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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 U.S. 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, and the Court's practice and decisions.

Members of the Georgetown University Community may seek additional assistance at the reference desk or online.

HISTORY OF THE SUPREME COURT

Article III, § 1 of the U.S. 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 1789, ch. 20, 1 Stat. 73 with six Justices. The Court first assembled on February 1, 1790 in New York City, which was 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 expanded to nine members in 1869 (Judiciary Act of 1869, ch. 22, 16 Stat. 44).

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 original Jurisdiction. In all other Cases before mentioned, 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 jurisdiction on the Supreme Court.

Select References for Further Reading

  • History of the Supreme Court of the United States (KF8742 .A45 H55)
    The Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise History of the Supreme Court of the United States is a multivolume, comprehensive history of the Supreme Court from the beginning to the Warren Court. As of 2010, the following volumes have been published: Antecedents and Beginnings to 1801; Foundations of Power: John Marshall, 1801-15; The Marshall Court and Cultural Change, 1815-35; The Taney Period, 1836-64; Reconstruction and Reunion, 1864-88; Five Justices and the Electoral Commissions of 1877; Troubled Beginnings of the Modern State, 1888-1910; The Judiciary and Responsible Government, 1910-21; and The Birth of the Modern Constitution: The United States Supreme Court, 1941-1953.

  • Robert G. McCloskey & Sanford Levinson, The American Supreme Court (5th ed. 2010) (KF8742 .M33)
    Includes a bibliographical essay covering general reference works and a list of important dates.

  • 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.

  • The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (Kermit L. Hall ed., 2d ed. 2005) (KF8742 .A35 D93)
    See extensive History of the Court article. Also available electronically though Oxford Reference Online.

  • Robert Shnayerson, The Illustrated History of the Supreme Court of the United States (1986) (KF8742 .S52)

  • The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800 (Maeva Marcus et al. eds, 1985) (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 eight-volume set 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 inclusion of documents are explained in each volume.

  • Archibald Cox, The Court and the Constitution (1987) (KF4550 .C69)

  • Peter C. Hoffer, Williamjames H. Hoffer & N.E.H. Hull, The Supreme Court: An Essential History (2007) (KF8742.Z9 H64)
    A concise history organized by chief justice; includes a bibliographic essay of other works on the history of the Court.

  • Charles Warren, The Supreme Court in United States History (1923) (KF8742 .W37)
    A three-volume "narrative of a section of our National history connected with the Supreme Court" from the beginning to the early 1900s. Also available electronically through HeinOnline or The Making of Modern Law.

  • 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 website provides information about the history of the Court, a list of the most significant oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court from 1955 to 1993, and some full text access to a few of its publications, such as the Journal of Supreme Court History and the newsletter SCHS Quarterly. Also available is a detailed research guide, Researching the Supreme Court of the United States.

  • About the Supreme Court (Supreme Court of the United States website)
    Provides information on the history of the Court, including its traditions, oaths of office, Justices, the building, and more.

  • History of the Federal Judiciary (Federal Judicial Center)
    Includes biographical information on federal judges, history of federal courthouses, landmark judicial legislation, and more.

  • To find additional books on Supreme Court history in the Georgetown Law Library, search GULLiver (the library catalog) by subject for "united states supreme court history".

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JUSTICES

"The Supreme Court of the United States shall consist of a Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of whom shall constitute a quorum." (28 U.S.C. §1)

The Chief Justice

The Judiciary Act of 1789, ch. 20, 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 role 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 District of Columbia, Fourth, and Federal Circuits (each Associate Justice is assigned to a circuit court), chairing Court conferences on case selection and on argued cases, and 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 an Associate 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, by, for example, 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," see William A. Richardson, Chief Justice of the United States or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States?, 49 New Eng. Hist. Soc'y Reg. 275, 278 (1895), 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 the chair of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Conference was created in 1922 at the urging of Chief Justice Taft, and it makes 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, and he 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 publishing an annual report on the federal judiciary. The report is available in the following publications:

  • State of the Federal Judiciary: Annual Reports of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (Shelley L. Dowling ed. 2000) (KF8700 .S67 2000)
    Contains all of the reports from 1970 to present.

  • The Third Branch
    The Third Branch, the monthly newsletter of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, summarized the major points of each report from 1970-1989 and has published the full-text of the report in the January issue since 1990. The Third Branch is available in print in the Law Library (K24 .H35) from 1980 to present and electronically from 1968 to present. It's also available free online from 1995 to present through U.S. Courts.

  • Various legal journals sporadically published excerpts or the full text of reports, including

  • Supreme Court of the United States Website
    Reports from 2000 to present
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 the inauguration of the President and of governors and secretaries of the several territories and leading important presidential commissions.

Reference and Further Reading:

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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 Elena Kagan in 2010.

For more information about the process and recent nominations, consult our Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide.

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Sources of Biographies of Justices

To find books on individual Justices in the Georgetown Law Library, search GULLiver (the library catalog) by subject for "judges united states biography" or the Justice's name (last name first).

  • The Justices of the Supreme Court (Supreme Court of the United States)
    Brief biographies of current Justices.

  • Members of the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court of the United States)
    Brief information (name, state appointed from, President appointed by, date judicial oath taken, and service termination date) about all Justices.

