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Supreme Court Research Guide
INTRODUCTION
The Supreme Court of the United States is the court of
last resort in the United States. Many cases that the Court reviews concern
the Constitution, and the Court's decisions have far-reaching implications
for the citizenry and the history of the United States. This guide is designed
to give some background information and suggest resources for further research
on the history of the Court, the justices of the Court, the Court's practice
and decisions.
HISTORY OF THE SUPREME
COURT
Article III, § 1 of the Constitution provides that "[t]he
judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court,
and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain
and establish." In accordance with this constitutional provision, the Supreme
Court of the United States was created under the Judiciary Act of September
24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73 (1789)) with six justices. The Court first assembled
on February 1, 1790 in New York City - then the Nation's Capital. The first
cases, however, did not reach the Supreme Court until its second year. The
earliest sessions were devoted to organizational proceedings. The Court
was expanded to nine members in 1869 (The Judiciary Act of 1869, 16 Stat.
44 (1869)).
Article III, § 2 provides the Supreme Court with
its judicial power.
“The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases,
in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the
United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their
authority; - to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers
and Consuls; - to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;
- to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party; - to
Controversies between two or more states; - between a State and Citizens
of another State; - between Citizens of different States; - between
citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different
States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States,
Citizens or Subjects.
"In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public
ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the
supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to Law and
Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress
shall make."
28 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq. and other special statutes
confer appellate jurisdiction on the Supreme Court.
References and Further Reading
- History of the Federal Judiciary [http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf]
- Robert G. McCloskey, The American Supreme Court
(4th ed., revised by Sanford Levinson, 2005). [KF8742 .M33]
The first seven chapters of the book and the epilogue are as McCloskey wrote
it in the late 1950’s. Levinson added Chapter 8 and 9 to bring
the history to the present. The book includes a bibliographical essay covering
general reference works, historical overviews, judicial biographies, judicial
roles, great cases, institutional studies of the modern court, and doctrinal
studies.
- Peter H. Irons, A People’s History of the
Supreme Court (1999). [KF8742
.I76]
History of the Supreme Court as told through important constitutional cases
expounded in the social and political context of the times.
- "History of The Court" in The Oxford Companion
to The Supreme Court of the United States (Kermit L. Hall ed., 2d ed.
2005). [KF8742 .A35 D93] (Also available online to Georgetown Law)
- Robert Shnayerson, The Illustrated History of the
Supreme Court of the United States (1986). [SPEC COLL, KF8742 .S52 ]
- The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of
the United States, 1789-1800 (1985-1999). [ KF8742 .A45 D66]
The Supreme Court Historical Society and the Supreme Court of the United
States, with the encouragement of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, produced
this seven-volume set (with multiple parts in each volume) which provides
the raw documentation – official records, private papers, and other
primary sources - for scholars to study and interpret the development of
the Court in its first decade. It provides scholars and lawyers with
the first accurate record of all cases heard by the Supreme Court between
1790 and 1800. It also presents an ample selection of contemporary
comment about the justices and their duties, the business of the Court, and
the function of the Court in the constitutional framework. The criteria for
selecting items are explained in each volume.
- The Supreme Court Historical Society
Founded by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, the Society, a private non-profit
organization, is dedicated to the collection and preservation of
the history of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Web site
provides information about the history of the Court - its justices
and its building. The Web site also lists the most significant oral
arguments heard by the Supreme Court from 1955 until 1993. The Web
site provides the text of 411 selected decisions. It also includes
a detailed research guide, "Researching the
Supreme Court of the United States."
- Brief Overview published by the Supreme Court
- The Court as an Institution published by the Supreme Court
- The Court and Its Tradition published by the Supreme Court
Top
JUSTICES
"The Supreme Court of the United States shall consist
of a chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any
6 of whom shall constitute a quorum." (28 U.S.C. §1)
The Chief Justice:
The Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73) created
the office of the Chief Justice and five associate justices, but the role
of the Chief Justice was not described in the act.
Various scholars have written extensively about the roles
of the Chief Justice over the years, and have identified five principal
roles of the Chief Justice:
1. Presiding Officer
The Chief Justice presides over Supreme Court proceedings,
as well as presidential impeachment trials (U.S. Const. art. 1, § 3,
cl.6). Other duties and responsibilities include: admitting lawyers to the
Supreme Court Bar; enforcing standards of courtroom dress and decorum; controlling
the flow of judicial proceedings; serving as Circuit Justice for the busy
Fourth and District of Columbia Circuits as well as the Federal Circuit
(each associate justice is assigned to a circuit court); chairing Court conferences on case selection
and on argued cases; assigning the drafting of Court opinions.
2. Court Manager
The office of the Chief Justice differs from that of an
associate justice only in the administrative duties, such as being the ceremonial
leader where protocol dictates; assigning colleagues as circuit justices
during recesses (28 U.S.C § 42); assigning a consenting retired predecessor
or retiring Associate Justice to perform judicial duties in any Circuit
(28 U.S.C § 294(1)); signing a certificate of disability for a Justice
of the supreme Court... who desires to retire for disability. (28 U.S.C § 372(a)).
3. Court Defender
The Chief Justice plays the role of the court defender,
safeguarding the U.S. Supreme Court as an institution, such as controlling
the Justices' workload and protecting the status and political independence
of the Court.
4. Third Branch Chieftain
In 1888, the title of the Chief Justice was changed from "chief
justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" to "chief justice of
the United States," implying the importance of the office of Chief Justice
- not just of the Supreme Court, but of the United States' federal judiciary.
The Chief Justice is also the Chair of the Judicial Conference of the United
States - overseeing the federal judiciary. Since its creation in 1922
by Taft, the Conference has been chaired by the chief justice and has made
policy and rules with regard to the administration of the United States
courts. As the Chair, the Chief Justice presides over the Conference and
controls the agenda. He also appoints the chairman of over twenty committees.
He is also the Chair of the Board of the Federal
Judicial Center. The primary function of the Center is to engage in
research, training, and education for the judicial branch. In addition,
much of the responsibility of appointing the director of the Administrative
Office of the United States Courts and overseeing the Administrative Office's
work falls on the Chief Justice. In 1970, Chief Justice Burger started a
tradition of issuing on New Year's Day a Year-end Report on the Federal
Judiciary. The report is available in the following publications:
- The Third Branch (a monthly newsletter
of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 1968-present) summarized
the major points of each report (1970-1989) and has published the full-text
in the January issue since 1990. The publication is available in full
text from 1995 to the present on the U.S. Courts Web site [http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index.html].
It is also available in the Law Library [ K24 .H35 (1980-present)].
