Same DNA but Born this Way: A Look Back at Transgender History

Fastcase, Law Journal Library, LGBTQ, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents, United Nations
Lauren Mattiuzzo

Although to many the term transgender seems relatively new, its roots can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Verbiage and categorizations have changed over time and vary in different cultures. This Pride month, we’ll take a look at the history of transgender people and how they are impacted by law today.

What Is Transgender?

Transgender is a term for people who have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned to at birth. Even though some people identify as the sex opposite the one they were born with…

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8 Forgotten Stories from American History

American History, State Constitutions Illustrated, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, U.S. Presidential Library, U.S. Supreme Court
Tara Kibler

It’s easy to recall some of U.S. history’s most notable events, such as World War I, the fight for civil rights, or the moon landing. If you’re a history buff, you probably are well aware of moments like the Chernobyl disaster, FDR’s New Deal, or the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution.

American history is brimming with lesser-known—but still fascinating—phenomena that even the most diligent historian may have forgotten. Keep reading to explore a few of these stories with HeinOnline.

1. Franklin: The Almost 14th State

At the close of the American Revolution…

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All Dogs Go to Heaven, but Not All Go Shopping at Target: Exploring Service Animals

Animal Law, Federal Register, Law Journal Library, Statutes at Large, U.S. Code
Stephanie Ruesch

Happiness is a warm puppy, according to Peanuts creator Charles Schultz. But for many people, dogs are more than a source of happiness, companionship, and love: they are vital lifelines to the outside world. Service animals, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, and seizure response dogs, are defined by Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but animals have performed these functions long before being codified in the Act. Since the formal introduction of guide dogs into American life in the 1930s, the public at large has become accustomed to seeing harnessed and vest-wearing dogs out in public spaces with their handlers, whether it be the traditional guide dog to “new” emotional support animals…

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Crime of the Century: The Kidnapping of Peter Weinberger

History of Capital Punishment, Law Journal Library, Statutes at Large, U.S. Supreme Court, World Trials
Stephanie Ruesch

It was an unremarkable Independence Day in equally unremarkable Westbury, New York, a sleepy suburban village of approximately 15,000 souls in Long Island’s Nassau County. Westbury was a community prototypical of the post-war boom, a quiet place where everyone knew their neighbors, children played safely outside, and no one locked their doors at night. On that afternoon in 1956, Betty Weinberger sat on the patio of her modest ranch-style home with her one-month-old son, Peter, enjoying the summer air. She placed her sleeping son in his carriage on the patio and briefly stepped inside the house. But when she returned just a few minutes later, Peter was gone. Panicked and bewildered…

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A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down: A Brief History of Compulsory Vaccination

COVID-19, Exploring HeinOnline, Government Documents, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Medicine, State Reports: A Historical Archive, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents, U.S. Supreme Court
Stephanie Ruesch

Vaccination efforts against COVID-19 are underway across the world. In the United States, two vaccines have been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use, one developed by Moderna and one by Pfizer-BioNTech. Limitations on the amount of available doses have led the Centers for Disease Control to provide recommendations on who should be vaccinated first, but eventually the general public will be able to receive the vaccine. Its widespread availability will naturally lead to questions for both the public and for policy makers on whether vaccination against COVID-19 will be a requirement to board a plane, return to school, attend a concert…

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The Elephant in the Room: Animal Welfare in the United States

Animal Law, Law Journal Library, Session Laws, Statutes at Large, The Environment, U.S. Congressional Documents
Tara Kibler

In 1948, the United Nations declared that freedom, justice, and peace rely on a respect for human rights. A few decades later, a global campaign surfaced, advocating that this respect be extended to other animals, as well. This fight for animal rights stems from the idea that, as sentient beings, animals are entitled to the consideration and protection that has been afforded to humans, particularly the right to avoid suffering.

Advocates for animal rights consider anything less than this basic protection to be speciesism, a prejudice as irrational as that of racism or sexism. Critics, however, argue that humans are fundamentally different from nonhuman animals—only humans have developed moral systems, possess self-awareness and purpose…

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Poison on the Shelves: Federal Product Tampering Laws and the Chicago Tylenol Murders

Exploring HeinOnline, Federal Register, Food and Drug Law, Law Journal Library, Medicine, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents
Stephanie Ruesch

The holidays are fast approaching. Whether you’re gathering in-person with family or carving individual ham steaks over Zoom, preparations still need to be made, bringing along the usual hassle, chaos, and stress that come from trying to accommodate everyone’s schedules, prepare a meal, and decide whether it’s okay to mute Uncle Jim when he starts talking politics. All this family togetherness can bring on a headache, and you may reach for your trusty bottle of Holiday Acetaminophen™ to provide some relief. This relief is only obtainable after you rip off the plastic wrapper around the bottle’s neck, battle open the child-proof cap, peel off the inner foil safety seal, peel off the little bits of the seal you didn’t get off the first time…

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Marbury v. Madison: The Most Important Decision in American Constitutional Law

History of Supreme Court Nominations, Law, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Statutes at Large, Treaties and Agreements Library, U.S. Presidential Library, U.S. Supreme Court, World Constitutions Illustrated
Tara Kibler

This past Tuesday, the Affordable Care Act returned to the Supreme Court for the third time. Opponents argue that the health insurance mandate included in the legislation is unconstitutional, and that the entire act should therefore be struck down.

You may be wondering, from where does the Supreme Court derive this power? To discover the answer, travel with HeinOnline back to the turn of the nineteenth century.

The Election of 1800

This story starts with a presidential election, which, we have to say, is a much more enjoyable phenomenon to look back on than to experience. The main candidates were incumbent President John Adams—a Federalist favoring strong central government—and Vice President Thomas Jefferson…

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Where the Wild Things Are: Hunting Regulations

Exploring HeinOnline, Government Documents, Law Journal Library, Legal Classics, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Documents, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, U.S. Presidential Library
Stephanie Ruesch

Fall’s arrival brings a chill to the air, changing colors to the leaves, and pumpkin spice flavoring to more products than necessary. But for many people, fall’s arrival also brings on an acute case of buck fever, alleviated only by long hours in a tree stand, or for others the urge to sit near the water in a duck blind with a bird call in hand, waiting for a fast-flying fowl. For these outdoorsmen and women, the change in weather means the start of the much-anticipated fall hunting season.

Hunting in America is primarily regulated at the state level, with additional regulations coming from federal laws that protect endangered species and migratory birds…

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10 Things You Didn’t Know About the “First Lady of the World”

American History, Reports of U.S. Presidential Commissions, Statutes at Large, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, U.S. Presidential Library, United Nations, Women and the Law, Women's Studies
Tara Kibler

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is well-known for her role as First Lady to the longest-sitting president in American history. In reality, she was much more than that, demonstrating throughout her life that she was also, among many things, an accomplished businesswoman, a passionate civil rights activist, and a skillful diplomat.

This past Sunday would have been Eleanor Roosevelt’s 136th birthday. Join HeinOnline in exploring ten lesser-known facts about the unforgettable “First Lady of the World” with the following databases:

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