March is Women’s History Month, and the theme for 2021 is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced.” Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library has an on-demand CLE recording of its 19th Amendment Centennial Symposium from last August, entitled “Votes for Texas Women,” which is available here.
Read more19th Amendment Centennial and Women's History Month
Happy Women’s History Month! This year, the commemoration takes on added significance as we mark the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. To celebrate 100 years of votes for women, the Harris County Law Library will host events focused on women’s suffrage and women in law and government.
Votes for Texas Women, the exhibition: March 17 - April 3, 2020
“100 Years after the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future”
a traveling exhibit from the American Bar Association and Law Library of Congress
Visit the Harris County Law Library beginning March 17 to view the traveling exhibit from the American Bar Association and Law Library of Congress about the progress of suffrage in the last 100 years. The Law Library is the only institution in the Texas Gulf Coast Region slated to host the exhibit and we are proud to make it available to all through April 3, 2020.
The Law Library will also display an exhibit featuring artifacts from our archives, including an original 1920 printing of the 19th Amendment, to provide insight into the journey of women’s suffrage from the signs of suffragettes through the Texas and U.S. Constitutions and Supreme Courts.
Register to Vote!
All eligible exhibit goers will have a chance to register to vote at the end of the exhibit. As a voter registration agency under Chapter 20 of the Texas Election Code, the Law Library will offer voter registration cards and accept completed applications.
19th Amendment Centennial Symposium: April 2, 2020
Registration is now open for the Law Library’s 19th Amendment Centennial Symposium. Join us on the 103rd anniversary of the day Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in the U.S House of Representatives, was sworn in at the Capitol as Mariann Sears, the first woman to serve as director of the Harris County Law Library, will welcome notable women from the legal community and government to discuss the importance of inclusion. The event is free and open to all, but registration is limited. Register today!
Women’s History Month Exhibit and Digital Exhibit: March 1-31, 2020
Throughout the month, visitors to the Law Library can view an exhibit commemorating the achievements of Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw, the first woman to serve on the board of directors for the Harris County Law Library. Visit the digital exhibit to learn more about Ms. Openshaw.
National African American History Month: Justice Thurgood Marshall
National African American History Month traces its roots to efforts made by historian and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. In 1926, Dr. Woodson instituted the first Negro History Week in February 1926, a week that coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. More than 50 years later, it was expanded to Black History Month or African American History Month.
In honor of National African American History Month, the Harris County Law Library created a digital exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the country’s highest court. The exhibit highlights his career as a civil rights attorney, as Solicitor General, and as Supreme Court Justice. For those of you who are fortunate to visit our library, you can view an exhibit commemorating Justice Marshall’s extraordinary life in the Law Library lobby.
If you are interested in learning more about African American history and the notable life of Justice Thurgood Marshall, please see these digital resources:
United States Courts (“Justice Thurgood Marshall Profile – Brown v. Board of Education Reenactment”)
Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage
Constitution Daily (“Thurgood Marshall’s Unique Supreme Court Legacy”)
'Tis the Season for a Bookmas Tree Shelfie
The Bookmas Tree is back at the Harris County Law Library. Stop by through the end of the year to snap a #shelfie with this annual favorite. When you post/tweet, be sure to tag the Law Library!
July Exhibit: Summertime and the Law
During the month of July, Harris County Law Library is celebrating summer! Our exhibit, Summertime and the Law, will be on display all month long. On your next visit, pause for a moment in the Law Library lobby to view the exhibit and take a whimsical look at law and some of the hallmarks of summer -- sunshine, swimming, theme parks, barbecue, swimming, and more.
Featured items in the exhibit, along with a few additional sources, are listed here:
Cases
Gabriel Gomez v. The State of Texas, Unpublished
Gabriel Gomez appealed his conviction for aggravated assault asserting that he was denied a fair trial. In his complaint, Gomez described the State’s closing remarks as childish, improper, and prejudicial, and “an embarrassment to the legal dignity of the Court.” A portion of the prosecutor’s closing statement, which referenced various Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarves, is quoted in the opinion. See pages 6 and 7.
Animal Legal Defense Fund v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 789 F. 3d 1206 (2015)
Living in captivity at a Florida theme park called Seaquarium, an orca named Lolita was exposed to persistent ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Seaquarium tried to combat the harmful UV rays by applying a black-colored zinc oxide to Lolita’s skin, the physiological effects of which were untested and unknown. Plaintiffs argued that the park should be denied renewal of its operating license for violating the Animal Welfare Act.
Kingsford Products Company v. Kingsfords, Inc., 715 F. Supp. 1013 (1989)
The plaintiff, a manufacturer of charcoal briquettes, brought action against the similarly named Kingsfords, Inc. seeking to enjoin the defendant’s further use of the Kingsford mark on their barbecue sauce product. The District Court held that, despite the plaintiff’s aspirations to one day produce and sell a barbecue sauce under the Kingsford name, they were not entitled to trademark protection. The defendant had already established its product, developed from a family recipe, and the associated brand, so the plaintiff’s arguments went up in proverbial smoke.
Federal Regulations
State Statutes
Amusement Ride Safety and Inspection and Insurance Act, Vernon's Texas Code Annotated, Occupations Code, Chapter 2151. Regulation of Amusement Rides
Patents