- The American Bar Association Journal, the American
Journal of Trial Advocacy, and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin sporadically
published full-text transcripts of the report.
- The year end report (2000-present) can also be
accessed from the U.S. Supreme Court site [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/publicinfo/year-end/year-endreports.html]
5. Other Extra-Judicial Roles
Some of the functions that the Chief Justice is called
upon to perform include administering the oath of office at presidential
inaugurals and upon the inauguration of governors and secretaries of the
several territories; and leading important presidential commissions.
Reference and Further Reading:
- Peter G. Fish, The Office of Chief Justice (1984).
[KF8748 .O35 ]
- Robert J. Steamer, Chief Justice: Leadership and
the Supreme Court (1986). [KF8744
.S74]
- Archibald Cox, The Court and the Constitution (1987).
[KF4550 .C69]
- "Chief Justice, the Office of the," in The Oxford
Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (Kermit L. Hall
ed., 2005). [KF8742 .A35 D93]
- Alan B. Morrison and D. Scott Stenhouse, The
Chief Justice of the United States: More than Just the Highest Ranking
Judge, 1
Const. Comment. 57 (1984).
Top
Supreme Court Nominations
Under Article II of the Constitution, the President has
the power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint
Judges of the Supreme Court. Since Supreme Court Justices are appointed
for life, each nomination to the Supreme Court has a long-lasting influence
on the Court and on the day-to-day life of every American. The most recent
successful nomination to the Supreme Court was that of Justice Sonya Sotomayor.
For more information about the process and recent
nominations, consult our Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/supreme_court_nominations.cfm]
Top
Sources of Biographies of Justices
To find biographies, search the Library Catalog (GULLiver) for the subject "judges united states biography."
- The Justices of the Supreme Court (Supreme Court
of the United States) [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/biographiescurrent.pdf]
Brief biographies of current justices.
- Members of the Supreme Court (Supreme Court of
the United States) [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/members.pdf]
Brief information (name, state appointed from, appointed by President, date
judicial oath taken and date service was terminated) about justices since
the beginning of the Supreme Court.
- Clare Cushman, The Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated
Biographies, 1789-1995 (1995). [KF8744 .S86]
- Leon Friedman and Fred L. Israel, The Justices
of the United States Supreme Court, 1789-1978: Their Lives and Major
Opinions (1980). [KF8744 .F75]
Includes excerpts from the Justices' opinions as well as biographical information.
There is a more recent edition published in 1997 which concludes with Justice
Breyer.
- The Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary
(Melvin I. Urofsky ed., 1994). [KF8744 .S859]
- Timothy L. Hall, Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical
Dictionary (2001). [KF8744.H35]
- Fenton Martin and Robert U. Goehlert, The U.S.
Supreme Court: A Bibliography (1990). [KF8741 .A1 M37] has a section
on Justices.
- Memorials of the Justices of the Supreme Court
of the United States (compiled with a preface and index by Roger F.
Jacobs, 1981). [KF8744 .M45]
A collection of commemorative memorial addresses of 35 Supreme Court Justices
in 5 volumes.
- ABC-CLIO
Supreme Court Handbooks series has published in-depth studies
of Chief Justices (Burger, Hughes, Stone, Taft, Taney, Vinson, Warren)
and their legacy.
- U.S. Supreme Court Justices: A List of All Supreme
Court Justices (Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia) http://www.oyez.org/courts/roberts/robt2
It includes biographical information as well as links to descriptions of
major cases.
Top
Sources of Personal Papers
of Justices
- Papers of Supreme Court Justices: Earl Warren. KF8745.W3 U55 Micro
Reproduced from the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, this 70 real microfilm collection contains all the opinions of Chief Justice Earl Warren, as well as conference memoranda and correspondence from 1953 through 1974.
- Online Finding Aids to the Papers of Supreme Court
Justices (Mark Holman, Reference Librarian, Tarlton Law Library) [http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/vlibrary/spct/justices.html]
- Federal Judges Biographical Database (Federal Judiciary
Center)
[http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj]
Includes all Federal judges, not just Supreme Court Justices. Biographical
information includes location of manuscript sources.
- Locations of the Justices' Personal Papers, Table
5-11 in Lee Epstein Et al., The Supreme Court Compendium, 418-427 (3d
ed. 2003). [KF8742 .S914]
- Manuscript Division Finding Aids Online (Library
of Congress Manuscript Reading Room) [http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/f-aids/mssfa.html]
Provides detailed registers of papers belonging to important figures in American
history – including fifteen Supreme Court Justices (Hugo L. Black,
Harry A. Blackmum, William J. Brennan, Harold H. Burton, William O. Douglas,
Felix Frankfurter, Arthur J. Goldberg, Charles Evans Hughes, Robert Houghwout
Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, Wiley Rutledge, William Howard Taft, Earl Warren,
Byron R. White, Levi Woodbury) - in the Library of Congress.
- Alexandra K. Wigdor, The Personal Papers of Supreme
Court Justices: A Descriptive Guide (1986). [KF8744 .W55]
The Guide describes the personal paper collection of each justice – the
location, source, size, provenance and status, and access.
Top
Financial Disclosures
Federal legislation - Ethics in Government
Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 101-11 (2005) - requires Supreme Court justices and other federal personnel file periodic financial disclosure
statements. The Committee on Financial Disclosure of the Judicial Conference
of the United States reviews financial disclosure reports filed by judges
and other judicial branch officers and employees as required by the Ethics
in Government Act. and respond to requests for redaction of such reports,
consistent with the Regulations of the Judicial Conference of the United
States on Access to Financial Disclosure Reports Filed by Judges and Judiciary
Employees Under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended. The Committee
also responds to inquiries regarding financial disclosure matters from judges,
employees, and the public. These financial disclosure reports are available:
DOCUMENTS
In a typical year, over 7,000 petitions are filed with
the Supreme Court for review of lower court decisions. The Court denies
review in the vast majority of cases, and, in recent years, has issued full
opinions in fewer than 100 cases each term. The Court and the parties
who argue before it produce many documents, including not only opinions
but also orders, briefs, and arguments.
Opinions
Opinions of the Supreme Court are widely reported and
readily available in printed reporters, loose-leaf services, online databases,
and the web. Supreme Court cases are usually available first on Westlaw,
and very shortly thereafter on Lexis and the web. Listed below are the major
sources of Supreme Court opinions and information on how to find opinions
in these various sources.
For comprehensive information about opinions, read the
Court's web pages "Information about Opinions" [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/info_opinions.html]
and "Where to Obtain Supreme Court Opinions" [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/obtainopinions.pdf].
