Delaware Campus Library Blogs

April is National Poetry Month. The law and poetry have more in common than you might think, maybe because lawyers have to be good writers. A few Widener faculty have published articles about poetry and the law. Mary Kate Kearney of the Harrisburg campus has written The Propriety of Poetry in Judicial Opinions, about the use of poetry by judges in their opinions. Another Harrisburg faculty member, Randy Lee, has written an article about Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen’s Hope and the Lawyer as Poet Advocate.

On the Delaware campus, Alan Garfield once published a humorous poem about Sherwood v. Walker, the famous contract case about a cow. For some reason, Sherwood v. Walker seems to spark the muse in many lawyers because there are a lot of poems inspired by that case. And even a song:

The Wall Street Journal has a story about Houston lawyer Mark Lanier. He’s playing a small part as himself in a new movie called ‘Puncture‘ that just had its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film is based on a true story of a drug addicted lawyer’s battle against a syringe manufacturer.

I can’t find any information on when the film will be released but sounds like it could be interesting.

Located at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center is a museum dedicated to the US Constitution. It has an interesting collection of interactive exhibits about the Constitution, a theatrical performance called “Freedom Rising,” and sculptures of all of the signers of the Constitution, including the delegates from Delaware.

The Constitution Center also presents changing exhibits. The current exhibit is “Spies, Traitor, Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America.”

ABA Journal has announced the winners of their 3rd annual Peeps in Law diorama contest. Top prize went to “Don’t Touch My Peeps, Man” a diorama featuring traveling Peeps and the TSA.  Interestingly, two of the finalists in the Washington Post “Peeps Show” contest also featured the TSA.

Photo by wolfrage

If you have a little spare time why not take a local legal history tour? The New Castle County Courthouse Museum located in historic New Castle, Delaware is one of the oldest surviving courthouses in America. It was built in 1732 and served as New Castle County’s Courthouse until 1881 when the courts moved to Wilmington. It also served the federal courts and was Delaware’s original state capital building.

The cupola of the New Castle County Courthouse was used as the center of the 12 mile circle that created Delaware’s unique circular northern border.

Probably the most famous trial held in the Courthouse was the 1848 trial of abolitionists Thomas Garrett and John Hunn on a charge of aiding fugitive slaves. They were found guilty and heavily fined, but both were undeterred and Garrett declared in court, “I say to thee and to all in this court room, that if anyone knows a fugitive who wants shelter send him to Thomas Garrett and he will befriend him.”

The Courthouse Museum has limited hours, so be sure to check before you go.

While you’re in New Castle you can also visit the George Read House, built by the son of George Read, attorney and signer of the US Constitution. The New Castle Common has a statue of William Penn holding a key, a turf and twig and a container of water. These are symbols used in the ancient common law ceremony of “livery of seisin” which was used to convey land.

I think we should get some of these shelves for the law library. Just the place to put the new Atlantic 3rd volumes.

James Daily and Ryan Davidson, two lawyers who also happen to be comic book fans, have started a blog called Law and the Multiverse. Fans of comics and superheroes will enjoy reading explorations of such questions as can superheroes legally arrest villains, the privacy rights of superheroes, and how would the government regulate the super drug featured in the new movie Limitless.