Looking Back - Texas Declaration of Independence

March 2, 1836

“We…do hereby resolve and declare, that our political connection with the Mexican nation has forever ended, and that the people of Texas do now constitute a free, Sovereign, and independent republic…”

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The Texas Declaration of Independence as seen in Gammel's The Laws of Texas.

Thus concludes the Texas Declaration of Independence signed on March 2, 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos.  Present at the Convention of 1836 were 59 delegates, each representing a settlement in Texas and each voting in favor of independence. The document, quite similar in spirit to the United States Declaration of Independence, laid bare the grievances that the people of Texas had against Mexico. Among other things, the Declaration accused the Mexican government of failing to protect the lives, liberty, and property of its people, of changing the nature of the governmental system without the people’s consent, of imprisoning anyone who protested against the government, of failing to secure the right of trial by jury and other civil liberties, of failing to establish a system of public education, and of invading the Texas territory. As a result of these failings and issues, the signatory delegates resolved to sever all political ties with Mexico. Five copies of the document were then sent to the towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe.  The original document was sent to the United States Department of State and was returned to the state in 1896.

You can find both the text of the Declaration of Independence and the journals of the Convention at Washington in Gammel's The Laws of Texas, a copy of which can be found here at the Law Library. If you want to learn more about the Texas fight for independence and all things Texas, come on down to the law library and have a look at the Texas Almanac. You'll find a wealth of information.

Digitized Historical Texas Statutes from the Texas State Law Library

Earlier this month, the Texas State Law Library announced a new collection of digitized historical Texas statutes available on its website. The collection now includes all Texas statutes from 1879 to 1960. The newest content includes works with copyrighted material published between 1928 and 1960, which is now available under an agreement with the copyright holder Thomson Reuters and in collaboration with the Austin Bar Foundation, which provided a grant to fund digitization. Visit the Historical Texas Statutes page on the Texas State Law Library website to learn more and to download copies of these newly-digitized, searchable documents.

Minding the Gap

Despite the Texas State Law Library’s giant leap forward in making historical Texas statutes available online, there is still a gap practitioners must keep in mind. Thomson Reuter’s Westlaw provides access to historical statutes back to 1987, which is likely to cover most researcher’s needs. However, a criminal defense attorney might need to know the language of a 1985 DWI statute to determine its effect on a client's sentence, or a real estate attorney may need to read a probate statute from the 1970s to see how it will impact a title in a pending sale. When research falls into the gap, the Harris County Law Library is here to help. We have historical statutes and legislative history materials to help you reconstruct historical Texas statutes and we provide free access to Westlaw on our legal research computers for your 1987-to-present research needs. Visit the Law Library any time we can assist with your historical Texas statutory research.

Latest and Greatest - U.S. Immigration Made Easy

U.S. Immigration Made Easy

BY Ilona Bray, J.D.

Published by Nolo (17th Edition, 2015)

KF 4819.85 .B72 2015

Did you know the Harris County Law Library has a self-help collection full of easy to understand resources that help self-represented litigants learn about the law? Well, we do, and it features materials published by Nolo, the Houston Bar Association and Texas Young Lawyers Association.

In connection with Immigration Law Resource month, we are proud to feature U.S. Immigration Made Easy, now in its 17th edition from Nolo. This book helps you navigate through the immigration process from staying legally in the U.S. to obtaining a green card or visa. There are chapters that discuss the ways of getting a green card, such as through a family member already residing in the U.S., through a U.S. citizen fiancée, through employment, as an investor, or as an asylum seeker or refugee.

U.S. Immigration Made Easy also explains the visa process and the various types of visas available to non-immigrants and those looking to remain temporarily in the country. This edition also contains new information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and its eligibility requirements.

If you want to know more about U.S. immigration laws for yourself or you are a new attorney or paralegal who wants to learn more about an unfamiliar area of law, take a look at U.S. Immigration Made Easy.

Thurgood Marshall Exhibits Available During National African American History Month 2016

Justice Thurgood Marshall was one of America’s most accomplished and important jurists. As an attorney, he argued more cases before the U.S. Supreme Court than anyone before or since. A powerful and successful advocate, he prevailed in 29 of his 32 cases before the Court, including the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the “separate but equal” doctrine was declared “inherently unequal.” In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the bench as a judge for the U.S. Second Court of Appeals. Four years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Marshall to serve as U.S. Solicitor General. In 1967, Johnson turned to Marshall again, this time appointing him to the U.S. Supreme Court where Marshall served as an associate justice for the next 24 years.

In his January 29, 2016 Proclamation, President Obama proclaimed February 2016 to be National African American History Month and charged librarians “to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.” The staff at the Harris County Law Library can think of no more appropriate activity than to honor perhaps the most influential African American lawyer in U.S. history and the first African American to rise to the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court— Justice Thurgood Marshall. This month, visit the Law Library’s downtown location to view an exhibit celebrating Justice Marshall’s legal career and accomplishments. You can also visit our website to view the accompanying digital exhibit featuring links to resources about Justice Marshall’s life and legacy.