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State of Oregon Law Library Legal Research Blog

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10/24/2024
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

Witches and the pursuit of them were common in early modern Europe and the Americas. While witches are still prevalent in our culture today, they are often seen as a source of entertainment in movies, children's literature, and during Halloween celebrations. A timely topic for October is the historical relationship between witch trials and the law.

Witchcraft Acts
In the 1500s and 1600s, various laws were established across England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to control magic and witchcraft. Among these, England's three primary witchcraft acts had the most impact on additional regulations and history.

The Witchcraft Act of 1542 (33 Hen. VIII c. 8) was the first to define witchcraft and to criminalize it as a felony punishable by death without clergy or sanctuary. The Act was repealed after the death of Henry VIII in 1547 (1 Edw. VI, c12) and was not replaced until five years into Elizabeth I's reign.

In 1562, an Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcrafts (5 Eliz. 1. c. 16) reclassified witchcraft as a felony and shifted trials from church settings to secular courts. It also created penalties for first and second offenses that were less severe than death.

In 1604, The Witchcraft Act, officially titled "An Act Against Conjuration, Witchcraft, and Dealing with Evil and Wicked Spirits" (2 Jas. I c. 12), expanded the Act of 1562 by increasing the scope of crimes and expanding the death penalty punishment.  

 

Witch Trials
Most of what we know about England’s historic witch trials comes from records of the assize courts. The Assizes, or Courts of Assize, served as the foundation for civil and felony criminal cases in English counties until 1971. 

The book Witch Hunting and Witch Trials: The Indictments for Witchcraft from the Records of 1373 Assizes Held for the Home Circuit, 1559-1736 A.D., offers legal insight and a general historical examination of this time period. Some noteworthy sections include the names of convicted witches, jury instructions, jail rolls, and charging details by date within each monarch's reign.

The book is part of the Notable Trials Collection at the State of Oregon Law Library. This collection is not limited to European trials; it also features notable American cases. Among the collection is The American State Trials, a 17-volume set that includes The Trials of Bridget Bishop and George Burroughs. Bishop was the first person sentenced to death during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts, while Burroughs was the only Puritan minister to be executed

Trials Collection
The law library's Notable Trials Collection includes significant historical trials from Britain and France, the Nuremberg war crime tribunals, and important American trials spanning from the colonial period to the 1980s. This collection addresses a wide range of topics, including treason, sedition, land use disputes, murder and assassination, court-martials, Cold War espionage, art and obscenity, as well as both judicial and presidential impeachments.
 

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08/20/2024
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

 

August is National Make-A-Will Month, a yearly reminder about the benefits of creating or updating a will. While end-of-life issues may not be everyone's favorite topic, having a plan can help avoid family disputes and costly court proceedings.  The State of Oregon Law Library has several resources to help.

 

What is a will?

A will is a legal document that determines how your assets are divided upon death and who becomes the caretaker of any minor children. It also allows you to establish a personal representative or executor to carry out your wishes.

 

What happens if you die without a will?

You are not legally required to draft a will. If you die without a valid will, it is called dying intestate. When this happens, state law and the court determine how your assets get distributed. Assets go to your closest relatives first, as defined by Oregon law, regardless of your relationship with them.

 

Who can create a will?

In Oregon, any person who is 18 or older and of sound mind may make a will. (ORS  112.225)

 

Where do you start?

The Legal Information Reference Center is a great starting pointThis database contains reference books, legal guides, and forms written in plain language. Look for The Quick and Legal Will Book for instructions on drafting a basic will. The Wills & Estate Planning category lists additional end-of-life planning tools. Both are available online with a State of Oregon Law Library Account. Oregon residents can sign up for a free account online.

 

The Oregon Barbooks are written by Oregon attorneys and published by the Oregon State Bar. Administering Trusts in Oregon and Administering Estates in Oregon are two books that can assist in your life planning. Available in print and online with a digital token.