  • Supreme Court Historical Society
  • Clare Cushman, The Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated Biographies, 1789-1995 (1995) (KF8744 .S86)

  • Leon Friedman & 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. Volume IV also includes statistics and a seat chart of the Justices. A revised edition was 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 & Robert U. Goehlert, The U.S. Supreme Court: A Bibliography (1990) (KF8741 .A1 M37)
    See the section on Justices.

  • Memorials of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States (Roger F. Jacobs ed., 1981) (KF8744 .M45)
    A collection of commemorative memorial addresses of 57 Supreme Court Justices in six volumes.

  • ABC-CLIO Supreme Court Handbooks
    In-depth studies of the Jay, Ellsworth, Taney, Taft, Hughes, Stone, Vinson, Warren, Burger, and Rehnquist courts with biographical information on the Justices.

  • U.S. Supreme Court Justices (Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Media)
    Includes biography, portrait, and links to opinions for all Justices and financial disclosure reports for 2002 to present.

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation Confidential Files: The U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Judges Subject File (KF8775 .F4 1991 Micro)
    This interesting microfilm collection contains documents from the FBI subject file on the Supreme Court maintained from 1932 until at least 1985. Topics include court security and the protection of Justices and materials on major Supreme Court cases, particularly those involving law enforcement and national security.

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Sources of Personal Papers of Justices

  • Collections of Papers at the Georgetown Law Library

    • Papers of Supreme Court Justices: Earl Warren (KF8745.W3 U55 Micro)
      Reproduced from the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, this 70 reel microfilm collection contains all the opinions of Chief Justice Earl Warren, as well as conference memoranda and correspondence from 1953 through 1974.

    • The Felix Frankfurter Papers (KF8745.F7 A4 1986 Micro)
      Case files of opinions and memoranda from 1938-1961 and correspondence and other related materials (209 reels)

    • The Louis Dembitz Brandeis Papers (KF8745.B67 L67)
      Papers related to October Terms 1916 to 1933 (94 reels)

    • The Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Papers (KF8745.H6 H6 1985 Micro)

    • The Salmon P. Chase Papers (John Niven et al. eds, 1993) (E415 .C48 1993)
      Five volume collection of Chase's journals and correspondence from 1823 to 1873.

    • Papers of Supreme Court Justices: Wiley Rutledge (KF8745.R7 U55 2010 Micro)

    • The Law Library also has various books containing Justices' correspondence and other papers, which can be found by searching GULLiver (the library catalog) by subject for "judges united states correspondence" or the Justice's name (last name first).

  • Finding Aids

    • Peter A. Wonders, Federal Judicial Center, Directory of Manuscript Collections Related to Federal Judges, 1789-1997 (1998) (KF8744 .W65 1998)
      Location of manuscript collections of federal judges. The directory is also available on the Federal Judicial Center's website in PDF and is incorporated into the entries in the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges.

    • Lee Epstein et al., The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments (4th ed. 2007) (KF8742 .S914 2007)
      See " Locations of the Justices' Personal Papers" (Table 5-11). Also available electronically through the CQ Electronic Library.

    • Manuscript Division Finding Aids Online (Library of Congress Manuscript Reading Room)
      Provides detailed registers of papers belonging to important figures in American history in the Library of Congress, including the following Supreme Court Justices: Hugo L. Black, Harry A. Blackmum, William J. Brennan, Harold H. Burton, Salmon P. Chase, William O. Douglas, Oliver Ellsworth, Felix Frankfurter, Arthur J. Goldberg, Charles Evans Hughes, Robert Houghwout Jackson, William Johnson, Horace Lurton, John Marshall, Thurgood Marshall, Samuel Miller, Wiley Rutledge, George Sutherland, William Howard Taft, Earl Warren, Byron R. White, and Levi Woodbury.

    • Alexandra K. Wigdor, The Personal Papers of Supreme Court Justices: A Descriptive Guide (1986) (KF8744 .W55)
      The Guide describes the personal papers collection of each Justice – the location, size, provenance and status, description, and access.

    • Adrienne deVergie & Maty Kate Kell, Location Guide to the Manuscripts of Supreme Court Justices (Rev. ed. 1981) (KF1 .T3 no. 24)
      Arranged alphabetically by Justice, this guide lists personal paper collections of other notable individuals containing correspondence, business papers, and official records from Justices.

  • Other

    • Federal Judicial History Office, A Guide to the Preservation of Federal Judges' Papers (2d ed. 2009) (KF8775 .G85)
      A guide for federal judges on the importance of judges' records and how to proceed with preserving personal papers. Available free online from the Federal Judicial Center.

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Financial Disclosures

The Ethics in Government Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 101-11 (2006) requires Supreme Court Justices and other federal personnel to 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 8,000 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 argument transcripts.

Opinions

Opinions of the Supreme Court are widely reported and readily available in printed reporters, loose-leaf services, online databases, 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 more information about opinions, see Information about Opinions and Where to Obtain Supreme Court Opinions on the Supreme Court's website.

Databases & Websites

  • Lexis and Westlaw
    Opinions first appear on Westlaw (SCT) and Lexis (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. 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

    For example:

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
  • U.S. Supreme Court Library (HeinOnline)
    Searchable and browseable PDF versions of every volume of the Supreme Court’s official reporter, United States Reports.

  • Audio Case Files
    Contains downloadable MP3 files of court opinions. Browse by subject or casebook and then sort by court to find available Supreme Court opinions. Instructions for accessing Audio Case Files are available here.

