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Jenkins Blog

Historical
June 23, 2022

Digitized Historical Newspaper Archives

If you’re looking for information in historical newspaper articles, there are a few digitized archives to keep in mind for your research. Free online resources like Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers , the Internet Archive’s Newspapers collection, and the Google News Archive are...
Caselaw & the Courts
May 19, 2022

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Celebrates its 300th Anniversary

Happy Birthday to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court! The Pennsylvania Supreme Court was established in 1722 through the Judiciary Act and is celebrating its 300th anniversary. This Court is not only the highest court in Pennsylvania, but also the oldest appellate court in the country. To commemorate...
Historical
March 10, 2022

Women on the Bench in Pennsylvania

March is National Women's History Month . In honor of this event, the Pennsylvania Courts have published an excellent infographic, Women on the Bench in Pennsylvania , that highlights the role of women in the Pennsylvania judiciary. It shows that 37% of the active judges in the state are women,...
Historical
February 3, 2022

Research the Career of Justice Stephen G. Breyer

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer recently announced that he would retire at the end of the 2021-22 term, after nearly 28 years of service on the Supreme Court. He was nominated to the court in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. Statements on Breyer’s retirement from current and retired...
Historical
November 18, 2021

Tribal, Federal, and State American Governments

When we think of the system of government in the United States, many of us typically think of the federal and the state governments. But tribal governments are also significant systems of law that have been integral to the formation of democracy in the U.S. throughout history and that govern...
Historical
September 16, 2021

U.S. Constitution Day and the Constitution Annotated Online

Today is Constitution Day, an annual observance held on September 17th to celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Jenkins had hoped to be able to celebrate this memorable day and the reopening of the library after the pandemic together with our members and friends with...
Historical
November 19, 2020
Native American Heritage Month logo

Researching Native American Heritage Month & Tribal Law

National Native American Heritage Month is observed and celebrated throughout the month of November. The genesis of this celebration dates back more than a century when advocates pushed for the recognition of "the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of...
Historical
March 3, 2020

Historical Philadelphia Building Code Research

Have a case where you need to find an older version of the Building Code for Philadelphia? We can help. The Philadelphia Code (hereafter referred to as the Code) was first published in 1956. The Building Code was codified at Title 4. At this time, a researcher only needed to consult Title 4 to see...
Historical
January 9, 2020

Works from 1924 Enter the Public Domain

This year, copyrighted works published in 1924 have entered the public domain after 95 years of copyright protection. In 2019, published works entered the public domain for the first time in decades after a 20 year lapse. Several amendments to federal copyright law throughout the 20th century...
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...