These are some of the most bothersome issues that can interrupt your studying and concentration in the Library. The Librarians can help to resolve them but we have to know they exist. Please contact the reference or circulation desk in person on L1, or email reference@nyls.edu or circulation@nyls.edu with details. We want to make sure that your Library time is as productive and stress-free as possible. If it annoys you, it concerns us.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the library will be closed on Monday January 19, and will reopen on Tuesday January 20 at 8:00 a.m.
Welcome back! Below are the library’s hours of operation for the spring semester. In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the library will be closed on Monday, January 19, and will reopen on Tuesday, January 20, at 8:00 a.m.
Below are the hours of operation for the Intersession period and the 2026 Spring Semester. This is a friendly reminder that the Library will be closed on Wednesday 12/24 -Thursday 12/25, Saturday 12/27 – Sunday 12/28, Wednesday 12/31 -Thursday 1/1, and Saturday 1/3 – Sunday 1/4. Happy Holidays from everyone here at the Mendik Library!
Intersession: Friday December 19, 2025-Sunday January 11, 2026
Spring Semester: Monday January 12, 2026-Friday March 13, 2026
Below are the library hours of operation for Thanksgiving break and the upcoming exam study period. In observance of Thanksgiving, the library will be closed on Thursday November 27 and will reopen on Friday November 28 at 12:00 p.m. Have a great holiday break and good luck as you prepare for exams!
BOO!!
As a pre-Halloween treat, here is your opportunity to WIN great prizes, such as study aids, law dictionaries, Bluebooks, Starbucks gift cards, Westlaw fleece blankets, Lexis points, coffee tumblers and much more! Just answer 6 out of 7 Haunted Halloween Info Hunt questions. Your answers don’t need to be perfect—just close!
Copies of the info hunt questions will be available at the Reference Desk or available to print, just click here. You can also click here to participate online. Once you have completed the printed copy of the questionnaire, you can drop it inside the brass Raffle Drum that will also be located at the Reference Desk. The last day for submissions will be Thursday October 30 at 12:00 p.m. The drawing of winning names will take place in front of the library, on the same day at 12:45 p.m. We can’t wait to see you there!
Happy Spook-tober! The Mendik Library is casting a spell known as our annual Halloween Info Hunt. You’ll have the chance to win great prizes and indulge in sweet treats! Just a few more days before the hunt begins. More chilling details to come.
The new Supreme Court term will begin this Monday, October 6, 2025.*
The Court has an active term ahead with cases surrounding the legality of the recent global tariffs, whether a New Jersey crisis pregnancy center can be investigated for deception, and whether a Colorado law banning “conversion therapy” violates therapists’ free speech.
You can learn more about the upcoming term at HeinOnline’s Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (be sure to create an alert!) or SCOTUS Blog (includes case summaries). You can also view the case briefs at the Supreme Court’s website (under CASE DOCUMENTS click the link for Docket Search and enter the docket number of the case you are interested in).
The Court will again be making available to the public live audio of the arguments. Click the ORAL ARGUMENTS link on the Supreme Court’s web site on the day of argument.
*The Supreme Court was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It was originally composed of a chief justice and five associate justices. President Washington nominated John Jay as the first chief justice along with five associate justices. All were confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 1789. The first Monday in October date was established by a 1916 act of congress and is now codified at 28 U.S.C. § 2.
Constitution and Citizenship Day, observed annually on September 17, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. On this day, we reflect on the foundational principles of American constitutional law and recognize the responsibilities of citizenship in a constitutional democracy.
Visit the Mendik Library and stop by the Reference Desk for a free pocket-sized U.S. Constitution (while supplies last).
Explore Related Resources:
As members of a legal academic community, Constitution and Citizenship Day invites us to revisit the text, context, and continued impact of the nation’s founding document. Whether you’re preparing for class discussions, teaching constitutional law, or exploring legal history, we encourage you to take a moment today to reflect on the enduring significance of the Constitution.
Thursday September 11, 2025 marks the twenty-fourth anniversary of 9/11 and is remembered as the day that horrific terrorist attacks on America claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
New York Law School sits just blocks away from what became known as ground zero, the site of the former World Trade Center’s “twin towers,” which collapsed after being struck by two hijacked jetliners.
In the weeks immediately following the attack, NYLS students, staff, and faculty—eyewitnesses all—were asked to put their thoughts about what they had experienced that day on paper. These essays and reflections were compiled and published as Eight Blocks Away: Memoirs of September 11, 2001.
A PDF of Eight Blocks Away is available on the NYLS Digital Commons. You may also access it for free here.