Live From DC, It’s Information Overload!

Ever since Washington, DC, shut down two months ago, I have been inundated with offers of free Zoom webinars and all sorts of interesting virtual meetings. I will attempt to point out some of the more relevant and interesting information that has come to me, with a focus on legal information sources and a bit of personal enrichment.

My friends at the Law Library of Congress have continued to update Congress.gov and provide legal research support through their Ask a Librarian service. The main Library of Congress webpage leads you to a treasure trove of digital resources including the World Digital Library. They are also continuing the National Book Festival Presents in an online only format. The most recent one features Jill Lepore discussing the current pandemic on May 21.

The Supreme Court of the US has also gone virtual. The Justices recently began doing telephonic oral arguments and the complete audio for the 2019 session is available on their website. One of the most striking changes is that the Chief Justice now controls the timing of the questioning and the Justices ask questions in the order of their seniority on the Court. Adam Feldman has analyzed these new arguments on Scotusblog. He found significant differences between the old format in person and the telephone format.

From the private sector, Fast case, the legal database company, is offering covid-19 webinars. They describe them as “a series of non-CLE approved webinars to learn more about the COVID-19 Pandemic and how it pertains to the legal and legal tech industries.”

For your personal pleasure here are a few resources to take your mind off the current pandemic. If you enjoy free access to a variety of books, videos and art works, check out Open Culture’s website. One of their links will take you to the British Museum’s 1.9 million works of art. And if you want more free access to books, movies, and music please explore the Internet Archive.

Finally, be kind to yourself and read the Greater Good’s Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus. Stay calm and wash your hands.