In November, we posted about the IRS's digital release of 10 years' worth of tax-exempt organization returns, which contained more than 6.5 million documents.

ProPublica, a news organization that "produces investigative journalism in the public interest," has now launched an easy-to-use search engine for these returns. You can search by keyword, state, non-profit category, and organization type (e.g., 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4))

For example, if you're interested in the current IRS controversy, searching on "Tea Party", "constitution", or "patriot" will pull up information on numerious 501(c)(4) orgainizations and links to pdf scans of their Form 990 returns.

The Government Accountability Office is known as the “Congressional watchdog,” since they monitor how the federal government spends its money and report back to Congress with their findings. On a daily basis, the GAO produces in-depth reports on all aspects of the government and federal law. They also issue legal decisions on “bid protests, appropriations law and other aspects of federal law.” In the past few months alone, the following reports were issued:

• Federal Employees' Compensation Act Case Examples Illustrate Vulnerabilities That Could Result in Improper Payments or Overlapping Benefits. GAO-13-386, Apr 3, 2013
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Standards Needed to Improve Identification of Racial and Ethnic Overrepresentation in Special Education, GAO-13-137, Feb 27, 2013
• International Religious Freedom Act State Department and Commission Are Implementing Responsibilities but Need to Improve Interaction, GAO-13-196, Mar 26, 2013

GAO reports and legal decisions are freely available on their website, through Facebook, and on their mobile app.

To supplement this spring's successful Equal Justice Film Festival and encourage further research and exploration, the Georgetown Law Library has compiled a brief bibliography of resources, including books, scholarly articles, and other films on related topics.

You can view or download it in PDF: Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival - A Concise Bibliography.

For more information about the films and speakers that were part of the series, see the Film Festival website at www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

We have now concluded the 2013 Annual Student Survey for the Georgetown Law Library.  This year, 595 students responded.  Here's a quick overview chart showing the respresentation of student responses:

Thanks to everybody who responded.  

Congratulations to Jack Lescroart (L '14), who won an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite as part of the drawing for this year's survey.  He was chosen at random from all student responders who entered.  He is shown here with Associate Law Librarian Kumar Jayasuriya along with his new device.

Thanks again to our students for providing valuable feedback on library services, online content and resources.  We've already started to review all comments.  Over the coming weeks, we'll discuss all of this input and use it as a guide in helping us focus our efforts to provide useful services and resources.

Please join the Friends of the Law Library, National Equal Justice Library, The Innocence Project, Georgetown Criminal Law Association, the Georgetown chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, and Law Docs at the latest co-sponsored Law at the Movies event, part of the ongoing Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival:

Movie: West of Memphis (2013)
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Time: 6:00pm (refreshments & seating), showtime 6:30pm
Location: Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center

This screening is free and open to the public - map and directions.

A 2012 Sundance selection, West of Memphis tells the infuriating, inspiring story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to stop the State of Arkansas from killing an innocent man. The film lays bare the flawed police examination into the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys, and goes on to uncover new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the three teenagers who spent 18 years in prison for the crimes, one facing execution and two life-imprisonment, until released in 2011.

After the screening, stay for a discussion of the film and the real cases it portrays with Stephen Braga, Georgetown Law alumnus, adjunct professor, and lead attorney in representing the "West Memphis Three."

For information on other upcoming events in the Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library program and the benefits of becoming a member, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/visitors/friends.

Please join the Friends of the Law Library, National Equal Justice Library, The Innocence Project, Georgetown Criminal Law Association, the Georgetown chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, and Law Docs at the latest co-sponsored Law at the Movies event, part of the ongoing Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival:

Movie: Gideon's Army (2013)
Date: Friday, April 19, 2013
Time: 6:00pm (refreshments & seating), showtime 6:30pm
Location: Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center

This screening is free and open to the public – map and directions.

A 2013 Sundance award winning documentary by Georgetown Law alumna Dawn Porter, Gideon's Army follows the personal stories of three young public defenders in the Deep South challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point. 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling Gideon v. Wainwright that established the right to counsel, can these courageous lawyers and their colleagues revolutionize the way America thinks about indigent defense and make “justice for all” a reality?