- Lexis and Westlaw. Opinions first appear on Westlaw (SCT database)
and Lexis (Legal > Cases - U.S. > U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Lawyers'
Edition) within an hour after the Court announces its decisions. All
decisions of the Court, including denials of certiorari and grants
or denials of motions, are available online through Lexis and Westlaw.
On Westlaw, decisions prior to 1945 are in the SCT-OLD database. Using
a segments search on Lexis or fields search on Westlaw, you can easily
get a list of opinions:
- by a particular justice
- argued by a particular attorney
- involving a particular party
- Some examples are set forth below.
| Type of Search |
Lexis |
Westlaw |
| Segment |
Search |
Field |
Search |
| Majority Opinions by a Justice |
Opinionby |
O'Connor |
JU |
O'Connor |
| All Opinions by a Justice |
Writtenby |
O'Connor |
JU, SY |
JU(O'Connor) or SY(O'Connor +s concur! dissent!) |
| All Cases Argued by an Attorney or Law Firm |
Counsel |
Thurgood /2 Marshall |
AT |
Thurgood /2 Marshall |
| All Cases Involving a Party |
Name |
AFL-CIO |
TI |
AFL-CIO |
- Hein Online
HeinOnline provides searchable and browseable PDF versions of every
volume of the Supreme Court’s official reporter, United
States Reports, through its U.S. Supreme Court Library.
- There are educational, government, and commercial
web sites that offer judicial decisions free of charge; however, these
databases are not comprehensive and do not provide the sophisticated
searching that is available on Lexis or Westlaw. If you need to do a comprehensive
search for Supreme Court cases, use Westlaw or Lexis.
If you just want to locate the text of an opinion, any of the following
are good web sites to use:
- United States Supreme Court Home Page http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/opinions.html
Opinions are available beginning with the October, 2002 term.
- Justia http://supreme.justia.com/
Searchable database of all Supreme Court decisions. Also, browsable by year, or volume of United States Reports.
- Findlaw http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/
Findlaw offers a searchable database of Supreme Court decisions dating
back to 1893. This database is browsable by year and U.S. Reports volume
number and is searchable by citation, case name, and full text.
- Legal Information Institute http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/
The Cornell University Legal Information Institute offers Supreme Court
opinions under Project Hermes, the Court's electronic dissemination
project. This archive contains all opinions of the court issued since
May 1990 and over 600 historic decisions prior to that date.
- GPO Access Supreme Court Decisions (1937-1975 and 1992 - 2000) http://www.gpoaccess.gov/judicial.html
This database is being made available by the Government Printing Office
to the public as a finding aid to the official version of the United
States Reports. This site covers the years 1937-1975 and 1992-2000 and is searchable
by full text, case name and citation.
- Reporters. Opinions of the Supreme Court are reported
in three printed reporters: the official United States Reports,
and the two unofficial reporters, West's Supreme Court Reporter and
Lexis Law Publishing's United States Reports, Lawyer's
Edition. (Reading Room and 5th Floor) Each of these reporters
has bound volumes and advance sheets. For the unofficial reporters,
cases first appear in the advance sheets approximately four to six
weeks after the date of the decision. It takes several years for the
print volumes of the official United States Reports to be
published. All three reporters have the full text of Supreme Court
decisions. In addition, Lawyer's Edition publishes annotations
on three to five cases published in each reporter, and West’s Supreme
Court Reporter includes West topics and key numbers to assist
you in finding additional cases on a particular topic. United
States Reports is available in PDF via HeinOnline [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/hein_access.cfm].
Top
Orders
The Supreme Court issues orders related to the grant or
denial of certiorari, stays, motions in pending cases, mandamus, rehearings,
permission to file amicus briefs, and attorney discipline. These orders
can be found in the following places:
Top
Petitions for Certiorari
A petition for certiorari is a filing asking the Court
to hear a case. Review by the Supreme Court is not guaranteed; a party desiring
such review must use the cert. petition to persuade the Court to hear the
case. Supreme Court cert. petitions are available from the following sources:
- Lexis & Westlaw. Selected petitions for certiorari
and related briefs are available on Lexis (Legal > Federal Legal
- U.S. > Supreme Court Cases & Materials > U.S. Supreme Court
Briefs; selected petitions from 1979 - present; coverage is more complete for cases in which cert. is granted and in civil cases) and Westlaw
(selected petitions only: SCT-PETITION; granted petitions,
1990 - ; denied petitions, 1995 - present).
- U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1832-1978.
This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs
brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978. Includes
materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including
cases where certiorari was denied.
- SCOTUSBLOG (Supreme Court of the United States
Blog [http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/].
This blog has up to the minute coverage of the Court and links to petitions
under the New Filings tab [http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/new_filings/].
- Findlaw [http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/index.html].
Provides selected petition-stage briefs for cases where argument has
been scheduled, beginning with the October 1999 term.
- Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court
of the United States [KF
101.9 .L3]. Provides documents, including cert. petitions, from
major constitutional law cases since 1793. In recent years, this set
has covered 10-15 cases each term; fewer cases were covered in earlier
years.
- Antitrust Law: Major Briefs and Oral Arguments
of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1955 term-1975 term (Phillip
B. Kurland and Gerhard Casper ed., 1975). [KF1641 .A57]
- Microfiche. Media Services (First Floor) has an
extensive collection of older Supreme Court briefs, including some
cert. petitions:
- 1832-1896. Access to materials from this time period requires
the use of an index. Provides cert. petitions only for cases
where cert. was granted.
- 1897-1972. The materials are arranged by the official U.S.
Reports citation. Before the October 1960 term, provides
cert. petitions only for cases where cert. was granted. From
October 1960 to 1972, provides cert. petitions in cert. denied
cases as well.
- 1973-present. The briefs are arranged by docket number. Provides
cert. petitions for all cases, whether cert. was granted or denied.
- BriefServe [http://www.briefserve.com/home.asp].
Provides materials including cert. petitions from 1984 ($25 per brief).
Top
Briefs
Parties to each case considered by the Supreme Court file
briefs related to the merits of the case. Non-parties hoping to influence
the Court’s decision in a case may also be permitted to file briefs
as amici curiae (friends of the court). Reading the briefs
can be useful for in-depth study of the facts of a case and the arguments
advanced by all parties and interested non-parties. The library has briefs
from all cases decided by the Supreme Court from 1832 to the present, and
for all cases where the Court denied review beginning in 1982. For information
on the availability of briefs for cert. denied cases prior to 1982, ask
at the Media Services desk on the First Floor of the Library. Briefs are
available online first, and 6-8 weeks later in microfiche. For cert. denied
cases, briefs are available on microfiche approximately 8-10 weeks after
the Court denies review, or in Westlaw's SCT-PETITION database from 1995
on (selected cases only). Briefs from many cert. denied cases decided between
1832 and 1978 are also available in the database U.S. Supreme Records & Briefs,
1832-1978 [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/sp_ct.cfm].