 

When should you update and/or review your will?
It's a good idea to review your will every five years or whenever there is a significant change in your life.  Examples of changes include:

  • Marital changes
  • A new child
  • Death of a beneficiary or executor
  • A sudden increase or decrease in wealth
  • If you move to a different state
  • If you change your mind.


Other estate and planning tools
An estate plan is a more comprehensive plan that can be used during life and after death. More specifically, an estate plan often includes a will, trusts, a health directive, and various types of powers of attorney.

Using a lawyer

A lawyer can give legal advice on drafting a will and developing an estate plan. Search for Wills or Estate Planning in the legal directories on SOLL's resource page.

 

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02/21/2024
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

The State of Oregon Law Library (SOLL) is thrilled to announce that we are celebrating our 50th anniversary of providing federal government documents to the public!

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was created to make sure people have access to government information at the local level. Under Title 44 of the United States Code, the public has free access to government documents in designated depository libraries. SOLL officially joined the FDLP program in February 1974.

There are two types of depositories in the FDLP: regional and selective depositories. Regional depositories receive copies of all federal government documents. In Oregon, our regional depository is the State Library of Oregon. 

SOLL is a selective federal depository library. That means we choose which federal publications to add to our collection.

Here are some examples of government documents available at the law library:

 

Visit the State of Oregon Law Library at 1163 State St., Salem, Oregon or online at https://oregon.gov/soll/

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10/11/2023
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

The State of Oregon Law Library (SOLL), in partnership with the Oregon Employment Relations Board, has created a searchable database of final orders from the Oregon Employment Relations Board. The database will be regularly updated, working backward from the most recent orders. Eventually, the database will include final orders dating back to 1979.

Users can search for final orders by keyword, order number, subject, and description. Orders not yet available in this database can be found at Employment Relations Board: Final Orders.

Additional digital collections from the State of Oregon Law Library include these Oregon agency orders: Attorney General Public Records Orders, Chief Justice Orders, District Attorney Public Records Orders, and Executive Orders from the Office of the Governor.

02/23/2023
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

 

1913 General Laws of Oregon with Lady Justice statue in background.  Photo: Melissa Beer | State of Oregon Law Library

One hundred and ten years ago, on February 25, 1913, Oregon's State Library was reorganized and renamed the Supreme Court Library. The Supreme Court Library had previously been operating under the title "Oregon Territorial Library" since its creation by Congress in 1848, and later as the "State Library" when Oregon achieved statehood in 1859. 

The newly designated Supreme Court Library's focus was solely legal research under the control of the Oregon Supreme Court.

 

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
Section 1. The library now known as the State Library
shall hereafter be known and designated as the Supreme Court
Library of Oregon, and the officer now known as the State
Librarian shall be known and designated as the Librarian
of the Supreme Court Library, and all laws now in force
relating to the State Library and the duties of the State
Librarian, except such as are herein amended, and making
appropriation for and directing money to be paid to the State
Library, shall apply to and be enforced by the Supreme Court
Library of Oregon, and the Librarian of the Supreme Court
Library. --Oregon Laws 1913, chapter 249

The Supreme Court Library became known as the State of Oregon Law Library in 2001, the name we still operate under today.

Note: The 1913 law also renamed the Oregon Library Commission to the Oregon State Library, and in 2017 the name was changed again to the State Library of Oregon.

For more historical facts, read our previous blog posts on Oregon history.

12/27/2022
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

 

Gov. Kate Brown has forgiven approximately $1.8 million in unpaid court fines and fees in traffic violations in Oregon circuit courts that have prevented nearly 7,000 Oregonians from getting their driver’s licenses reinstated.

The Governor’s remission order allows affected individuals to seek reinstatement of their driver's license through the Oregon Department of Transportation Driver and Motor Vehicles Division (DMV).

The Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) is responsible for implementing the Governor’s order and for notifying the DMV when a person no longer owes fines and fees on a circuit court case covered by the Governor’s order. 

A list of the cases included in the Governor’s remission order is available on OJD’s website (PDF). Basic case information is also accessible through the free Oregon Judicial Department Online Records Search  (search by name or case number). The results will indicate whether you have any fines or fees outstanding for that case. 