After the screening, stay for a discussion of the film and its context, led by:

• Jo-Ann Wallace, President and CEO, National Legal Aid & Defender Association
• Abbe Smith, Director, Criminal Defense & Prisoner Advocacy Clinic; Co-Director, E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship Program; Professor of Law
• Alec Karakatsanis, Attorney, Special Litigation Division, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia

For information on other upcoming events in the Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library program and the benefits of becoming a member, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/visitors/friends.

Please join the Friends of the Law Library, National Equal Justice Library, Outlaw, and Law Docs at the latest co-sponsored Law at the Movies event, part of the ongoing Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival:

Movie: Bully (2011, runtime 98 mins)
Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Time: 6:00pm (refreshments & seating), showtime 6:30pm
Location: Georgetown University Law Center - Supreme Court Institute Moot Court Room (Hotung 2nd floor lobby)

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch gives a window into the lives of five school-age children in communities across America, all of whom face regular abuse, ridicule, and intimidation from their peers in this headline-grabbing 2011 documentary. The movie is the centerpiece of The Bully Project, an advocacy movement that spreads awareness of and solidarity against childhood bullying in all forms.

Space is limited, so please arrive promptly to secure a seat.

After the screening, stay for a discussion of the film and the ideas it presents, led by:

• Kisha Webster - Associate Director of Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign
• Joseph Wardenski - Attorney at U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

For information on other upcoming events in the Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library program and the benefits of becoming a member, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/visitors/friends.

Please join the Friends of the Law Library, National Equal Justice Library, The Innocence Project, Georgetown Criminal Law Association, the Georgetown chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, Outlaw, WETA, and Law Docs at the latest co-sponsored Law at the Movies event, part of the ongoing Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival:

Movie: The Central Park Five (2012, runtime 119 mins)
Date: Monday, April 1, 2013
Time: 6:00pm (refreshments & seating), showtime 6:30pm
Location: Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center

Heralded as one of 2012's most powerful documentaries, The Central Park Five tells the story of five black and Latino youths who were convicted and served sentences for the 1989 rape of a white woman, only to be exonerated when the true offender confessed the crime 13 years later. Ken Burns and his co-directors chronicle the "Central Park Jogger" case, for the first time from the perspective of the five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice.

After the screening, stay for a discussion with the film's creators and one of the five accused men:

• Sarah Burns - Director, writer, and producer, The Central Park Five
• David McMahon - Director, writer, and producer, The Central Park Five
• Yusef Salaam - Central Park Five defendant

Sarah Burns will also sign copies of her book, which was the basis for the movie.

For information on other upcoming events in the Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library program and the benefits of becoming a member, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/visitors/friends.

Please join the Friends of the Law Library, National Equal Justice Library, The Innocence Project, Georgetown Criminal Law Association, the Georgetown chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, Outlaw, and Law Docs at the latest co-sponsored Law at the Movies event, part of the ongoing Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival:

Movie: The Loving Story (2011)
Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Time: 6:00pm (refreshments & seating), showtime 6:30pm
Location: Hart Auditorium, Georgetown University Law Center

This 2011 documentary explores the Civil Rights Era story of an interracial couple whose challenge to state anti-miscegenation laws criminalizing their marriage led to the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision of Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).

After the screening, stay for a discussion led by panelists with valuable insights on the history and context of the film:

• Philip Hirschkop, attorney who litigated on behalf of the Lovings throughout their legal battle
• Patricia King, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Medicine, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown Law
• Elisabeth Haviland James, producer and editor of The Loving Story and founder of Thornapple Films

For information on other upcoming events in the Georgetown Law Library Equal Justice Film Festival, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/about/125/filmfestival.cfm.

To learn more about the Friends of the Georgetown Law Library program and the benefits of becoming a member, visit www.law.georgetown.edu/library/visitors/friends.

The Supreme Court today announced its decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Kirtsaeng was an enterprising Cornell student, who asked his relatives in Thailand to ship him cheaply-published textbooks, which he resold in the United States, undercutting the exclusive U.S. publisher's editions sold at the university bookstore. The Court, in a 6-3 decision, held that the First Sale doctrine of copyright law applies to permit the resale of these "gray market" imported textbooks. 

Justice Breyer wrote the majority opinion (joined by Justices Roberts, Thomas, Sotomayor, Alito, and Kagan). Justice Kagan filed a concurrance (joined by Justice Alito). Justice Ginsburg filed the dissent, which was joined by Justices Scalia and Kennedy.

Will the opening of a "global marketplace" for textbooks ultimately lower prices for students?