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Jenkins Blog

Legal Dictionaries
November 12, 2019

Understanding the Editions of the Oxford English Dictionary, Part 1

The Oxford English Dictionary is perhaps one of the most recognized dictionaries in the world. With past and present definitions of over 600,000 words, the OED touts itself as a "historical dictionary" that includes not only the current definition of a word, but also its history. According to the...
HeinOnline
November 7, 2019

New on HeinOnline: State Constitutions Illustrated

HeinOnline has added a new database on state constitutions to its vast collection of content. Edited by Jefri Jay Ruchti, the newly released State Constitutions Illustrated database comprises nearly 9,000 current and historical constitutions, including the text of every constitution that has been...
Historical
October 31, 2019

The Witch Trial of Margaret Matson

In February 1684, eight years before the infamous Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts, a Swedish woman named Margaret Matson was brought to trial in Philadelphia. Accused of practicing witchcraft, she was tried before a jury of 12 men that was presided over by Governor William Penn and the...
Jury Practice & Instructions
October 29, 2019

Resources on Federal Grand Jury Practice

Practice in front of a federal grand jury can be an intimidating process. Jenkins has two publications to help you prepare: Federal Grand Jury: A Guide to Law and Practice and Representation of Witnesses before Federal Grand Juries . Federal Grand Jury: A Guide to Law and Practice , available in...
Family Law
October 24, 2019

New Divorce Forms

On October 1, 2019, an order amending Chapter 1920 (Actions of Divorce or For Annulment of Marriage) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect. As part of this amendment, several new forms related to divorce were created and others changed. If you are a self represented litigant...
American Bar Association (ABA)
October 21, 2019

2019 National Celebration of Pro Bono

This year, the legal community is celebrating Pro Bono week from October 20th - 26th. Started in 2009 to meet the increasing need for such services during harsh economic times, the National Celebration of Pro Bono highlights the work of lawyers, paralegals, and law students who volunteer their...
Historical
October 15, 2019
William Penn Statute

William Penn and Pennsylvania's Founding Documents

William Penn , the founder of Pennsylvania and advocate of religious freedom, was born October 14, 1644*, 375 years ago. It was his influence that set the framework for not only Pennsylvania's Constitution, but also the U.S. Constitution. For researchers interested in exploring this connection,...
Court Records & Briefs
October 8, 2019

Databases Unique to Jenkins

As a Jenkins Law Library member, you gain access to content that is uniquely valuable to Pennsylvania legal researchers. Our collection contains many hard to find materials such as historic Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes, Pennsylvania records and briefs, Pennsylvania House and Senate Journals,...
Secondary Sources
October 3, 2019

Hornbook on Torts

Hornbook on Torts 2d by Dan B. Dobbs, Paul T. Hayden, and Ellen M. Bublick offers a one volume comprehensive introduction to tort law. It addresses standard topics related to torts and covers evolving areas of the law, such as duty to protect third persons from harm and apportionment of liability...
Legislative History
October 1, 2019

New Look to ProQuest Congressional's "Search by Number" Feature

ProQuest Congressional enhanced its interface this summer, and its "Search by Number" feature has a new look. Search by Number is great to use when you have the citation of the document you are looking for. This feature can also be used when you are looking for documents that are related to a...