorney rolls. The original roll books are maintained in our Special Collections, and this fantastic resource has also been digitized. You can view scans of the original rolls on Minnesota Reflections: Volume 1 and Volume 2. The attorney registration rolls were replaced in 1983 by the Minnesota Attorney Registration System, but Chief Justice Gildea revived the practice of signing the rolls at the May 11, 2018 swearing in ceremony for new attorneys. Congratulations to all the new Minnesota attorneys sworn in this month! 

Quick Links


Did You Know?

On May 11, the State of Minnesota celebrated its 160th birthday. Minnesota officially joined the union on May 11, 1858 as the 32nd state. In preparation for statehood, Minnesota set to work creating a constitution. Due to political factions developing at the 1857 Constitutional Convention, Minnesota ended up with two constitutions. Our collection includes records of the debates for both the Republican and the Democratic conventions. Both records have been digitized and are available on Minnesota Reflections.  


News and Events

Library Hours

The Law Library will be closed on Monday, May 28, 2018 for Memorial Day. We will respond to all questions on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. 

On Wednesday, May 30, 2018, the State Law Library will hold staff training from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The library will be open during this time, but reference assistance will be limited. 


Minnesota Supreme Court

On April 17, 2018, Governor Dayton appointed Paul Thissen to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Before taking the bench on May 14, 2018, Justice Thissen served as a state representative. He takes the place vacated by Justice David Stras, who is now a judge on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. You can learn more about Justice Thissen in this announcement from the Governor's office. 


Data Breaches

Over the last several months, many high profile data breaches (including Equifax, Facebook, Twitter, Panera Bread, and others) have been in the news. Online services make it harder to completely prevent your data from being misused, but you can learn more about your privacy rights and how to protect yourself from cyber threats in our Privacy Guide


The ComMN Law Podcast

If you're interested in learning more about the cases that appear before the Minnesota Supreme Court, there's a new podcast for you! Hosted by former appellate law clerks, The ComMN Law offers news, analysis, and insights into Minnesota's highest court.