Emory Law Archives and Manuscripts
The Emory Law Archives acquires, preserves, and makes available to researchers materials of permanent historical and research value. The archives’ holdings span the 14th through the 21st centuries and support research in many areas of law and policy.
Subject areas include:
- Civil and Human Rights
- Feminist Jurisprudence
- History of Emory Law School
- Law and Religion
- Transactional Law
The Archives Room is located on the first floor of MacMillan Law Library in room M118. Manuscript and archival collections held include the records of the Feminism and Legal Theory Project and the papers of Martha Albertson Fineman, Harold J. Berman, and Catherine G. Roraback, as well as historical records of Emory Law School. If you have a question for the archives, please complete this form to schedule a research appointment.
Conducting Research in Archival Collections
ArchivesSpace provides access to finding aids for Emory University’s five special collections and archives repositories. Search this database to determine if collections contain material of interest to you and learn where collections are located. See all finding aids related to Emory Law’s materials here.
Getting Started
The Emory Law Archives is open by appointment only Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Please complete this form to schedule a research appointment.
When you arrive at the law library, you will be asked to show a photo id and sign our register so that we have a record of your visit.
Archives Room Policies
- Archival materials cannot be checked out. Instead, you may use them at the large table located within the Archives Room.
- Only materials directly related to the research project at hand and to note taking are permitted near archival materials. Permitted items include laptops, tablets, paper and pencils (no ink pens). Cases, bags, backpacks, purses, umbrellas, food or beverages (including water) are not permitted - these personal items must be left with the staff behind the Circulation Desk.
- Archival materials may not be removed from the Archives Room for any reason. Staff members may be able to scan a limited amount of some materials upon request. Also, you may be able to use a personal camera to take pictures of the materials you are using. Please ask the staff member who assists you about using a personal camera and requesting scanning.
Reprographic Services
Researchers may request reproductions of materials in collections for use in personal research. Emory Law Archives will not scan materials if doing so would violate copyright law or donor restrictions, or if scanning risks damaging the materials. We will only scan items measuring 11x17 inches or less. We also reserve the right to set limits on the amount of scanning it will undertake. There is a photocopy limit of 500 pages per year, per researcher; our year runs from September 1 - August 31. Fees for reproductions are charged to offset the cost of producing the images. We are currently unable to make video or audio recordings of audio/visual materials.
Requests for reprographic services should be made through the Special Collections Request System.
Photocopies Fees- Requests for photocopies: $0.50 per page for manuscripts; $0.75 per page for books.
- Additional charge per 100 pages: $5.00.
- Price per page increases to $.75/page when more than 200 pages are requested in a six-month period.
Photocopy requests will be sent digitally as PDFs through your Special Collections Request System account. If you would prefer physical photocopies, shipping and handling charges will be assessed: $5.00 (minimum) or actual cost.
Digital Images Fees
- Per image fee for medium-resolution digital images (PowerPoint or web quality, 200 dpi): $5.00.
- Per image fee for high-resolution digital images (Publication quality, 400 dpi): $10.00.
Archival Collections
This collection is open to researchers. The origins of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion date back to 1982 when Emory founded a program in law and religion as part of its mission to build an interdisciplinary university and to increase understanding of the fundamental role religion has played in shaping law, politics, and society. Founded by Emory President James T. Laney and Emory Law Professor Frank S. Alexander, today the Center for the Study of Law and Religion offers several degree programs, pursues multi-year research projects, has produced hundreds of books, and hosts major international conferences and distinguished lecture series.
The records of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion consist mostly of papers related to research projects, with the topics including cultural transformation and human rights in Africa, Islamic family law, sex, marriage, and family life, and the child in law, religion, and society. Also included are invitations, lectures, and printed materials.This collection is open to researchers. David Bederman was a Professor of Law at Emory from 1991 until his death in 2011. Bederman taught courses and seminars on international law, torts, admiralty, international institutions, law of international common spaces, legislation and regulation, customary law, international environmental law, and foreign relations power. A prolific scholar, author, and legal historian, Bederman's academic and professional career focused on international law and its practical impact on American government. He authored 12 books and 125 articles, and presented at more than 80 lectures across the United States and Europe. Bederman also was counsel of record in 52 cases in the United States Courts of Appeals, and he argued four cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
This collection consists of 60 articles written by David Bederman over the course of his career. The complete issue of the journal is included with the articles. Also included is a teaching manual for admiralty cases which Bederman co-authored, offprints, and one book review.
This collection is open to researchers. The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission is a quasi-judicial, independent agency within the United States Department of Justice that adjudicates claims of U.S. nationals against foreign governments under specific jurisdiction conferred by Congress, pursuant to international claims settlement agreements or at the request of the Secretary of State. It was granted jurisdiction over small claims (less than $250,000) arising from the Iranian Revolution by the Algiers Accord of 1981, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1985, and the “lump sum settlement” decision of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal.
The collection consists of 247 orders and 2729 decisions of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission arising from claims by U.S. nationals against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also includes miscellaneous related documents.
Manuscript Collections
This collection is open to researchers. The papers of Jonas B. Robitscher J.D., M.D. (1920-1981) consist primarily of Robitscher’s professional papers from 1967-1981. Professor Robitscher was the author of The Powers of Psychiatry (1980), an exhaustive examination of the power that psychiatrists once held within the criminal justice system. With his intelligent, critical, and controversial assessment of his own profession, Jonas Robitscher became a much-needed advocate and crusader for those with little or no voice within the criminal justice system.
Included in the collection are numerous drafts of writings and lectures, as well as personal and professional correspondence and photographs.
This collection is open to researchers. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1928, Marjorie Clark Thurman enrolled at Emory University in 1945 at the age of 17; after graduating from Emory she attended the Atlanta Law School and earned her Master's degree in 1949. In 1954, Thurman became an associate at the firm of Leachman, King, Thurman & Marshall, the first all-female law firm in Georgia. Thurman also served in several prominent positions in the Georgia Democratic Party including Democratic National Committeewoman appointed by Governor Carl Sanders in 1963, and Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party in 1974. During her tenure a number of modernizing initiatives took place including the creation of an affirmative action committee and adoption of the first state party charter. The collection consists of campaign files, correspondence, personal material, and papers related to the Georgia Democratic Party in the 1960s-1970s.