Looking Back: June 15 - Anniversary of Magna Carta

Magna Carta, 1297 from the U.S. National Archives Featured Documents Exhibit. Click for more information.

June 15 is the anniversary of the most iconic document in modern democracy - Magna Carta. The document originally served as a peace treaty between King John of England and rebellious barons who threatened civil war. When he attached his seal to the parchment, King John was likely unaware of the significance the document would attain in subsequent centuries as constitutional democracies replaced monarchies throughout the Western World.

The Founding Fathers' Magna Carta

By the time of the American Revolution, the reputation of Magna Carta as the physical embodiment of revolutionary ideas, including limiting government influence in personal affairs, was well established. America's founding fathers turned to the ancient document for inspiration and for justification as they encouraged fellow revolutionaries to form their own government.

Throughout the month of June, you can learn more about Magna Carta's influence on modern American and Texas Law at the Harris County Law Library with exhibits that highlight the link between the iconic document and our modern constitutional rights. You even have the chance to read The Great Charter like a founding father when you visit our downtown Houston location to see the Law Library's 1763 copy of Magna Carta - the same edition owned by founding father John Adams during the American Revolution. For more learning opportunities, visit our digital exhibit - Magna Carta.

Magna Carta to Miranda - The Due Process link between Law Day themes

Don't you just love it when Law Day themes click?! Each year, the American Bar Association establishes a theme for Law Day, which is observed on May 1. This year's theme, which turned our attention to the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona, followed the 2015 Law theme celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. So, what do a medieval statute and a Warren Court decision separated by 751 years have in common? Simple - Due process.

The connection is extensively examined in a digital exhibit from the Law Library of Congress' titled Magna Carta: Muse & Mentor - Due Process of Law. Prior to June 15, 1215, Englishmen (and everyone else for that matter) had little protection from kings and noblemen hauling them away without cause or trial. When King John placed his seal on Magna Carta, chapter 39 of the document provided that:

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.

Subsequent English statutes interpreted the phrase "the law of the land" to include procedural safeguards that protect individual rights. One such statute enacted in 1354 added the phrase "due process of law" to the English legal vernacular to describe this collection of procedural rights. The phrase continued in use and found its way into the U.S. Constitution via the Fifth Amendment. By the time Miranda v. Arizona was decided in 1966, the privilege against self-incrimination was a well-established tenet of American jurisprudence and the Court prohibited use of such statements without a showing of the use of procedural safeguards like the warnings that became known as Miranda Warnings.

For more on the Due Process connection from Magna Carta to Miranda v. Arizona, visit the Law Library of Congress digital exhibit Magna Carta: Muse & Mentor. You can also visit the Harris County Law Library's Law Day digital exhibits Magna Carta and Miranda: More than words to discover more about these landmark legal resources. Be sure to also visit the Law Library's lobby to view our 1763 copy of Magna Carta on display during the month of June.

Monthly Features: Magna Carta & Constitutional Law Resources at the HCLL

During the month of June, the Harris County Law Library is commemorating Magna Carta. Don’t miss our digital exhibit and the exhibit currently on display in the Law Library's lobby, where you can explore the origins of this historically-significant document and its impact on both the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as well as its influence on the rule of law in Texas.

To complement our Magna Carta exhibits, the Law Library has adopted a theme, Constitutional Law Resource Month, which will feature items from our collection, including treatises, reference works, CLE course materials, form books, and other practitioner tools that may be useful in conducting constitutional law research.

The Law Library will also feature a small display of commentaries and related examples of case law that demonstrate the connections between Magna Carta and American law. All of these resources and exhibits will be featured until the end of June. Don’t miss your chance to see them, and please feel free to ask the Law Library staff any questions about the materials you discover.

Miranda Monday: Online Resources

Much has been written on the Internet about the case at the heart of this year's Law Day theme - Miranda v. Arizona - but what can you believe? Well, that's up to you, but here are some reliable places to look to get you started:

• Law Day 2016: Miranda More Than Words: Law Day information page from the American Bar Association containing a variety of Miranda-related educational resources and Law Day programming.

• Facts and Case Summary - Miranda v. Arizona: A concise explanation of the case with links to related materials from the U.S. Courts.

• The Papers of Justice Tom C. Clark: 5th Amendment - Miranda v. Arizona, 1966: Brief case explanation with links to reproductions of U.S. Supreme Court documents from the case.

• Miranda v. Arizona: Case page from Chicago-Kent College of Law Oyez project containing case information, summaries, and recordings of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court.

For even more about this landmark case, visit the Harris County Law Library's digital exhibit featuring facts and photos regarding Miranda v. Arizona.

Women's History Month Digital Exhibit

Today is the last day of Women's History Month for 2016. All this month, we have had an exhibit featuring Camille E.S. Openshaw - a pioneering Houston attorney - on display in our lobby in downtown Houston. If you missed the exhibit in person, don't panic - you can visit our digital exhibit anytime you like. Just hop over to our Digital Exhibits page to discover photos and anecdotes from all of our recent exhibits.

And visit the Law Library on Friday, April 1, to discover a brand new exhibit on display - despite the opening date, we're not trying to fool you - there really will be great exhibit waiting for you!