This program is a discussion about proposed Bluebook rule 10.7.1(e), requiring that cases involving enslaved persons contain an additional signal indicating the presence of an enslaved party. This proposed rule originated in Professor Justin Simard's Stanford Law Review article "Citing Slavery," and was recently taken up by the editors of The Bluebook. This program will feature Professor Simard presenting his research on how courts continue to cite cases involving enslaved persons without acknowledgement, a representative of The Bluebook discussing the organization's process for adopting a rule of this nature, and a law librarian with expertise on the history of The Bluebook to analyze the potential impact of this change.

For more information, see the recent guest post, "The Bluebook Confronts Slavery: A Call for Discussion Among Law Librarians" on RIPS Law Librarian Blog.

Recorded at the 2021 AALL Virtual Conference. Please note the opinions shared during the programs represent the views of the speakers and not of AALL.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

All law librarians and legal information professionals interested in the politics of legal citation, issues of racial justice, and the impact slavery continues to have on our legal system.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Audience members will be able to explain how the legacy of slavery affects legal information.
2. Audience members will be able to summarize how decisions about changes to The Bluebook are made—specifically, how new Bluebook rules are created.
3. Audience members will be able to assess how the rules of legal citation shape our legal system.

SPEAKERS:

• Julie Graves Krishnaswami, Yale Law School
• Alexander Harper, Harvard Law Review 
• Fred R. Shapiro, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Library
• Justin L. Simard, Michigan State University College of Law

COORDINATOR:

• Nicholas Mignanelli, Yale Law School

MODERATOR:

• Ronald E. Wheeler, Jr., Boston University School of Law

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Research + Analysis, Information Management