Resources on Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel

On December 6, 2017, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and instructed the State Department to develop a plan to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On December 21, 2017, two weeks later, the United Nations voted 128-9 (with 35 abstentions) to demand that the US rescind the declared move.

Oxford University Press has made available a number of free resources explaining the legal and historical background of the issue and providing an account of the governing law.

Pizza Survey Results Delivered- 2017 First Week Pizza Survey Results

For the eleventh consecutive year, the Mendik Library surveyed 1Ls during First Week about some of their digital inclinations. For the complete survey results (along with the questions) and how they compare to results over the past ten years, here.

Spoiler alert—pepperoni once again repeated as the most popular pizza topping, this time based on the preferences of 347 members of the classes of 2020/21. These students also responded to questions about:

• their preferred platforms for electronic communication;
• their usage of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, Blogs & Podcasts;

• the digital devices they owned and used, including Macs v. PCs, Smartphones, Tablets and E-Book Readers.

Here are some of the highlights:

Communication

• Email remained decidedly less preferred as a means of electronic communication, with only 19% of the class preferring it over text messaging (72%). Social media apps were the preferred means of electronic communication for just 9%.

Social Media

• For the first time in ten years, Facebook is no longer the dominant social networking platform for these students. Instagram was the choice of 36%, up from last year’s 27% figure. Only 29% of this class labeled Facebook as the social networking platform they used most often.

• Snapchat also continued to gain ground over Facebook, increasing from 15% in 2016 to 18% this year.

Preferred Devices

• Continuing the previous ten-year trend, the popularity of Mac laptops versus PC laptops increased to 73%, up from last year’s figure of 68%.

• Ownership of iPhones increased to 86% of the class, with 14% owning Android phones.

E-Books

• Students are taking advantage of e-books using a variety of devices, though the large majority (79%) have done so on a computer (desktop or laptop), nearly twice as many as those using iPads (43%) and nearly four times as many as those using Kindles (20%). Only 10% of respondents indicated they had not read or viewed any e-books.

• Perhaps most significantly, students continue to manifest an aversion to the use of e-books for classes. Asked whether they had used an e-textbook for classes, only 41% said yes, a steep decline from last year’s 58% figure.

• When those who had used an e-textbook were asked if they preferred it to a print textbook, 86% said “no,” a slight increase over last year’s 85% figure.

Pizza

• Pepperoni continues to reign supreme as students’ favorite pizza topping, pulling in 29% of the vote, up from last year’s 22% number. The only other toppings in double figures were Extra Cheese at 17% and Mushrooms at 12%.

Exam Prep Help!

The Library wants to help!! Here are three important tips as you prepare for upcoming exams:

• Visit the Library’s Exam Preparation Resources page for lots of sources containing practical advice and strategies.

• Visit our archive of previous years’ exams, organized by course name and professor, found under Student Resources on the NYLS Portal.

• Try some CALI lessons, interactive tutorials covering almost all law school subjects. CALI also offers a variety of lessons and podcasts with exam tips and advice from faculty, including Top 10 Tips for Successfully Writing a Law School Essay and Tips for Multiple Choice Exams in Law School. If you haven’t registered for CALI, contact the Reference Desk (reference@nyls.edu) for the access code or pick up a CALI card at the Reference Desk.

CALI also wants to help you “tune out the noise,” with their complimentary earplugs. Grab a pair (a pair) at the Reference Desk.

Attention 1Ls: A Westlaw Scholarship opportunity awaits!

From now until November 19th, 1Ls have the opportunity to enter into Westlaw’s “Ready to Go Pro?” Sweepstakes. To enter the sweepstakes, complete the short interactive eLearning modules and/or the “Ready to Go Pro?” Challenge. See the official rules for details.

Sweepstakes prizes include:

Grand Prize: Five (5) – $5,000 scholarships

First Prize: Ten (10) – $500 scholarships

Weekly Prizes: Each week Westlaw will award 15 winners with a $120 Spotify e-gift card (one year subscription)

To enter:

  1. Go to lawschool.westlaw.com
  2. Click on the blue “Take the Challenge” button under Are you “Ready to go pro?” OR select “Training Tools” and then select “Ready to Go Pro Sweepstakes”

 

Good luck!

The Haunted Halloween Info Hunt is Back!

Happy Halloween from the Mendik Library!

As an early Halloween Treat, here’s your opportunity to WIN one of more than a dozen great study aids, texts, NYLS swag, Starbucks gift cards, and many other prizes! Just answer any 3 of the 6 Haunted Halloween Info Hunt questions. Your answer doesn’t need to be perfect—just close!

Click here to access the questions.  Each slide includes just one question, along with step-by-step instructions to get you to the answer.

Print this PDF answer sheet (or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk) and drop it in our Reference Desk Raffle Drum by 3 pm on Tuesday, October 31 and then join us outside the library at 5:30 pm for some treats and the prize drawing at 5:45.

First Monday in October

We are nearing the end of September and that means the new Supreme Court term is right around the corner!  Every year, the first Monday in October marks the beginning of a new term.  This year’s term begins on Monday, October 2.

As of now, the Court has agreed to hear 32 cases.  Justices will hear arguments on several important issues including partisan gerrymandering, immigration, and marriage equality and religious freedom.

Some cases of note include Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project and Trump v. Hawaii, both of which involve challenges to President Trump’s controversial Executive Order suspending for 90 days entry into the United States by foreign nationals from specific countries.  Carpenter v. U.S. asks whether a warrantless search and seizure of cellphone records is a violation of the Fourth Amendment.  Finally, in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission the justices will decide between a same-sex couples’ right, under a state anti-discrimination law, to obtain a custom wedding cake to celebrate their marriage and the constitutional rights of a small business owner who refused to create the cake because of religious beliefs.

You can find more information on the upcoming Supreme Court term  at HeinOnline’s Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases, SCOTUS Blog and Supreme Podcast.  You can also listen to oral arguments at the Supreme Court’s website and find the parties’ briefs at the ABA’s Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases.

Happy Constitution Day!

Constitution Day (officially observed this year on September 18) commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787.  On this date, after fewer than one hundred working days, thirty-nine of the Philadelphia Convention’s delegates signed the Constitution, the longest surviving written charter of government.

Of the three delegates from New York, only Alexander Hamilton participated through to the end and affixed his name.  The other New York delegates, John Lansing, Jr. and Robert Yates, left after six weeks because they opposed the movement to consolidate the United States into one government.

The original Constitution is held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. but you can pick up your own pocket-copy at the library’s reference desk!

Got Food? (Or Drink?)

Did you know the Mendik Library has a very liberal food and drink policy?  To help maintain it, we need everyone’s cooperation.  Drinks are permitted only in spill-proof containers (e.g., bottles with caps, commuter mugs or tumblers with secure lids, etc.)  Spill-proof NYLS mugs are always available at the circulation desk for $5.00.

Library staff have been lenient for the first few weeks of school, but that is about to end.  Please cooperate for the benefit of everyone.  Thanks.

Interested in Presidential Power?

In conjunction with a course on presidential power at the University of Washington School of Law last year, the Gallagher Law Library created a large and growing resource guide filled with links, readings, videos, podcasts and much more all focused on the presidency and presidential power and the relationship with other branches of government.  You’ll find official documents as they become available and plenty of background material to keep you in the know.