Where to Find Merit Briefs
- Lexis & Westlaw. On Westlaw, the SCT-BRIEFS
database provides all merit briefs from all cases where the Court granted
review from the October 1990 term to the present, while SCT-BRIEFS-ALL
contains those same briefs and selected additional briefs dated between
1870 and 1989. On Lexis, the database Legal > Federal Legal
- U.S. > Supreme Court Cases & Materials > U.S. Supreme Court
Briefs provides merit briefs for cases in which the Court granted review,
from January 1979 to the present. The table below presents some useful
sample searches:
| Type of Search |
Lexis |
Westlaw |
| Segment Name |
Search |
Field Name |
Search |
| Docket Number |
Number |
93-1260 |
DN |
93-1260 |
| Case Name |
Name |
United States and Alfonso Lopez |
TI |
"United States" & "Alfonso Lopez" |
- U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1832-1978
[http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/sp_ct.cfm].
This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs
brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978. Includes
materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including
cases where certiorari was denied.
- SCOTUSWiki (Supreme Court of the United States
Wiki [http://www.scotuswiki.com/index.php]. This website collects documents related to pending cases beginning in October Term 2007.
- Findlaw [http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/index.html].
Provides merit briefs for cases where argument has been scheduled,
beginning with the October 1999 term.
- American Bar Association Home Page [http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/home.html].
Provides merit briefs for cases where argument has been scheduled,
beginning with the October 2003 term.
- Office of the Solicitor General [http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/search.html].
All briefs filed by the Solicitor General with the Supreme Court on
or after July 1, 1998, except for responses to petitions in "in forma
pauperis" or "IFP" cases. Keyword searchable and subject browseable.
- Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court
of the United States [KF
101.9 .L3]. Contains briefs filed in major constitutional law cases
since 1793. In recent years, this set has covered 10-15 cases each
term; fewer cases were covered in earlier years.
- Antitrust Law: Major Briefs and Oral Arguments
of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1955 term-1975 term (Phillip
B. Kurland & Gerhard Casper ed., 1975). [KF1641 .A57]
- Microfiche. Media Services (First Floor) has an
extensive collection of older Supreme Court briefs:
- 1832-1896. Access to briefs from this time period requires
the use of an index.
- 1897-1972. The briefs are arranged by the official U.S.
Reports citation.
- 1973-present. The briefs are arranged by docket number.
Top
Where to Find Amicus Briefs
- Lexis & Westlaw. On Westlaw, the SCT-BRIEFS
database provides amicus briefs from the October 1995 term to the present,
while SCT-BRIEFS-ALL contains those same briefs and selected additional
briefs between 1870 and 1994. On Lexis, the database Legal > Federal
Legal - U.S. > Supreme Court Cases & Materials > U.S. Supreme
Court Briefs provides amicus briefs from January 1979 to the present.
See the table under "Where to Find Merit Briefs" for useful sample
searches.
- U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1832-1978
[http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/sp_ct.cfm].
This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs
brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978. Includes
materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including
cases where certiorari was denied.
- SCOTUSWiki (Supreme Court of the United States Wiki [http://www.scotuswiki.com/index.php]. This website collects documents related to pending cases beginning in October Term 2007.
- Office of the Solicitor General [http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/search.html].
All briefs filed by the Solicitor General with the Supreme Court on
or after July 1, 1998, except for responses to petitions in "in forma
pauperis" or "IFP" cases. Keyword searchable and subject browseable.
- Curiae Project (Yale Law School) [http://curiae.law.yale.edu/]. Records,
briefs and other relevant materials for some of the most cited Supreme
Court cases are made available for free. Selected cases and briefs
only. Selections are made on the basis of citation patterns.
- Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court
of the United States [KF
101.9 .L3]. Contains briefs filed in major constitutional law cases
since 1793. In recent years, this set has covered 10-15 cases each
term; fewer cases were covered in earlier years.
- Antitrust Law: Major Briefs and Oral Arguments
of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1955 term-1975 term (Phillip
B. Kurland & Gerhard Casper ed., 1975). [KF1641 .A57 ]
- Microfiche. Media Services (First Floor) has an
extensive collection of older Supreme Court briefs:
- 1832-1896. Access to briefs from this time period requires
the use of an index.
- 1897-1972. The briefs are arranged by the official U.S.
Reports citation.
- 1973-present. The briefs are arranged by docket number.
- BriefServe [http://www.briefserve.com/home.asp].
Provides briefs from 1984 ($25 per brief).
Top
Oral Arguments
- United States Supreme Court Home Page [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts.html]. Provides transcripts of oral arguments beginning with the 2000 term; transcripts are made available on the same day as the argument. Although same day transcripts are official, they are subject to review. The transcripts will be permanently archived on the Court's web site.
- Lexis has coverage beginning with the 1979 term
(Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > Supreme Court Cases & Materials > United
States Supreme Court Transcripts).
- Westlaw has a database, SCT-ORALARG, with the full text of oral arguments beginning in 1990
- The OYEZ Project [http://www.oyez.org/].
OYEZ has digitized recordings of the Court's proceedings. There are
over 600 oral arguments from leading cases in constitutional law currently
available with more added each year. The recordings of oral arguments
at the National Archives provide the source material for this site.
Available arguments begin in 1961 with Mapp v. Ohio and McGowan
v. Maryland; there are a few arguments from the 1950s. Current
arguments are not available until approximately 10 months after the
end of a term.
- Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme
Court of the United States [KF
101.9 .L3]. Contains briefs filed in major constitutional law
cases since 1793. In recent years, this set has covered 10-15 cases
each term; fewer cases were covered in earlier years.
- Antitrust Law: Major Briefs and Oral Arguments
of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1955 term-1975 term (Phillip
B. Kurland & Gerhard Casper, 1975). [KF1641 .A57]
- May it Please the Court: The Most Significant
Oral Arguments Made Before the Supreme Court Since 1955 [Media
Services First Floor, KF4748
M39 ] provides audiotaped oral arguments in 23 well-known Supreme
Court cases. Among the cases included are: Gideon v. Wainwright; Miranda
v. Arizona; Roe v. Wade; and the Nixon Watergate tapes.
- National Archives, College Park, Maryland [http://www.archives.gov]. Audiotapes of oral
arguments in Supreme Court cases since the mid-1950s are available
at the Archives II building in College Park, Maryland. For information
on hours and access to the tapes, call the Sound Recording Division
at (301) 713-6790.