  • There are several educational, government, and commercial websites that offer judicial decisions free of charge; however, these sites do not provide the sophisticated searching that is available on LexisNexis or Westlaw and may not be comprehensive.  If you need to do a comprehensive search for Supreme Court cases, use Westlaw or LexisNexis. 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 Website
      Opinions are available beginning with the October 1991 Term. Provides PDFs of the United States Reports.

    • Google Scholar
      All Supreme Court decisions.

    • Justia
      All Supreme Court decisions; full text keyword search or browse by year or volume of United States Reports.

    • Legal Information Institute
      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 a number of "historic" decisions prior to that date. Full text keyword search or browse by topic, author, or party.

    • For additional sources of Supreme Court opinions free online, see our guide to Free and Low Cost Legal Research on the Web.

Print Reporters
Opinions of the Supreme Court are reported in three printed reporters:

  • United States Reports (U.S.) (KF101 .A2)
    Official version of Supreme Court opinions published by the Court. Publication of the U.S. Reports is several years behind, but opinions are available earlier in preliminary prints. Also available electronically in PDF through HeinOnline (Vol. 1 - ) and the Supreme Court's website (Vol. 502 - ).

  • Supreme Court Reporter (S. Ct.) (KF101 .A32)
    Unofficial version published by West with coverage beginning with the 1882 Term. Opinions appear approximately four to six weeks after the date of decision in advance sheets. As part of the West National Reporter System, opinions in the Supreme Court Reporter are assigned Topics and Key Numbers to assist researchers in finding additional cases. Also available electronically in PDF through Westlaw (SCT).

  • United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyer's Edition (L. Ed, L. Ed. 2d) (KF101 .A312)
    Unofficial version published by LexisNexis. Opinions appear approximately four to six weeks after the date of decision in advance sheets. In addition to the full text of the opinions, this version contains summaries of counsel briefs for each opinion and annotations on three to five important opinions in each volume. Also available electronically through LexisNexis (U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Lawyers' Edition).

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Finding Tools

Digests

Both West and LexisNexis publish digests specifically for Supreme Court cases. Both digests provide case summaries and contain a table of cases that lists in alphabetical order (by both plaintiff and defendant) every case decided by the Supreme Court with a citation to the full text of the decision. Digests also include cross-references, references to other research sources, such as Corpus Juris Secundum and Matthew Bender publications, and citations to U.S., S. Ct., and L. Ed. / L. Ed. 2d. For more information on using a case law digest, see our Using Digests guide or the Case Law Tutorial.

  • West's United States Supreme Court Digest (KF101.1 .A32)

  • LexisNexis's Digest of United States Supreme Court Reports (KF101.1 .D5)
Indexes
  • Linda A. Blandford & Patricia Russell Evans, Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1980: An Index to Opinions Arranged by Justice (1983) (KF101.6 .B57)
    Lists opinions (including dissents and concurrences) written by each justice from 1789 to 1980 and 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 or KeyCite (see the section on Citators, below).

  • Kelly S. Janousek, United States Supreme Court Decisions, 1778-1996: An Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions, 1980-1995 (2001) (KF101.6 .G83 2001)
    A continuation of Guenther's index.

  • 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
  • LexisNexis
    Shepardize Supreme Court cases using the U.S. Reports, Supreme Court Reporter, or United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyer's 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
    KeyCite Supreme Court cases using the U.S. Reports, Supreme Court Reporter, or United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyer's 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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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:

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Petitions for Writ of Certiorari

A petition for writ of 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:

  • LexisNexis: U.S. Supreme Court Briefs
    Selected petitions and related briefs as early as 1936. Availability is greater for more recent cases and cases granted certioriari.

  • Westlaw: SCT-PETITION
    Selected petitions and related briefs from 1985; does not include appendices filed with petitions.

  • U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1832-1978 (Making of Modern Law)
    This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978 and materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including cases where certiorari was denied.

  • SCOTUSblog
    View pending petitions ("Petitions We're Watching") under "Petitions." For other petitions, go to the case page (under "Merits Cases").

  • Findlaw
    Selected petition-stage briefs (OT 1999 to OT 2007) for cases where argument was scheduled.

  • Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States (KF101.9 .L3)
    Provides documents and oral arguments 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 & Gerhard Casper eds., 1975) (KF1641 .A57)

  • U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs (KF101.9 .U54 Micro)
    The Georgetown Law Library has an extensive collection of Supreme Court records and briefs on microfiche, including some cert. petitions:

    • 1832-1896: Provides cert. petitions only for cases where cert. was granted. Access to materials from this time period requires the use of an index.
    • 1897-1972: 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. The materials are arranged by the official U.S. Reports citation.
    • 1973-present: Provides cert. petitions for all cases, whether cert. was granted or denied. The briefs are arranged by docket number.

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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, if available, from all cases decided by the Supreme Court from 1832 to the present, and for all cases (including 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 Reference Desk. Current 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 1985 (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.

Where to Find Merit Briefs
  • LexisNexis: U.S. Supreme Court Briefs
    Merits briefs for cases granted certiorari from January 1979 to present (selected coverage from 1936).

  • Westlaw: SCT-BRIEFS
    Merits briefs from 1930 (some older briefs may be available).

  • The table below presents some useful sample searches for briefs in these two databases:
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 (Making of Modern Law)
    This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978 and materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including cases where certiorari was denied.

  • SCOTUSblog
    Briefs for cases granted certiorari starting in October Term 2007.

