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Law Libraries' NewsLog > Categories
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11/17/2009
The Connecticut State Library has posted the full-text of legislative histories for selected landmark Connecticut legislation. These legislative histories can be found in the library’s Digital Collections. The links below are direct links to the histories. To download the full-text of each volume in PDF format, choose the “complete print version” from the “view” drop-down menu on the left side of the Digital Collections screen.
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An Act Concerning Revision and Codification of the Substantive Criminal Law, 1969 Public Act No. 828 — i.e. The Penal Code
Volume 1 ~ Volume 2 ~ Volume 3 ~ Volume 4
(“This is the act which compiled the criminal law of Connecticut into a Penal Code. The delayed effective date of 1971 permitted the legal community to study the new law. The Commission to Revise the Criminal Statutes revised and codified the substantive criminal law and did not address the problems of criminal procedure. This act codified the common law principles of criminal liability, created the new concept of an affirmative defense, and eliminated the common law right to forcefully resist arrest. The act established a system of five felonies and four misdemeanors with uniform penalties.”)
An Act Concerning Product Liability Actions, 1979 Public Act No. 483
("During the 1970's the rising price of product liability insurance was deemed to have created an unfavorable climate for manufacturing and commerce. The General Assembly sought to remedy this situation by codifying various common law approaches to product liability. The act also applied a single statute of limitations for all claims and simplified the types of defenses which would apply. Other changes included: (1) a provision for punitive damages and attorney fees in certain circumstances; (2) an all-encompassing comparative responsibility standard; (3) changes in the rights of plaintiffs and defendants with respect to provision of workers' compensation and compensation payments; (4) change in duty to warn; and (5) change in the law of indemnity and contribution.”)
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An Act Concerning the Death Penalty, 1995 Public Act No. 19
Volume 1 ~ Volume 2
(“This is the legislative history of the act which provides that the death sentence shall be imposed on a defendant in a capital felony case if the aggravating factor or factors outweigh the mitigating factor or factors. Previously the death penalty could not be imposed if there were at least one mitigating factor or no aggravating factors. Previously there was also no requirement to weigh the factors against each other. This act also eliminates ‘unusual and substantial duress’ as one of the five automatic bars to the death penalty and instead redefines ‘unusual and substantial duress’ as a mitigating factor.”) 9/16/2009
In anticipation of Constitution and Citizenship Day, here's a selection of links to quality source materials concerning the Federal Constitutional Convention and the debates in the states concerning the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Connecticut had three delegates at the Constitutional Convention.
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 to 1875
(Library of Congress: American Memory)
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Farrand's Records: The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“One of the great scholarly works of the early twentieth century was Max Farrand's The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Published in 1911, Farrand's work gathered the documentary records of the Constitutional Convention into four volumes--three of which are included in this online collection--containing the materials necessary to study the workings of the Constitutional Convention. According to Farrand's introduction, at the close of the convention, the secretary, William Jackson, delivered all the materials to the president of the convention, George Washington, who turned these papers over to the Department of State in 1796. In 1818, Congress ordered that the records be printed, which was done under the supervision of the Secretary of State John Q. Adams, in 1819.”
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Elliot's Debates: The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution
“The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution is a five-volume collection compiled by Jonathan Elliot in the mid-nineteenth century. The volumes remain the best source for materials about the national government's transitional period between the closing of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 and the opening of the First Federal Congress in March 1789. On September 17, 1787, the Continental Congress accepted the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention and agreed to distribute the proposed constitution to the states; each state was then to elect delegates to a state convention to approve or disapprove the new constitution. The Constitution would take effect upon ratification by the conventions of nine of the thirteen states.”
Useful links for further research:
9/17/2008Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day:
- From 36 USC 106 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day commemorate the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.
Below are links to Library of Congress Web pages for further research about the United States Constitution:
The U.S. Courts also have a Web page for Constitution Day:
4/1/2008
According to publisher Thomson/West, The History of the Connecticut Supreme Court by Wesley W. Horton gives "...a comprehensive history of the Connecticut Supreme Court, its justices, and their opinions since the beginning in 1784 and continuing to 2007. The book also provides a discussion of related topics, such as the creation of the Appellate Court in 1983 and the relevance of colonial Connecticut judicial history to judicial proceedings today." A summary of the contents of this softbound treatise is available here. This book is currently on order in several of our libraries.
3/14/2008
From the Colonies to Today: Over Three Centuries of Law and Lawyers in New Haven by legal historian Robert F. Cavanagh and the New Haven County Bar Association's Centennial Committee traces the earliest association of lawyers in New Haven back to 1786. The book contains historical illustrations and documents. The Legends of the Law sections contain short biographies and photos of famous Connecticut attorneys. |
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