- Microfiche. The microfiche set Complete Oral Arguments of the
Supreme Court of the United States [Media Services, First Floor]
provides transcripts of all oral arguments before the Court since
1969 and selected arguments from 1953-1968. Prior to 1969, oral arguments
were not regularly transcribed. The transcripts are received once
a year, usually about 6-8 months after the end of the term.
- Supreme Court Oral Arguments: [of University of
Michigan affirmative action cases] [KF4755.5 S86]. The 2003
University of Michigan affirmative action cases were published by C-SPAN
in 1 videocassette (featuring still picture images of the participants
with audio only original broadcast on April 1, 2003 on C-SPAN Radio).
- C-SPAN's
America and the Courts also has the oral arguments (featuring
still picture images of the participants with audio) of Rasul v.
Bush, Al Odah V. U.S., Cheney v. U.S. District Court, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld,
and Rumsfeld v. Padilla.
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Dockets
The docket is a list of cases before the Court at a given
point in time – those in which the Court has granted certiorari, even
if argument has not been scheduled. In addition, docket sheets for
each case show the actions taken in a case, including motions filed, orders
entered, and arguments heard. Some of the docket sources below also provide
questions presented, fact summaries, and links to selected documents such
as briefs:
- The "Supreme Court Today" in United States
Law Week [KF105
.U6] provides lists of and status information for cases in which
certiorari has been granted. Also available:
- Westlaw. The DOCK-SCT database has docket sheets
for individual Supreme Court cases back to the October 2000 term.
- United States Supreme Court Home Page [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/docket.html]
(October 2000 term - ; questions presented available from March 29,
2004 - ). Searchable database of docket sheets.
- On the Docket: Northwestern University’s
U.S. Supreme Court News [http://docket.medill.northwestern.edu/]. In
addition to case list, provides questions presented, counsel lists,
selected briefs, lower court opinions, and background information on
each case. (October 1998 term - present)
- FindLaw’s U.S. Supreme Court Center [http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/]. In
addition to case lists, provides questions presented, merits briefs,
docket sheets, and lower court opinions. (October 2001 term - present)
- United States Supreme Court Monitor: Certiorari
Granted [http://www.law.com/jsp/scm/cur.jsp]. In
addition to case list, provides questions presented, counsel lists,
and citations to the opinions below. (Current only)
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Finding Tools
Digests
Both West and Lexis Law Publishing publish digests specifically
for Supreme Court cases. Both digests provide case summaries and contain
a Table of Cases which lists in alphabetical order every case decided by
the Supreme Court, with a citation to the full text of the decision. For
more information on using case law digest, see the Library's research guide "Using
Digests" [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/digests.cfm]
- West's United States Supreme Court Digest [KF101.1 .A32]
- Lexis Law Publishing's Digest of United States
Supreme Court Reports [KF101.1
.D5]
Indexes
- Linda A. Blandford, Supreme Court of the United
States, 1789-1980: An Index to Opinions Arranged by Justice (1983).
[KF101.6 .B57 v. 1 1789-1902 & v.
1902-1980]. Lists opinions (including dissents and concurrences) written
by each justice from 1789 to 1980. Provides citations, but no summaries.
- Nancy Anderman Guenther, United States Supreme
Court Decisions: An Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions (2d
ed. 1983). [KF101.6 .G83]. Provides
citations to books and articles published between 1960 and 1980 that
have discussed, reprinted, or excerpted various Supreme Court cases.
Includes citations to many publications not covered by Shepard’s
Citations or KeyCite (see the section on Citators, below)
- Timothy John Fox Alden, Index to the Reports of
the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. From Dallas
to 14 Howard Inclusive [1790-1852] (1984).[ KF101.6 .A4]. Subject index
to the Court’s earliest cases.
Citators
- Lexis. On Lexis, it is possible to Shepardize Supreme
Court cases using their U.S. Reports, Supreme Court Reporter,
or Lawyers’ Edition citations. It is also possible to
Shepardize the Court’s rules, using the citation format Sup.
Ct. R. #. Shepardizing a court rule will only tell you whether
it has been cited by any decision or secondary source; it will not
tell you whether the rule has been superseded.
- Westlaw. On Westlaw, it is possible to
KeyCite Supreme Court cases using their U.S. Reports, Supreme
Court Reporter, or Lawyers’ Edition citations.
It is also possible to KeyCite the Court’s rules, using the citation
format S. Ct. Rule #. KeyCiting a
court rule will only tell you whether it has been cited by any decision
or secondary source; it will not tell you whether the rule has been
superseded.
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SUPREME COURT RULES & PRACTICE
MATERIALS
Rules
Court rules prescribe procedures for practice in the courts,
including the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court rules dictate
such matters as how to petition for writ of certiorari, how to be admitted
to the Supreme Court bar, and how to conduct an oral argument before the
Court. The Rules of the U.S. Supreme Court are available from the sources
below:
- On Lexis, the Court’s current rules are found
in Legal > Federal Legal - U.S. > Court Rules > Individual
Circuit Rules > USCS - Rules of the Supreme Court of the United
States.
- On Westlaw, rules are found in the database US-RULES,
along with the rules of many other federal courts. To limit your Westlaw
search to the rules of the Supreme Court, do a terms and connectors
search that includes the following field restriction: ci(“s
ct rule").
- United States Supreme Court Home Page [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/ctrules/ctrules.html].
Provides the text of the rules with a subject index. Unannotated.
- The Legal Information Institute [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28a/usc_sup_05_28_10_sq6.html].
Provides the unannotated text of the rules.
- Federal Civil Judicial Procedure and Rules [KF8816 .A194]. Provides
the unannotated text of the rules. A single index provides subject
access to all of the rule sets (e.g., Supreme Court Rules, Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure) in the volume.
- Title 28, Appendix, of the United States Code,
U.S. G.P.O. [KF62
1994 .A2]. Located at the end of the volume containing Title 28.
Provides the text of the rules and advisory committee notes, but does
not provide case annotations. This is an official source of federal
court rules, however, it tends to be at least two or three years out
of date.
- Title 28 Rules volumes of the United States
Code Annotated, West Publishing Co. [KF62 1927.A3]. Located after
the Title 28 volumes of U.S.C.A. Provides the text of rules, case
annotations, and cross references to law review articles, West’s
Legal Forms, West’s Federal Practice Manual, Wright and Miller’s
Federal Practice and Procedure, and other secondary sources. An index
to the Rules of the Supreme Court appears right at the end of those
rules.