  • Findlaw
    Selected merits briefs (OT 1999 to OT 2007) for cases where argument was scheduled.

  • Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (American Bar Association)
    Provides merit briefs for cases granted certiorari beginning with the October 2003 term.

  • Office of the Solicitor General
    Merits briefs from 1982 to present (site does not include responses to "in forma pauperis" petitions).

  • 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 eds., 1975) (KF1641 .A57)

  • U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs (KF101.9 .U54 Micro)
    Merits briefs from 1832 to present. The method of locating briefs varies by date:

    • 1832-1896: Access to briefs from this time period requires the use of an index.
    • 1897-1972: Briefs are arranged by the official U.S. Reports citation.
    • 1973-present: Briefs are arranged by docket number.

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Where to Find Amicus Curiae Briefs
  • LexisNexis: U.S. Supreme Court Briefs
    Amicus briefs for cases granted certiorari from January 1979 to present (selected coverage from 1936).

  • Westlaw: SCT-BRIEFS
    Amicus briefs from 1930 (some older briefs may be available).

    • See the table under "Where to Find Merit Briefs" for useful sample searches in Lexis and Westlaw.

  • U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1832-1978 (Making of Modern Law)
    This database contains nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978 and materials from approximately 150,000 Supreme Court cases, including cases where certiorari was denied.

  • SCOTUSblog
    Briefs for cases granted certiorari starting in October Term 2007.
  • Office of the Solicitor General
    Amicus briefs from 1982 to present (site does not include responses to in forma pauperis ("IFP") petitions).

  • Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (American Bar Association)
    Provides amicus briefs for cases granted certiorari beginning with the October 2007 term.

  • Findlaw
    Selected amicus briefs (OT 1999 to OT 2007) for cases where argument was scheduled.

  • Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States (KF 101.9 .L3)
    Provides documents and oral arguments 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 & Gerhard Casper eds., 1975) (KF1641 .A57)

  • U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs (KF101.9 .U54 Micro)
    Merits briefs from 1832 to present. The method of locating briefs varies by date:

    • 1832-1896: Access to briefs from this time period requires the use of an index.
    • 1897-1972: Briefs are arranged by the official U.S. Reports citation.
    • 1973-present: Briefs are arranged by docket number.

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Oral Arguments

  • U.S. Supreme Court Website
    Transcripts (OT 2000 - ) are made available the same day as the argument, and audio recordings are posted on Fridays of each argument week (OT 2010 - ).

  • LexisNexis: United States Supreme Court Transcripts (October Term 1979 - )

  • Westlaw: SCT-ORALARG (October Term 1990 - )

  • OYEZ
    OYEZ has digitized recordings of the Court's proceedings. There are over 600 oral arguments from leading cases currently available with more added each year. The recordings of oral arguments at the National Archives provide the source material for this site. The Oyez Player overlays audio with text and identifies the speaker. Oyez also has transcripts. Available arguments begin in October Term 1955. Current arguments are not available until a few months after the end of a term.

  • Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States (KF 101.9 .L3)
    Provides documents and oral arguments 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 & Gerhard Casper eds., 1975) (KF1641 .A57)

  • May it Please the Court: The Most Significant Oral Arguments Made Before the Supreme Court Since 1955 (Peter Irons & Stephanie Guitton eds., 1993) (KF4748 M39)
    Provides the transcript and audio (cassette tapes) of oral arguments in 23 well-known Supreme Court cases, including Gideon v. Wainwright; Miranda v. Arizona; Roe v. Wade; and United States v. Nixon. Arguments are edited and narrated.

  • National Archives
    Audio recordings of oral arguments in Supreme Court cases from 1955 to present are available at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Note that oral argument recordings are not available to the general public during the current term and are transmitted to the National Archives at the beginning of the following term. For more information on oral argument recordings at the National Archives, contact the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section at (301) 837-3540 or mopix@nara.gov. Transcripts of oral arguments are also available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. For more information on oral argument transcripts at the National Archives, contact Archives I Reference, Textual Archives Services Division, at (202) 357-5385 or archives1reference@nara.gov.

  • Complete Oral Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States (KF101.9 .U542 Micro)
    Microfiche collection contains transcripts of all oral arguments since 1968 and selected arguments from 1952-1967. Prior to 1968, oral arguments were not regularly transcribed. The transcripts are received once a year, usually about 6-8 months after the end of the term.

  • United States Supreme Court Library
    All transcripts from October Term 1968 to present and select transcripts from 1935. For more information on the availability of transcripts and obtaining copies, contact the library at (202) 479-3186.

  • Supreme Court Oral Arguments of the University of Michigan Affirmative Action Cases (KF4755.5 S86)
    Oral arguments in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger. Videorecording (VHS) "features still picture images of the participants with audio only originally broadcast on April 1, 2003 (at approx. 12:15 pm ET) on C-SPAN Radio."

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Opinion Announcements

  • OYEZ
    Provides access to over 2,000 opinion announcement recordings.

  • National Archives
    Audio recordings for opinion announcements from 1955 to present are available at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Note that opinion announcements were not always recorded and/or transmitted to the Archives. Recordings are not available to the general public during the current term and are transmitted to the National Archives at the beginning of the following term. For more information on opinion announcement recordings at the National Archives, contact the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section at (301) 837-3540 or mopix@nara.gov.

