Ever wondered how the U.S. Constitution differs from that of China? of France? Or would you be interested to read the the most recent constitutions of nations such as Iraq or Afghanistan? HeinOnline’s World Constitutions Illustrated collection provides access to  constitutional documents from every country worldwide, from Afghanistan all the way to Zimbabwe. These resources are available to browse by either country or document type, and Hein continues to grow the collection through contribution.  One is able to research not only current documents, but historical items as well: including the constitutions of former governments.

In addition to the value such a resource has for both current and historical research, it is also interesting to see what is considered truly important by a society as embodied in that nation’s governing documents. Such may be seen in the preambles to the various constitutions: that of Germany describes the unity of its people, that of Turkey appeals to past leadership as a model for present action, and that of the former USSR extolled its achievement of a socialist society. One may find interesting provisions within the text of the constitutions as well, such as Japan’s Article 9 (which denounces warfare and the maintenance of a conventional military).

This collection also includes other important, influential, or noteworthy government documents; for example, the Ukrainian materials include that nation’s Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union in August of 1991.

To access the World Constitutions Illustrated collection in Hein, click here, select HeinOnline under “Legal Search Engines Research,” and select the collection from the list to your left. Happy Researching!

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive, the U.S. International Trade Library, the Children’s Law Journal, the Intellectual Property Law Collection, the State Attorney General Reports and Opinions, and the American Indian Law Collection.

The “American Indian Law Collection” database on HeinOnline includes various resources on the subject of American Indian Law throughout history, going as far back as 1678.  Many of the materials included in the database are from the 19^th century, and relatively few of them are more recent than the 1970’s.  The resources include not only legislative and constitutional materials, but also textbooks, journal articles, and narrative accounts of specific individuals or specific events, such as American Indians and their part in the Civil War.  There are also suggested reading lists and bibliographies.  The topics covered are extensive, and do not focus on any one particular group, but rather encompass a great many tribes and nations from around the country.  There are even some resources written in Cherokee.  The collection is comprehensive, and there are various browsing options which make it easy to navigate.  The user can search the collection by type of material, and within that, by title or author.

To access the American Indian Law Collection, go to http://www.law.sc.edu/library/limited_access/ and select HeinOnline.

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive, the U.S. International Trade Library, the Children’s Law Journal, the State Attorney General Reports and Opinions collection, and the Intellectual Property Law Collection.

For more coverage on the case and links to related documents, check out SCOTUSblog’s coverage.

This seventh installment continues our series on HeinOnline’s digital collections.

The reports and attorney general opinions for each state (as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) are available in this collection offered by HeinOnline, dating back to at least 1990.  For South Carolina, coverage currently includes the years 1978-1994 and 2004-2013, however many states’ attorney general reports and opinions are available back to inception. HeinOnline intends to continue updating this database until all the reports and opinions of all 50 states are available back to inception.  Also included is access to the Official Opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States (1791-1982) and the Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice (1977-2000).

Attorneys General render requested legal advice, conclusions, and recommendations regarding specific questions of law presented by public officials, frequently the executive branch.  While these are advisory opinions and not mandatory orders, the opinions can carry considerable weight.  They may provide interpretation of a statute and, as a persuasive authority in judicial matters, often have significant impact on the courts in their deliberations.

The database features full-text searching, as well as the ability to search by opinion number.  Users can also browse by state and by year.

To access the State Attorney General Reports and Opinions, go to http://www.law.sc.edu/library/limited_access/ and select HeinOnline.

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive, the U.S. International Trade Library, the Children’s Law Journal, and the Intellectual Property Law Collection.

On Monday, a motion was filed by the ACLU’s DC affiliate and the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School, requesting that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that required Verizon to turn over information about phone calls between the U.S. and foreign countries provide a statutory basis for its decision.  On Monday, the first private suit challenging the surveillance was also filed.

HeinOnline’s Intellectual Property Collection contains numerous current and historical resources for students and researchers alike, including books, periodicals, scholarly articles and government documents. These materials are conveniently organized and easily navigated by means of a menu near the top of the page:

Hein has also provided access to relevant US Code sections and to the CFR, representing not only the current statutes and regulations but encompassing the US Code as far back as 1925 and CFR Title 37 to its 1938 issue.

Looking for patents? The collection includes the USPTO’s Index of Patents (1920-2002) and the August 2012 update to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. Researching trademarks?  The 8th edition of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (October 2011) is available alongside Hein’s other resources. Interested in copyright? This collection includes the Copyright Office Bulletin (coverage from 1789-1985) as well as many scholarly articles discussing such issues as copyright’s interaction with the First Amendment.

Hein also provides a section of legislative histories for further understanding of the field, sorted by publication title, public law number, and popular name. Here you can find information on not only the Patent, Copyright, and Trademark Registration Acts, but also many of the amendments and related acts that have influenced Intellectual Property Law.

To access the Intellectual Property Law Collection in Hein, click here, select HeinOnline under “Legal Search Engines Research,” and select the collection from the list to your left. Happy Researching!

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive, the U.S. International Trade Library, and the Children’s Law Journal.

HeinOnline includes a database on the Children’s Law Journal, and this database is a valuable resource featuring journal articles on a wide variety of topics as they relate to children.  The content is limited to articles from the Children’s Law Journal; they are arranged chronologically and include issues of the Journal from 1979-2012.  The articles cover issues relating to autism; the juvenile justice system; children and the LGBT community, especially children with parents who are a part of the community; Miranda rights as related to children; and legislative materials dealing with children’s issues, among many others.

Since the database is easily browsed chronologically, it would be very useful for chronicling developments and changes in various children’s legal issues since 1979.  Given the wide array of issues discussed, the database would likely prove useful for people doing research on any number of topics, not only specifically children’s legal issues.

To access the Children’s Law Journal database, go to http://www.law.sc.edu/library/limited_access/ and select HeinOnline.

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive, and the U.S. International Trade Library.

The U.S. International Trade Library, provided by HeinOnline, is an excellent resource for anyone researching commerce and exchange of goods and services between the U.S. and other nations.  The database includes over 1.5 million pages worth of content, including a United States International Trade Commission Publications Archive going back to 1961, which can be browsed by category.  This archive also contains extensive materials regarding Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which may be very helpful to anyone searching for information regarding unfair competition and international intellectual property rights.

The database also includes C.F.R. and U.S. Code Sections 15 & 19, numerous scholarly articles and publications, and legislative histories regarding all major pieces of legislation concerning international trade, going back to the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909.

To access the U.S. International Trade Library, go to http://www.law.sc.edu/library/limited_access/ and select HeinOnline.

To read up on other HeinOnline digital collections, see our coverage of the Congress and the Courts collection, the History of Supreme Court Nominations collection, and the Session Laws Library/State Statutes: A Historical Archive.