- Court Rules volumes of the United States Code
Service, Lexis Publishing [KF62 1972.U5]. Located after
the Title 50 volumes of U.S.C.S. Provides the text of the rules,
case annotations, and cross references to law review articles, American
Jurisprudence Trials, American Jurisprudence Pleading and Practice
Forms, Moore’s Federal Practice, and other secondary sources.
An index to the Rules of the Supreme Court appears at the end of
the volume containing those rules.
- Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States
[KF9056 .A19]. Provides historic
rules only (1790-1990)
Top
Practice Materials
- Robert L. Stern et al., Supreme Court Practice:
for Practice in the Supreme Court of the United States (2007). [KF9057 .S8]
- Case Handling Guides, United States Supreme Court
Home Page [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/casehand/casehand.html].
Includes Guide to Filing Paid Cases, Guide to Filing In
Forma Pauperis Cases, and Guide for Counsel in Cases to Be
Argued.
- Bar Admissions, United States Supreme Court Home
Page [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/bar/baradmissions.html].
Provides both instructions and the appropriate form for applying for
admission to practice before the Supreme Court
Top
SECONDARY SOURCES
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Bibliographies
- The Supreme Court A to Z (Kenneth Jost ed., 2003).
[KF8742 .A35 S8]
"[A] comprehensive, ready-reference encyclopedia that offers accessible
information about the Supreme Court, including its history, traditions,
organization, dynamics, and personalities. This [2003] edition also
examines the array of important legal decisions that have shaped contemporary
interpretations of the U.S. Constitution and the backgrounds of the fascinating
but sometimes little-known individuals who as justices have decided the
issues that affect every citizen." Contributors to this volume work at
CQ Press. Kenneth Jost is a lawyer and legal affairs journalist.
- Fenton Martin and Robert U. Goehlert, The U.S. Supreme
Court: A Bibliography (1990). [KF8741 .A1 M37]
“The volume contains citations about the Court, including its history,
development, powers, and relations with the other branches of the federal government. This
book also focuses on the accomplishments and activities of the individual justices,
including their private lives and public careers.” The bibliography
cites books, articles, dissertations, essays, and research reports, but not U.S.
government documents, such as nomination hearings, memorials, or other government
documents about the Court or individual justices. The time period covered is
from 1850 to 1989. Not annotated.
- The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the
United States (Kermit L. Hall ed., 2d ed. 2005) [KF8742 .A35 D93]
" This book provides a comprehensive guide to the history and current operation
of the Supreme Court...Biographic entries explore the personal and professional
careers of all the justices, the nominees who were rejected by the Senate, the
most prominent lawyers who have argued before the Court, and many other figures
important in the Court’s history. …Another category of entries
treats concepts that are central either to the Court’s operation or to
the meaning of American constitutionalism – including such protean topics
as due process of law, separation of powers, and equal protection of the law...Institutional
entries cover, in historical perspective, such topics as the office of the chief
justice, the judicial clerks, the assignment and writing of opinions, and the
justices’ workloads." Some entries focus on the physical surroundings
of the Court. More than four hundred entries examine the Court’s
decisions. There are also essays that give coherent overviews of major
bodies of the court’s work. Four sweeping chronological essays provide
an overview of crucial developments during the entire course of the Court’s
history. A final category of entries explains vocabulary and phrases. Scholars
from many different fields – law, political science and government, history,
sociology, criminal justice, and anthropology – contribute to this Companion.
They approached the Court as a hybrid political, social, economic, and cultural
institution. There is a short bibliography after each entry.
- Lee Epstein, et al. The Supreme Court Compendium:
Data, Decisions, and Developments (2007). [KF8742 .S914]
An impressive collection of compilations and charts of information on the
most important aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court, including its development
as an institution, the justices’ backgrounds, nominations, and confirmations.
- Encyclopedia of Supreme Court Quotations (Christopher
A. Anzalone ed., 2000). [KF8742
.A35 E529]
About 900 passages are chosen to be included for their quotability – inherent
beauty, literary quality, and profound philosophy. The passages are
grouped into thirteen chapters: legislative branch, executive branch, judiciary,
constitutional law, history and political role of the country, states’ rights,
Fourteenth Amendment (doctrines of due process and equal rights), free speech
and free press, freedom of religion, evidence of how the court conceptualizes
other personal freedoms and liberties, criminal law and criminal procedure,
how international events influence American institutions, and everything
else.
- David G. Savage, Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court
(4th ed. 2004). [KF8742
.W567]
A two-volume set conveying the story of the court’s history, conflicts
decisions, workings, and impact. Volume 1 details the Court’s
decisions. Volume 2 focuses on the Court’s institutional setting
and how the justices go about their work.
Top
Journals
The following are selected journals that publish articles
about the Supreme Court regularly. The journals are listed alphabetically.
- Cato Supreme Court Review [K3 .A8] (2001-present)
In the Cato Supreme Court Review, leading legal scholars analyze the most
important cases of the Supreme Court’s most recent term. The
Review is published annually on Constitution Day, September 17, in tandem
with a major symposium. It is the first scholarly review to appear
after the term’s end and the only one to critique the court from
a Madisonian perspective.
- Constitutional Commentary (University of Minnesota)
[K3 .O688]
One of the few faculty-edited law journals in the country. The
journal publishes “shorter and less ponderous articles” as
opposed to the more lengthy and heavily footnoted articles found in
traditional law reviews. Also available in:
- Harvard Law Review [K8 .A85]
"The November issue contains the Supreme Court Foreword, usually by a prominent
constitutional scholar, the faculty Case Comment, and 24 Case Notes—analyses
by third-year students of the most important decisions of the previous
Supreme Court Term—and a compilation of Court statistics." Also available
in:
- Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly [K8 .A87]
The country's oldest law journal devoted exclusively to constitutional
law. Also available in:
- Journal of Supreme Court History: Yearbook of the
Supreme Court History Society [K10
.O715] (1990-present) Previously known as Yearbook - Supreme Court
Historical Yearbook [KF8741
.A15] (1976-1980)
“Published for the Supreme Court Historical Society, the journal and the
society are dedicated to the collection and preservation of the history of the
Supreme Court of the United States, and to expanding public awareness of that
history and heritage.”
- Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases [K16 .R291] (Library keeps
current 3 years only) Published by the Public Education Division of
the American Bar Association, irregular, currently issued eight times
a year. Also available on Lexis.
- Supreme Court Debates [KF3436 .A3 S86] (1998-present).