  • For a compilation of oral dissents from October Term 1969 to October Term 2008 and additional information on the availability of opinion announcements, see Jill Duffy & Elizabeth Lambert, Dissents from the Bench: A Compilation of Oral Dissents by U.S. Supreme Court Justices,102 Law Libr. J. 7 (2010).

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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.

  • Full Dockets

    • Westlaw: DOCK-SCT (cases filed January 2000 - )

    • United States Supreme Court Website (October Term 2007 - )
      Search for dockets by Supreme Court docket number, lower court docket number, case name, or keyword. Includes questions presented.

    • National Archives
      Dockets from 1791- are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. For more information on the docket collection, search NARA's Microfilm Catalog for "docket supreme court" and read "View Important Publication Details" or contact Archives I Public Reference Information at (202) 357-5400.

  • Case Lists

    • United States Law Week (KF105 .U6) (1940, 1946 - )
      "Supreme Court Today" provides lists of and status information for cases in which certiorari has been granted. Also available
    • On the Docket (Oyez Project) (October Term 1998 - )
      In addition to a case list by Term, provides for each case basic information, such as date granted, argued, and decided; opinion authors; attorneys; and articles on the case.

    • FindLaw (October Term 1999 - )
      Case list by oral argument date; provides questions presented and links to lower court decisions, docket sheets, oral argument transcripts, and briefs.

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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:

  • LexisNexis: USCS - Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States (annotated)

  • Westlaw: US-RULES (annotated)
    Database contains U.S. Supreme Court rules along with the rules of many other federal courts. To find only rules of the U.S. Supreme Court, do a terms and connectors search that includes the following field restriction: ci(“s ct rule").

  • United States Supreme Court Website (unannotated)
    Provides the text of the rules with a subject index.

  • 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.

  • United States Code (KF62 2006 .A2)
    Rules are located at the end of the volume containing Title 28. The United States Code provides the text of the rules and advisory committee notes, but it 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. The United States Code is also available on FDsys and through HeinOnline.

  • United States Code Annotated (KF62 1927.A3)
    Rules are located after the Title 28 volumes. 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. The U.S.C.A. is also available on Westlaw (USCA).

  • United States Code Service (KF62 1972.U5].
    Rules are located after the Title 50 volumes. 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. The U.S.C.S. is also available on LexisNexis (USCS - United States Code Service: Code, Const, Rules & Public Laws).

  • Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States
    • HeinOnline's U.S Supreme Court Library includes a bibliography of forty-two rules pamphlets (1790-2010) available in the U.S. Supreme Court Library and rules and rules changes published in the U.S. Reports from 1790-2010.
    • The Georgetown Law Library has thirty-four of the thirty-nine pamphlets on microfiche (1790-1984) (KF9056 .A19 Micro) and five in print (1858, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 1997) (KF9056.A19 U96, KF9056 .A2 2006r).
    • Some of the rules pamphlets are also available from Google Books.

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Practice Materials

  • Gressman et al., Supreme Court Practice: For Practice in the Supreme Court of the United States (9th ed. 2007) (KF9057 .S8)

  • Federal Practice and Procedure (4th ed. 2008) ("Wright and Miller") (KF9619 .W7 2008)
    Also available on Westlaw (FPP).

  • Moore's Federal Practice (3d ed. 1997) (KF8820. A313 M63)
    Also available on LexisNexis:
  • David C. Frederick, Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy (2d ed. 2010) (KF8870 .F74)
    Includes chapters on common questions, common mistakes, and characteristics of the best advocates.

  • Reagan Wm. Simpson & Mary Vasaly, The Amicus Brief: How to Write It and Use It Effectively (3rd ed. 2010) (KF8748 .S536)

  • Case Handling Guides ( United States Supreme Court)
    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)
    Provides both instructions and the appropriate form for applying for admission to practice before the Supreme Court.

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SECONDARY SOURCES

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Bibliographies

  • The Supreme Court A to Z (Kenneth Jost ed., 3rd 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 & 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 unannotated 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.

  • Related Literature for United States Supreme Court Judicial Database, 1953-1997 Terms
    A selected bibliography of literature about the Supreme Court, prepared by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research to accompany its United States Supreme Court Judicial Database, 1953-1997 Terms.

  • 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. Also available electronically through Oxford Reference Online.

  • The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions (Kermit L. Hall & James W. Ely, Jr., eds, 2d ed. 2009) (KF4548 .O97)
    Includes over 450 entries on major Supreme Court cases and each entry includes a summary of the case and its background, reasoning, and impact as well as the U.S. Reports citation, date the case was argued and decided, final vote, and who concurred and dissented. Also available electronically from Oxford Reference Online.

  • Lee Epstein, et al. The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments (4th ed. 2007) (KF8742 .S914)
    An impressive collection of data tables on the most important aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court, including its development as an institution and the Justices’ backgrounds, nominations, and confirmations. Also available electronically through CQ Electronic Library.

  • 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 (5th ed. 2010) (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.

  • Kenneth Jost, The New York Times on the Supreme Court, 1857-2008 (KF8742 .J67 2009)
    A guide to the Supreme Court with extensive excerpts from the New York Times. Also available through the CQ Electronic Library.

  • D. Grier Stephenson, The Supreme Court and the American Republic: An Annotated Bibliography (1981) (KF8741.A1 S75)
    Includes sources that "reveal the origins of the court, its institutional and jurisdictional growth, its shaping of the Constitution, its numerous political imbroglios, and the values, traits, and deeds of the more than one hundred individuals who have comprised its membership."

