The Rules of Law: How librarians can help patrons with legal questions; American Libraries, March 2, 2026

 Elyse H. Fox, American Libraries; The Rules of Law: How librarians can help patrons with legal questions

"Librarians are used to being generalists, able to research all kinds of questions. But when someone seeks help filling out a form or understanding their rights, those same staffers may be wary of crossing the line from legal reference to unauthorized practice of law. Moreover, public library collections often have few legal resources for patrons.

Within these limitations, though, library workers can develop their legal reference skills and provide appropriate referrals. The American Association of Law Libraries’ (AALL) 2014 report Law Libraries and Access to Justice offers tips for how to do this. In the decade since this report was released, demand for services has remained high, with many low-income Americans unable to get adequate help for their civil legal problems. Here are some takeaways from the report—and my 40 years in law librarianship—that are still relevant in bridging the justice gap."

An Artist Renounced His Family. They Sued to Acquire His Life’s Work.; The New York Times, March 11, 2026

 Arthur Lubow , The New York Times; An Artist Renounced His Family. They Sued to Acquire His Life’s Work. 

A settlement is reached in the case of Mike Disfarmer, who renounced his family. Decades later they sued to take back his life’s work. When heirs battle the people who built their legacies, the art may be at stake.

"Art scholars and experts on intellectual property law say the litigation over the Disfarmer archive poses consequential ethical and legal questions, among them: Who should manage the estate of an artist who dies without a will? Heirs who hardly knew him — or outsiders, including museums, who built and conserved the estates that are now worth fighting over?

The Disfarmer litigation raises some of the same issues — and indeed, involves some of the same players — as the lawsuits initiated by families of two other reclusive American artists who died without wills: Vivian Maier and Henry Darger, who both lived in Chicago. All three were unrecognized during their lifetimes and out of touch with their relatives. When their estates belatedly became valuable, distant cousins stepped up to demand their rights. The law would dictate the outcome. But some question whether the law always serves an artist’s best interests."

Broad Pardon for Hunter Biden Troubles Experts; The New York Times, December 2, 2024

Kenneth P. Vogel, The New York Times; Broad Pardon for Hunter Biden Troubles Experts

"Jeffrey Crouch, an assistant professor of politics at American University who studies clemency, drew a distinction between what presidents can do, and what they should do.

“Legally, the president can pardon pretty much whomever they want,” he said in an email. “Morally, it does raise some questions.”