Also available in:
- Supreme Court Economic Review (The Law and Economics
Center at George Mason University School of Law) [K23 .U35]
"[A]n interdisciplinary journal that seeks to provide a forum for scholarship
in law and economics, public choice and constitutional political economy. Its
approach is broad ranging and contributions will employ explicit or implicit
economic reasoning for the analysis of legal issues, with special attention to
Supreme Court decisions, judicial process, and institutional design. The
use of theoretical and empirical economic models is permitted, but papers are
expected to be accessible to a general audience of judges, academic lawyers,
and economists." Also available in:
- Supreme Court Opinions, October xxxx term (published
by the Congressional Research Service, issued annually) available at:
- Open CRS: Congressional Research Reports for the People [http://opencrs.cdt.org/]
A project of the Center for Democracy & Technology that serves
as a centralized location to learn about the Congressional Research
Service and search for CRS reports that have been released to
the public by members of Congress. Provides report summaries.
- Thurgood Marshall Library, University of Maryland [http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/index.asp]
- University of North Texas Library [http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/index.tkl]
- The Law Library also has a collection of CRS Reports on microfiche.
Check the index to this collection to find out if the CRS report
you are looking for is in the collection. The index is called:
A Guide to Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional
Research Service [JK1108 .M34 ]
- Supreme Court Review (University of Chicago) [K23 .U4] (1960-present)
“[A]n in-depth annual critique of the Supreme Court and its work, keeping
up on the forefront of the origins, reforms, and interpretations of American
law. SCR is written by and for legal academics, judges, political scientists,
journalists, historians, economists, policy planners, and sociologists." Available
in:
- Supreme Court Yearbook (Congressional Quarterly,
Inc., 1991-present, last received 2000-2001) [KF8741 .A152 S95]
- The Third Branch (Administrative Office of the
U.S. Courts, 1968-present) Monthly newsletter [K24 .H34] (v. 12, 1980 –present). Full
text available online starting with February 1995 issue at http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index90s.htm
- University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional
Law [K25 .N687] Also available:
- William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal [K27 .I44] Also available:
Top
Journal Articles
Current Awareness
Top
Databases
- Legal
Periodicals and Books (Georgetown Law Only)
Database of article listings from nearly 1,000 English language legal periodicals & law
books published from 1982 to the present. Publications include law reviews,
bar association journals, university publications, yearbooks, & government
publications. Can be searched together with Legal Periodicals & Books
Retro database (1918 to 1981). Available in print in the Williams Library
Reading Room and Wolff Library reference [KF8
.I4]. Also available on Lexis and Westlaw.
- LegalTrac (Georgetown
Law Only)
Cumulative indexing of approximately 875 legal publications. Also includes
law related articles from more than 1,000 additional business and general
interest periodicals. Coverage begins in 1980. Available in print as
Current Law Index [KF8 .C8]. Also available
on Lexis and Westlaw.
- Academic Search Premier (Georgetown
Law only)
Provides full text for over 4,600 publications covering academic areas of
study including social sciences, humanities, education, and linguistics,
arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Over 8,200 titles
are abstracted and indexed, of which approximately 3,600 are peer-reviewed.
Coverage: 1975 – present. Subject terms: United States Supreme Court.
- America: History and Life (Georgetown
Law only)
Primary index to research in U.S. and Canadian history. Provides abstracts
of scholarly literature on the history and culture of the U.S. and Canada
from pre-historic times to the present. Covers 1800 journals in many languages
and includes citations to book reviews, media reviews and dissertations.
Coverage: 1954 – present. Subject terms: Supreme Court.
- International
Political Science Abstracts (Georgetown Law on-campus access
only)
Indexes and abstracts articles from major political science journals. Covers
theory, government, political process, international relations, and national
and area studies. Descriptor: Supreme Court USA.
- PAIS
International (Public Affairs Information Service International)
(Georgetown Law on-campus access only)
Indexes public policy and public affairs literature in many formats (books,
periodical articles, government documents, reports, etc.). Covers government,
business, law, international relations, public administration, banking and
finance, health, environment, and education. Descriptor: United States Supreme
Court.
- Worldwide
Political Science Abstract (Georgetown Law on-campus only)
Indexes and abstracts articles from over 1,400 political science and international
relations journals. Descriptor: United States Supreme Court.
- Policy File (Georgetown
Law only)
Abstracts of data from public policy think tanks, university research
programs and publishers, with coverage from 1990. Links to organizational
home pages and to full text documents, where available. No particular
subject heading for Supreme Court, depends on the issues.
- Hein Online (Georgetown
Law only)
Legal database that contains the full text of legal documents in pdf
format, in several collections. The Law Journal Library contains articles
from most major law reviews and law journals. Approximately 650 law
journals and reviews are included, beginning with the inception date
of each publication. Individual journals, or the entire collection,
are fully searchable by author or word in title, or keyword or phrase
in full text.
- JSTOR (Georgetown Law
only)
This database includes the full text of the articles from 340 scholarly paper
journals, most beginning with the first volume. Coverage excludes articles
from the most recent 3 to 5 years. PDF format. Searching is available across
all bibliographic fields and in the full text.
Top
Datasets and Statistical Sources
- The S. Sidney Ulmer
Project: U.S. Supreme Court Databases (Compiled by Harold J.
Spaeth) - this site includes the following datasets in SPSS, STATA,
SAS, ASCII formats with documentation: The Original U.S. Supreme
Court Judicial Database, The Vinson-Warren Court Database, 1946-1968
Terms, The Burger Court Database, 1969-1985 Terms, The Justice-Centered
Rehnquist Court Database, 1986-1998, The Justice-Centered Burger
Court Database, 1969-1985 Terms, The Justice-Centered Warren Court
Database, 1953-1969 Terms. Data include citations and docket numbers;
origin and source of the case, and the reason the Court agreed to
decide the case; date of decision, term of Court; legal provisions,
issues, direction of decision; disposition of the case; conference
vote and final vote.
Also available through United States
Supreme Court Judicial Database Terms Series (ICPSR Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research, University of Michigan)
- The U.S.
Supreme Court Justices Database (Funded by the National Science
Foundation, Law and Social Science Program; Professor Lee Epstein
from Washington University is the Principal Investigator) - "This
is a multi-user, public database containing a wealth of information
on individuals nominated (whether confirmed or not) to the U.S. Supreme
Court. Specifically, the database houses 356 variables, falling roughly
into five categories: identifiers, background characteristics and
personal attributes, nomination and confirmation, service on the
Court, and departures from the bench."
- ScotusWiki has posted Professor Thomas Goldstein's statistics from October Term 1995 to the present. These statistics have been published in US Law Week and include general and Justice-specific numbers.