  • Dorothy Campbell Tompkins, The Supreme Court of the United States: A Bibliography (1959) (KF8741.A1 T65)
    Annotated bibliography organized by subject: organization of the court, work of the court, relationship of the court and other branches of government, the Justices, and the Supreme Court and its controversies.

  • George H. Rutland, The Supreme Court: A Bibliography (2000) (KF8741.A1 R88)
    A bibliography organized by broad legal subjects: separation of powers, constitutional law, freedom of religion, judicial process, civil rights, freedoms, and judicial power. Also includes sections on history and the Justices and author and title indexes.

  • Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (2008) (KF8742.A35 E525)

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Journals

The following are selected journals that publish articles about the Supreme Court regularly.

  • Cato Supreme Court Review (Available in print (K3 .A8) and electronically from 2001 - )
    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.  Also available free online from the Cato Institute (2001 - ).

  • Constitutional Commentary (Available in print (K3 .O688) and electronically from 1984 - )
    From the University of Minnesota Law School, this is 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.

  • Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy (Available electronically from 2006 - )
    This journal "examines legal issues at the intersection of constitutional litigation and public policy." There is also an online edition, The Sidebar, which contains brief essays and notes on current trends and Supreme Court case commentaries.

  • Harvard Law Review (Available in print (K8 .A85) and electronically from 1887 - )
    "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."

  • Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly (Available in print (K8 .A87, 1974-2010) and electronically (1974 - ))
    The country's oldest law journal devoted exclusively to constitutional law.

  • Journal of Supreme Court History: Yearbook of the Supreme Court History Society (previously known as the Yearbook) (Available in print (K10 .O715, KF8741 .A15) from 1976-1995, 2000 to present, and electronically from March 2000 to present)
    “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.” Also available free online from the Supreme Court Historical Society (1976-1991).

  • Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (available in print (K16 .R291, current 2-3 years only) and electronically (1973 - ))
    Published by the Public Education Division of the American Bar Association, irregular, currently issued eight times a year.

  • Supreme Court Debates (Available in print (KF3436 .A3 S86) from 1998-2006 and electronically from 1998 to present)
    Monthly journal containing short articles debating current Supreme Court cases and controversies.

  • Supreme Court Economic Review (Available in print (K23 .U35, (1982-2010) and electronically (1982 - ))
    Published by The Law and Economics Center at George Mason University School of Law this is "an 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."

  • Supreme Court Review (Available in print (K23 .U4) and electronically from 1960 - )
    From the University of Chicago, this is “an 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."

  • Supreme Court Yearbook (Available in print (KF8741 .A152 S95) from OT1989 to OT2000 and electronically from OT1989 to present)
    From CQ Press, the Supreme Court Yearbook contains case summaries, year-end overviews, essays, and more.

  • The Third Branch (Available in print (K24 .H35, 1980 - ) and electronically (1968 - ))
    The monthly newsletter of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.     Also available free online from the U.S. Courts (1995 - )

  • University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law (Available in print (K25 .N687, 1998-2010) and electronically (1998 - ))

  • William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal (Available in print (K27 .I44, 1992-2010) and electronically (1992 - ))

  • Congressional Research Service, Supreme Court Opinions: October ____ Term
    The CRS publishes an annual report summarizing Supreme Court opinions for each term. Each opinion description includes the citation, date of decision, subjects headings, a short description, and the final vote and opinion authors. Many of these reports are not currently available to the public; however, available CRS reports on the Supreme Court may be found:

    • ProQuest Congressional (1916 - )
      To search CRS Reports, select Advanced Search under "Congressional Publications" and select "CRS Reports." Search by keyword or subject.

    • Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service (JK1108 .M34 Micro) (1916-2003)
      The library has a collection of CRS Reports on microfiche. Use the index to locate reports.

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Current Awareness

  • United States Law Week (KF105 .U6) (1940, 1946 - )
    "Supreme Court Today" contains the status and summaries of certiorari petitions, full text of Supreme Court opinions, oral argument schedules, selected oral argument summaries, a daily journal of proceedings, and annual reviews of Court's decisions. Updated daily; keyword search or browse by date or topic. Also available:

  • Liibulletin :The LII Supreme Court Bulletin
    A free e-journal written by law students at Cornell Law School that publishes case previews in advance of oral argument, syllabi of decided cases, and other information. Previews contain a case summary as well as links to additional sources, such as news articles, blog posts, and briefs. Subscribe to the Liibulletin to receive an email update; frequency varies.

  • Jurist (University of Pittsburg School of Law)
    Check this legal news site regularly for stories on the Supreme Court or see the Supreme Court news archive.

  • Washington Post - Coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court

  • New York Times - U.S. Supreme Court Topic

  • SCOTUSblog
    A blog that includes daily previews ("Today at the Court") and summaries (Round-ups), filings, transcripts, opinions and orders, commentary, court calendar, and other SCOTUS-related information.

  • On the Docket
    SCOTUS news blog that is part of the Oyez Project. In addition to case news since 1998, the site contains a court calendar and graphical timeline of cases.

  • Case by Case: The U.S. Supreme Court (Thomson Reuters)
    Brief description of current cases before the Court. Includes information on key issues and lead attorneys and links to news, analysis, and documents from TR News & Insight and Westlaw.

