Research Guides: Federal Government Documents & Legislation Research Guide: Court Materials

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Westlaw's reporters and digests use a topic and key number system. When searching Westlaw online, the topic is assigned a number. These numbers can be accessed from Westlaw home page. Best bet topics:

106 Courts
170B Federal Courts

LexisNexis includes a similar system. These chosen subject terms can be located with a case's headnotes, or browse the full list from the top of Lexis home page.

U.S. Courts

U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Getting Started

U.S. Supreme Court Cases [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
Contains all U.S. Supreme Court cases since 1790.
U.S. Supreme Court Cases Lawyers' Edition [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
Contains all U.S. Supreme Court cases since January, 1790.
U.S. Supreme Court Library [HeinOnline] This link opens in a new window
Contains official U.S. Reports starting with Volume 1 as well as wealth of books, periodicals, rules, and more.

U.S. Supreme Court Briefs: Digging In

U.S. Supreme Court Briefs [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
Contains briefs filed in the U.S. Supreme Court since 1930.
U.S. Supreme Court Briefs [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
Contains briefs filed in the U.S. Supreme Court since August 12, 1936.
U.S. Attorney General Opinions [HeinOnline] This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to the Official Opinions of the Attorney General of the United States (1791 to 1982), Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice (1977 to 2008), and other published Attorney General opinions. The format is image-based, presenting the exact page image and complete contents of the original materials.
Making of Modern Law: U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs [Gale] This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive online collection of U.S. Supreme Court records and briefs (1832-1978). Topics include the Court’s interpretation of the Constitution and its amendments, states’ rights and national sovereignty, business and labor law, civil rights and gender law, and much more.
Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises 1800-1926 [Gale] This link opens in a new window
22,000 legal treatises digitized and searchable on U.S. and British law from 1800 -1926. Presenting the exact page image and complete contents of the original materials.

Solicitor General
Office of the Solicitor General briefs from 1982-1997.

U.S. Supreme Court Journals

Some journal titles are listed twice as they are available in multiple locations.

Periodicals of the U.S. Supreme Court [HeinOnline] This link opens in a new window
Access to Journal of the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Economic Review, Supreme Court Review, Supreme Court Reporter, U.S. Supreme Court Bulletin, and more. Some tiles include indexed articles that are not (yet) available in full text.
Federal Rules Decisions Articles [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
Coverage begins with 1938.

Federal Courts Law Review
Since 1997, U.S. Magistrate Judges and law school professors combine the insight of the federal judiciary with the perspective of law school academics. Published by Federal Magistrate Judges Association (FMJA).

Federal Courts Law Review [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
Since 1997, U.S. Magistrate Judges and law school professors combine the insight of the federal judiciary with the perspective of law school academics. Published by Federal Magistrate Judges Association (FMJA).

Supreme Court Review [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
1996 - current.
Supreme Court Review [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
1993-current.

Supreme Court Economic Review [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
1995 - current.
Supreme Court Economic Review [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
1995-current.

Books on U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court in American Politics by Isaac Unah
Call Number: KF 8742 U52 2010
Publication Date: 2011
Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy: Mastering Oral Argument by David C. Frederick
Call Number: KF 8870 .F74 2010
Publication Date: 2002
Foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Series: Supreme Court in American life
Publication Date: 1968 - 1986
The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions by Kermit L. Hall (Editor)
Call Number: KF 4548 O97 1999
ISBN: 9780195118834
Publication Date: 1999
Understanding Supreme Court Opinions by Tyll Van Geel
Call Number: KF 8742 V36 2005
ISBN: 9780321159694
Publication Date: 2004

U.S. Supreme Court: Additional Materials

U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments [Westlaw] This link opens in a new window
Includes transcripts of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court beginning in 1990
U.S. Supreme Court Transcripts [LexisNexis] This link opens in a new window
Includes transcripts of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court beginning October 1, 1979.

U.S. Supreme Court
Website has links to court's docket, rules, opinions, orders, oral arguments, and briefs on the merits.
Federal Judicial Center
Created in 1967 to improve judicial administration, this site includes information about federal court operations and procedures, and court history, including biographies of federal court judges since 1789.
Oyez Project -- U.S. Supreme Court Media
Archive of Court decisions from 1792 to the present, including audio of oral arguments starting from 1955, case abstracts, transcripts, and information on justices.
U.S. Supreme Court Center [Findlaw]
Covers opinions from 1893 to the present, briefs from 1999-2007.
Supreme Court [Legal Information Institute, LII]
Website from Cornell covering cases from 1990 to the present and over 600 of the Court's most important decisions from the founding to the present. The site is searchable by topic, party, author, and current decisions.
U.S. Courts
Website of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Site includes information about the U.S. Supreme Court, Appellate Courts, District Courts, and Bankruptcy Courts, including court locator and statistical reports.

Circuit and District Courts

Related LibGuide: New Mexico Legal Research Guide

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Includes court rules, recent and select older opinions, calendars, briefs, oral arguments.
U.S. District Court for District of New Mexico
Includes links to recently filed cases, rules, online forms.
Federal Law, Judicial Opinions [Legal Information Institute, LII]
Includes links to websites and opinions of circuit courts, special jurisdiction courts, and district courts.
Federal Court Locator
Includes map with information on locating court location and contact information.

Legal Research Guides

Federal Government Documents & Legislation Research Guide: Court Materials