- Albert P. Blaustein and Roy M. Mersky, The First
One Hundred Justices: Statistical Studies on the Supreme Court of the
United States (1978) [KF8741
.A152 B6]
Top
Research Guides
Some of the freely available research guides in the order
of comprehensiveness are:
Web Sites
- United States Supreme Court Web site [http://www.supremecourtus.gov/]
The official Web site of the US Supreme Court. The Web site provides
background information about the Court, as well as opinions (1991
term -present), briefs (through the ABA Website, 2003 term - present),
argument transcripts (2000 term - present) and oral argument schedule.
- Federal Judiciary Homepage [http://www.uscourts.gov/]
The official Web site of the federal judiciary. It provides information
on many aspects of the judiciary - judges and judgeships, judiciary
budget, judicial compensation, caseload statistics, proceedings of
the Judicial Conference of the United States, federal rulemaking,
etc. It also provides access to the Web sites of various federal
courts.
- Administrative Office of the United States Courts
[http://www.uscourts.gov/adminoff.html]
It provides a wide range of administrative, legal, financial, management,
program, and information technology services to the federal courts. The
AO provides support and staff counsel to the Judicial Conference of
the United States and its committees, and implements and executes Judicial
Conference policies, as well as applicable federal statutes and regulations.
The AO also facilitates communications within the Judiciary and with
Congress, the executive branch, and the public on behalf of the Judiciary.
- Judicial Conference of the United States [http://www.uscourts.gov/judconf.html]
Created by Congress in 1922, the fundamental purpose of the Judicial
Conference is to make policy with regard to the administration of
the United States courts. The Web site provides general information
about the Conference - its membership, committees, as well as the proceedings of its meeting
(1997-present).
- Federal Judicial Center [http://www.fjc.gov/]
Established by Congress in 1987 (26 U.S.C. §§ 620-629) on
the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States,
the Federal Judicial Center is the research and education agency of
the federal judicial system. Some of its duties: conduct and promote
orientation and continuing education and training for federal judges,
court employees, and others; develop recommendations about the operation
and study of the federal courts; conduct and promote research on federal
judicial procedures, court operations, and history. The Chief
Justice of the United States chairs the Center’s Board, which
also includes the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S.
Courts and seven judges elected by the Judicial Conference. The
site contains the results of Center research on federal court operations
and procedures and court history, as well as selected educational materials
produced for judges and court employees."
- The Supreme Court Historical Society [http://www.supremecourthistory.org/]
Founded by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, the Society, a private non-profit
organization, is dedicated to the collection and preservation of
the history of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Web site
provides various information informing the reader of the history
of the Court - its justices, its building. The Web site also lists
the most significant oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court from
1955 until 1993. The Web site provides the text of 411 selected decisions.
It also includes a detailed research guide, "Researching the
Supreme Court of the United States."
- Supreme Court Collection (Cornell Law School, LII
/Legal Information Institute) [http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html]
It provides access to decisions by topic, by author, by party (1990-present);
Supreme Court rules; glossary; briefs; oral argument recordings and transcripts.
- OYEZ: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia Database (Northwestern
University)[ http://www.oyez.org/]
The OYEZ Project provides access to more than 2000 hours of Supreme Court
audio. All audio in the Court recorded since 1995 is included in the project.
Before 1995, the audio collection is selective. Podcast of oral arguments
is also available (2004-present).
Top
ORGANIZATIONS WITH A FOCUS ON THE SUPREME COURT/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
Academic or Research Institutes
- Supreme Court Institute (Georgetown University
Law Center) http://www.law.georgetown.edu/sci/]
It "seeks to promote understanding in law students, faculty, the legal
profession, and the nation of the history, significance, and dynamics
of Supreme Court decision-making." The Moot
Court Program arranges practice sessions that allow attorneys to
prepare for oral arguments before the Court. Approximately 2/3 of all
cases heard by the Court are mooted at Georgetown before a panel of "Justices" that
includes law faculty and experienced Supreme Court advocates. The Web
site provides access to articles and presentations (real audio / transcripts)
sponsored by the Institute.
- Cato’s Center for Constitutional Studies
[http://www.cato.org/ccs/index.html]
The Center and its scholars "take their inspiration from the struggle
of America's founding generation to secure liberty through limited
government and the rule of law. The Center's scholars address a wide
range of constitutional and legal issues and encourage the judiciary
to neither make nor ignore the law but interpret and apply it through
the natural rights tradition inherited from the founding generation." The
Web site provides access to its publications.
- The Constitutional Law Center at the University
of Akron School of Law [http://www.uakron.edu/law/cclaw.php]
One of only four constitutional law program established by the U.S. Congress
in 1987 to commemorate the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. (The other
two were at Howard University Law School and University of South Carolina
School of Law.) "The primary purpose of the Center is to promote scholarship
concerning the United States Constitution, including its Amendments, to commemorate
the creation of that document and help illuminate its application to modern
times."
- Drake Constitutional Law Center [http://www.law.drake.edu/centers/conLaw/]
One of only four constitutional law programs established by the U.S.
Congress and funded by the federal government. (The other two were
at Howard University Law School and University of South Carolina
School of Law.) "The Center's mission is to foster study of the U.S.
Constitution, its roots, its formation, its principles and development."
Advocacy Groups
- American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) [http://www.aclj.org/]
Specializing in constitutional law and based in Washington, D.C., ACLJ
is "dedicated to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms."
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Supreme
Court [http://www.aclu.org/scotus/index.html]
A nonprofit and nonpartisan group, "the ACLU has maintained the position
that civil liberties must be respected, even in times of national emergency." The
Supreme Court page provides access to legal documents related to Supreme
Court cases and essays discussing the cases (1994 term - present).
- American Constitution Society [http://www.acslaw.org/]
"[O]ne of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded
in 2001, ACS is comprised of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, policymakers,
activists and other concerned individuals who are working to ensure that
the fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights and liberties,
genuine equality, and access to justice are in their rightful, central
place in American law."
- American Enterprise Institute [http://www.aei.org/default.asp?filter=all]
" AEI's purposes are to defend the principles and improve the institutions
of American freedom and democratic capitalism--limited government, private
enterprise, individual liberty and responsibility, vigilant and effective
defense and foreign policies, political accountability, and open debate." AEI
sponsors a wealth of research that examines the legal and constitutional
aspects of current policy controversies. Its "Legal and Constitutional
Studies" page, under "Research Areas", links to the full text of its many
short publications on constitutional issues; provides information on books
published by its researchers and its events.
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Revised 03/06 (SK & LT)
Updated 6/08 (SAS)
Links 04/09 (MK)
Page last saved
16-Oct-2009
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