 

10/03/2022
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

Exterior view of the Oregon Supreme Court Building on September 22, 2022. Melissa Beer | State of Oregon Law Library

UPDATE:
The 2850 Broadway St. NE location closes at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, November 3. We will reopen on Monday, November 7, at 8:00 a.m. at 1163 State St., Salem, Oregon.


The State of Oregon Law Library is preparing to move back to 1163 State Street! The Supreme Court Building closed temporarily in the fall of 2019 for renovations to preserve and protect the historic structure and improve safety, function, efficiency, and access for years to come. The project includes seismic retrofitting and upgrades to heating, cooling, electrical, technology, plumbing systems, and accessibility to meet modern standards.

Law Library staff will begin the move-in process later this month. While we don't have a firm timeline of events, we do want to let patrons know of a few things to keep in mind during this time of transition:

-Our temporary location at 2850 Broadway NE, Salem, will remain open during our transition back to the Supreme Court Building.

-Reference staff is available to answer legal research questions, but we may need additional time to respond to requests.

-When searching in the catalog, only books with the location designation "SOLL Broadway" are available for use.

-Books cannot be checked out after October 14, 2022.  Circulation will resume after the library move.

We appreciate your patience during the transition and look forward to seeing you in a new and improved space in the next couple of months!

Please follow us on Twitter for additional updates.

07/21/2022
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

Record breaking heat killed nearly 100 people throughout Oregon in June of 2021. Most of those who died were lower-income or older residents without access to air conditioning and who couldn't leave their homes. Fortunately, in 2022, Oregon has not experienced the extreme temperatures felt last year, but heat waves continue.

As a result of last year's heat deaths, Senate Bill 1536 was introduced during the 2022 legislative session. The bill passed as an emergency measure and took effect upon passage. The new law (Or Laws 2022, ch 86, §§ 1-2) amends the Oregon Residential Landlord Tenant Act to limit restrictions on a renter's use of portable cooling devices from May to September. The law defines a portable cooling device as "...air conditioners and evaporative coolers, including devices mounted in a window or that are designed to sit on the floor..."

Tenants still face some restrictions. Including compliance with written standards for device safety, no damage to the premises, and no power usage beyond what a building's electrical system can handle. Air conditioners must be uninstalled by October 1st and not re-installed before April 30th. 

Visit these links for additional resources during extreme heat

 

06/15/2022
Amanda Duke

 

The Oregon State Bar, through a grant from the Professional Liability Fund, is making the BarBooks available online to all library patrons for the first time. The BarBooks is a library of treatises that are published by the Oregon State Bar. These books are aimed at lawyers, but they are also a valuable resource for those who are representing themselves. Most of these books include sample legal forms that are specific to the Oregon courts and law.  

For the general public, you will need to contact SOLL staff (during library operating hours) and request a digital token. Once you have been given the token, follow these instructions. This token must be used within 30 minutes or it expires. Once activated, your token will remain validated as long as you are actively searching and your browser stays open. You may request additional tokens as needed.

For state agency patrons who are not lawyers, you will be able to create your own non-member account (you must use a state agency issued email address in order for the system to recognize you). Instructions for creating an account are also found on our website.

The Oregon State Bar has tips on how to navigate BarBooks, including searching, printing and downloading. 

04/11/2022
profile-icon Lynne Palombo

Entrance to SOLL at 2850 Broadway NE, Salem, ORSOLL is reopening its physical location on Monday, April 18, 2022. Our new library hours beginning 4/18 are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Protective face coverings are not required in the library. However, the wearing of masks is encouraged. For the safety of all, please stay home if you are sick.

Hand sanitizer is available at the public computers and the entrance to the library. Library seating will remain limited to provide adequate space between users. Food and unsealed drinks are not allowed in the library.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us.

We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: Our temporary physical location is 2850 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR.

SOLLOJD
About Us | hours 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. M-F | map | 1163 State Street, Salem, OR 97301 | email | 503-986-5640