Commentaries by Denise Harle

NIFLA Decision Affirms First Amendment’s Purpose: Protect Minority Viewpoints

NIFLA Decision Affirms First Amendment’s Purpose: Protect Minority Viewpoints

July 15, 2018 11:58:40 am

An inherent feature of democracy is majority rule. And with that, as you may recall from civics, comes the risk of tyranny of the majority—the danger that a controlling popular viewpoint will oppress opposing views in society. Foreseeing this, the Framers set up a number of constitutional mechanisms to protect minority interests. Among these early institutional protections [...]

THIS DAY @ LAW

WWI gas attack on Canadians led to first chemical weapons ban

On April 24, 1915, the German army used chlorine gas against Canadian troops at Ypres. Gas was later employed by British and French forces against the Germans. Learn more about early efforts by the Red Cross to ban chemical weapons and review the June 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.

Library of Congress created

On April 24, 1800, U.S. President John Adams approved $5,000 to fund the establishment of the U.S. Library of Congress.

Learn more about the history of the U.S. Library of Congress.