  • Newstex Blogs (LexisNexis)
    Database of blogs, including many legal blogs, updated daily.

  • Blogs on Demand (Westlaw)
    Database of blogs, including many legal blogs, updated frequently.

  • For more information, see Current Awareness Resources, specifically the general and Supreme Court resources.

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Databases

Below is a select list of databases to help you find journal articles, books, reports, news, and theses and dissertations on the Supreme Court.

  • Westlaw and LexisNexis
    Search the JLR database in Westlaw or the US Law Reviews and Journals, Combined database in Lexis to find journal articles on the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • Legal Periodicals and Books
    Database of article listings from nearly 1,000 English language legal periodicals and law books published from 1982 to the present. Publications include law reviews, bar association journals, university publications, yearbooks, and government publications. This database can be searched together with Legal Periodicals & Books Retrospective (1908 to 1981), which indexes approximately 750 journals. Also available in print KF8 .I4 (1926-2008) and on Westlaw (ILP).

  • LegalTrac
    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. Also available in print as the Current Law Index (KF8 .C8) (1980-2008) and in LexisNexis (Legal Resource Index) and Westlaw (LRI).

  • Academic Search Premier
    Provides full text for over 4,600 publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, and linguistics, arts and 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.

  • America: History and Life
    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-history to the present. Covers 1,800 journals in many languages and includes citations to book reviews, media reviews and dissertations. Coverage: 1954 – present.

  • International Political Science Abstracts
    Indexes and abstracts articles from major political science journals. Covers theory, government, political process, international relations, and national and area studies. Indexes over 1,000 international journals. Coverage: 1951 - present.

  • PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service International)
    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. Coverage: 1972 - present. Descriptor: United States Supreme Court.

  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
    Indexes and abstracts articles from over 1,700 political science, international relations, and public policy journals. Descriptor: United States Supreme Court.

  • Policy File
    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.

  • HeinOnline
    Legal database that contains the full text of legal documents in pdf format, in several collections. The U.S. Supreme Court Library contains court opinions, court rules, and books and periodicals on the Supreme Court. 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 publications, or the entire collection, are fully searchable by author or word in title, or keyword or phrase in full text.

  • JSTOR
    This database includes the full text of the articles from 340 scholarly 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.

  • Proquest Dissertations and Theses
    Includes 2.4 million dissertation and theses citations from around the world from 1861 to the present day together with 1 million full text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full text coverage for older graduate works.

  • The Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800-1926
    Includes a number of treatises on the Supreme Court and constitutional law.

  • United States Supreme Court Judicial Database Terms Series, Related Literature (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research)
    Partial list of articles using data from the United States Supreme Court Judicial Databases.

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Datasets and Statistical Sources

  • The Supreme Court Database (hosted by Washington University in St. Louis)
    Provides access to the data from Harold J. Spaeth's database with a user-friendly interface. There are 247 pieces of information available for each case, and the site provides case-centered and Justice-centered data. Data is currently available for October Term 1946 to October Term 2010. The database will be updated each term and is in the process of being back-dated to the court's first decision (1792). See Collection Status for more information.

  • The Judicial Research Initiative (JuRI) (University of South Carolina)
    This website includes the following data in SPSS, Stata, SAS, and ASCII formats: the Vinson-Warren Court Database, 1946-1968 Terms; the Expanded Burger Court Database, 1969-1985 Terms; the Justice-Centered Rehnquist Court Database, 1986-1998; the Justice-Centered Burger Court Database, 1969-1985 Terms; and the Justice-Centered Warren Court Database, 1953-1969 Terms.

  • United States Supreme Court Judicial Database Terms Series (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR))
    Data is available in the following formats: ACSII, SAS, SPSS, and Stata
  • The S. Sidney Ulmer Project: U.S. Supreme Court Databases
    The Spaeth and Gibson databases merged and expanded by Dr. Vanessa A. Baird. Data is available Stata, Excel, Text Delimited, and SPSS formats.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court Justices Database (Funded by the National Science Foundation and compiled and maintained by Lee Epstein et al.)
    This public database contains data on all individuals nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court from John Jay to Samuel Alito in five categories: "identifiers, background characteristics and personal attributes, nomination and confirmation, service on the Court, and departures from the bench." Data can be downloaded and analyzed with SPSS, Stata, and Excel.

  • Biographical Directory of Federal Judges (Federal Judicial Center)
    Simple, web-based database that enables users to search for Justices based on particular characteristics, such as by nominating president, gender, race or ethnicity, and reason for termination.

  • SCOTUSblog Statpack
    Statistics from October Term 1995 to present. These statistics have been published in U.S. Law Week and include information on disposition of cases, opinion authors, and votes and voting alignment.

  • Harvard Law Review (Available in print (K8 .A85) and electronically from 1887 - )
    The first issue of each volume of the Harvard Law Review is a review of the last Supreme Court term, and the issue includes a statistical summary.

  • Journal of the Supreme Court of the United States
    Term statistics are included in the beginning of the journal. Available electronically from HeinOnline (1902 - ), the Supreme Court's website (OT 1993 - ), and LLMC Digital (1892-2008).

  • Supreme Court Institute (Georgetown University Law Center)
    The Institute published Supreme Court Term Overviews from 2003 to 2006.

