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”)

National Museum of African American History & Culture

Library of Congress Exhibitions

The Law of Impeachment - an on-demand CLE from the Harris County Law Library

Stream the latest on-demand CLE from the Harris County Law Library now! Visit the Law Library’s digital exhibit on The Law of Impeachment to hear attorney and author Barbara Radnofsky discuss her research for her book, A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment.

This non-partisan look at the law and history of impeachment is accredited by the State Bar of Texas for 1.0 hour CLE credit through January 31, 2021. CLE credit is sponsored by the Office of Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney, and the video is distributed to all by the Law Library.

The Law of Impeachment - the exhibit

To add to your learning experience, explore the Law Library’s digital exhibit or visit the Law Library to view rare books about impeachment, including original printings of the proceedings of impeachment for U.S. President Andrew Johnson and Texas Governor James “Pa” Ferguson.

Latest & Greatest – The Constitutional and Legal Rights of Women

By Leslie F. Goldstein, Judith A. Baer, Courtenay W. Daum, & Terri Susan Fine

Published by West Academic Publishing

KF 4758 .A7 G66 2019

Photo Credit: Jessica King

On August 26, 1920, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment was certified, and women were assured the right to vote. The passage of this amendment marked the culmination of a women’s rights movement that began nearly a century before with the abolitionist movement. The feminist movement really gained traction with the Women’s Rights Convention in 1848, twenty years before the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is in this era that The Constitutional and Legal Rights of Women begins its analysis of the evolution of women’s rights and the judicial doctrines that shape the laws affecting women.

From the first case challenging a sex-based classification (Bradwell v. Illinois) to a 2017 case challenging different residency requirements for conferring citizenship (Sessions v. Morales-Santana), the authors examine women’s quest for constitutional equality. They discuss the constitutional and legal rights afforded women in the workplace and look at issues such as Title VII and gender discrimination, equal pay, and the worker as mother. How the courts have handled a women’s right to reproductive freedom provides the backdrop for an enlightening discussion on the evolution of the right to privacy, a right not specifically enumerated in the Constitution but which forms the basis of many freedoms that the Supreme Court has inferred from the spirit of the law, including the right to contraception and the right to abortions. In the same vein as a woman’s right to reproductive freedom is an individual’s right to marry the person of his/her choice, regardless of sex or gender. Both are extensions of the implied right to privacy.

Another area in which women were traditionally denied rights was that of education. Here, the authors talk about Title IX and its application to educational equality and how it relates to sexual harassment, retaliation, and gender identity.

The authors round out the book with a discussion of women and crime. This section is not a discussion of the Roxies and Velmas, who entertained us from their cell blocks in Chicago the Musical but rather the focus is upon sex bias and how crimes are defined and prosecuted. From spousal abuse and marital rape to the Violence Against Women Act, the authors look at how the laws have changed as a result of feminist efforts.

As we approach the centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, it is a good idea to look back and see how women have gotten to where they are today and how much further they have to go.

Latest & Greatest – Human Trafficking: A Systemwide Public Safety and Community Approach

By Jeffrey W. Goltz, Roberto H. Potter, Joseph A. Cocchiarella, and Michael T. Gibson

Published by West Academic Publishing

KF HQ 281 .H828 2017

Photo credit: Jessica King

Continuing with the Law Library’s recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month, we would like to focus on one of our most recent acquisitions. A Florida crime summit highlighting human trafficking provided the motivation for Human Trafficking: A Systemwide Public Safety and Community Approach, a book that strives to analyze all aspects of the response to the crime of human trafficking from the points of view of those in the public justice system and demonstrate a systematic approach to human trafficking. Authors include law enforcement officers, social service and medical professionals, prosecutors, judges, and educators. Designed as an educational tool, each chapter of this book begins with a discussion of a particular topic and ends with a list of references and chapter learning objectives. The conclusion of each chapter also leads the reader to the next chapter and provides a hint of what will be discussed in the following section. 

The book begins with an explanation of what human trafficking is and a description of who the traffickers, facilitators, and victims are. It stresses the need for awareness and education for law enforcement officers, especially training that identifies the common characteristics of the victims of human trafficking. The subsequent chapter addresses the investigation of human trafficking, including investigative methods and techniques and the task force approach. 

From a social services perspective, the book explains the role of social services in managing and fostering the victims of human trafficking, including rescue, recovery, and reintegration. Another important aspect in assisting victims is the professional’s need for understanding trauma and its effects on the victim. This trauma-informed approach is discussed at length in Chapter 3. From a medical standpoint, the book uses the “Sequential Intercept Model” as a guide to explaining the roles that health care professionals play in the criminal justice system in general. The authors then focus on the first intercept, “best clinical practices,” to explain the health care professional’s role in identifying victims of human trafficking. 

From a legal point of view, Human Trafficking: A Systemwide Public Safety and Community Approach provides an extensive discussion of the prosecution of human trafficking and some of the challenges faced by prosecutors in these cases. Also, the book talks about the role that the judiciary can play in the intervention for victims of human trafficking and offers some suggestions for establishing a human trafficking court project. 

Human Trafficking: A Systemwide Public Safety and Community Approach clearly demonstrates the need for local agencies from every sector to collaborate in their response to human trafficking, not only in terms of prevention but also in the care and treatment of its victims.