A lot of the work we do as librarians is investigative in nature. Secretly, there are many detectives among us. We are a curious lot who always want to know more. We can also be a fussy bunch who like words and language and who insist on using the most appropriate reference sources to get. things. right. We appreciate the rules of grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation and enjoy discussing the merits of various style guides. Copy editing, at least for this librarian, holds great appeal (as does the lost art of sentence diagramming).

In honor of National Punctuation Day, which falls every year on September 24, we at the Harris County Law Library are paying tribute with a list of resources that highlight the important role of punctuation and grammar in the drafting and interpretation of the law. Few disciplines outside of law rely so heavily on the written word. Disputes over misplaced (or missing) commas, especially in contracts and legislation, and even in the United States Constitution, are just some of the persnickety punctuation problems to plague the process. See below for examples of apostrophe catastrophes, comma bombs, and more.

· The Law and Punctuation — In Custodia Legis, Law Library of Congress

· Punctuation and the Law — American Bar Journal

· Punctuation and the Interpretation of Statutes — Connecticut Law Review

· How A Comma Gave Americans The Right To Own Guns — Business Insider

· The Commas That Cost Companies Millions — BBC

· Commas in Court Cases — Online Writing Training, Mary Morel

· The Most Expensive Typo in Legislative History — Priceonomics

· The Supreme Court is Split on Apostrophes — ABA Journal

· Supreme Court Splits…on Grammar Writing and Style — Scribes Journal of Legal Writing

· The Apostrophe's Battle Is Mountainous — The Atlantic