  • U.S. Law Week (Available in print (KF105 .U6) from 1940, 1946-present)
    Term statistics for the previous term are published in one of the first few issues of each volume of "Supreme Court Today." Also available electronically through:
  • Albert P. Blaustein & Roy M. Mersky, The First One Hundred Justices: Statistical Studies on the Supreme Court of the United States (1978) (KF8741 .A152 B6)

  • Lee Epstein, et al. The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments (4th ed. 2007) (KF8742 .S914)
    An impressive collection of data tables on the most important aspects of the U.S. Supreme Court, including its development as an institution and the Justices’ backgrounds, nominations, and confirmations. Also available electronically through CQ Electronic Library.

  • Associated Press Interactive
    This website has an interactive graphic showing voting alignment by Justice for OT2006, OT2007, and OT2008. Data is from the Georgetown University Law Center's Supreme Court Institute (OT2006) and from SCOTUSblog (OT2007-).

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Research Guides

In addition to this guide, there are many other freely available research guides on the U.S. Supreme Court:

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Web Sites

  • Supreme Court of the United States
    The official website of the U.S. Supreme Court. The site provides background information about the Court, as well as the docket (OT 2007 - ), opinions (OT 1991 - ), orders (OT 1993 - ), rules (current), oral argument transcripts (OT 2000 - ), oral argument recordings (OT 2010 - ), and the oral argument schedule.

  • U.S. Courts
    The official website 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, and more. It also provides access to the websites of various federal courts.

  • Administrative Office of the United States Courts
    The AOC provides a wide range of administrative, legal, financial, management, program, and information technology services to the federal courts.  The AOC 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 AOC 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
    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 website provides general information about the Conference--its membership and committees--as well as the proceedings of its meetings (1958 - ).

  • Federal Judicial Center
    Established by Congress in 1967 (28 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 include "conducting and promoting orientation and continuing education and training for federal judges, court employees, and others; developing recommendations about the operation and study of the federal courts; conducting and promoting research on federal judicial procedures, court operations, and history.  By statute, 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 and the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges (1789 - ).

  • 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 various information about history of the Court, the Justices, and the building. The site also includes a detailed guide on researching the Supreme Court.

  • Supreme Court Collection (Legal Information Institute)
    It provides access to Supreme Court decisions (1990 to present plus a number of "historic" opinions), orders, and rules as well as commentary and analysis (LII Supreme Court Bulletin) and links to briefs and oral argument recordings and transcripts.

  • OYEZ: U.S. Supreme Court Media
    The OYEZ Project provides access to more than 3,000 hours of Supreme Court audio recordings of oral argument and opinion announcements as well as other media.

  • C-SPAN America & the Courts: Supreme Court
    Provides links to videos, audio, and special programs on the Supreme Court.

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ORGANIZATIONS WITH A FOCUS ON THE SUPREME COURT/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

Academic or Research Institutes

  • Supreme Court Institute (Georgetown University Law Center)
    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 website provides access to articles and presentations (real audio / transcripts) sponsored by the Institute.

  • Center for Constitutional Studies (Cato Institute)
    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 website provides access to many of the center's publications, including legal briefs and issues of the Cato Supreme Court Review (2001 - ).

  • Akron Law Center for Constitutional Law (The University of Akron School of Law)
    Established by the U.S. Congress in 1986, 20 U.S.C. § 4516, "[t]he primary purpose of the Center is to promote scholarship concerning the United States Constitution, to commemorate the creation of that document, and to help illuminate its application to modern times." The Center has a moot court program for lawyers arguing before the Ohio Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit, or the U.S. Supreme Court, and it holds symposia on constitutional law.

  • Drake Constitutional Law Center (Drake University School of Law)
    Established by the U.S. Congress in 1986, 20 U.S.C. § 4516, "the Center's mission is to foster study of the U.S. Constitution, its roots, its formation, its principles, and development." The Center hosts the Opperman Lecture series and an annual symposium on constitutional law.

Advocacy Groups

  • American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)
    The American Center for Law and Justice is " dedicated to the concept that freedom and liberty are universal, God-given and inalienable rights that must be protected." The website includes reports on legislative issues of interest to ACLJ, summaries of litigation the ACLJ has been involved in; various issue briefs; and more.

  • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Supreme Court
    The ACLU works to "defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." The Supreme Court page provides term summaries and access to legal briefs filed by the ACLU in civil liberties cases from October Term 1996 to present.

  • American Constitution Society (ACS)
    The ACS "believes that law should be a force to improve the lives of all people" and "works for positive change by shaping debate on vitally important legal and constitutional issues through development and promotion of high-impact ideas to opinion leaders and the media; by building networks of lawyers, law students, judges and policymakers dedicated to those ideas; and by countering the activist conservative legal movement that has sought to erode our enduring constitutional values. The website includes issue briefs (2004 - ), links to issues of the Harvard Law and Policy Review (2007 - ), symposium papers, videos of ACS events, and the ACSblog. The site also provides access to ACS ResearchLink. which is a collection of both legal research topics submitted by practitioners for law student writing projects and completed papers.

  • American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI)
    AEI is "dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare" and is "committed to expanding liberty increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise. AEI sponsors a wealth of research that examines the legal and constitutional aspects of current policy controversies. Access publications and events about the Supreme Court and constitutional law in the judicial section. The website also includes access to AEI's Constitutional Outlook series (formerly the Federalist Outlook) from 2001 - present, links to the Enterprise Blog, and more.

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Updated 12/2011 (MMS)

 

Page last saved 20-Dec-2011