LibGuides: Government Information: Judicial Branch Resources

Judicial Branch Resources

Branches of the U.S. Government
Learn about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the U.S. government on USA.gov
Congressional Research Service
Users can search the Congressional Research Service database for CRS Reports pertaining to Supreme Court nominations.
Constitution Annotated
The Constitution Annotated provides an overview of how the Constitution has been interpreted over time. The Constitution Annotated also includes discussions of the Supreme Court's latest opinions. Researcher's can browse explanations by Articles of the Constitution or Amendments to the Constitution. There are also links to additional resources such as a table of Supreme Court decisions overruled by subsequent decisions.
Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation
The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, popularly known as the Constitution Annotated can be accessed via govinfo. The Constitution annotated encompasses the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. Visit constitution.congress.gov to access the Library of Congress' regularly updated online version of the Constitution Annotated.
CourtListener (RECAP)
From the Free Law Project, the CourtListener database provides free access to primary legal materials. The case law content includes opinions from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Federal Appellate Courts, U.S. Federal District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts, and U.S. State Supreme and Appellate Courts.
Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center is the research and education agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. government. The Federal Judicial Center conducts empirical and exploratory research on case management, court administration, rules of procedure, and similar matters. The Center also educates those employed by the courts on subjects including law, case management, the judicial role, leadership, ethics, and court management.
FindLaw
FindLaw maintains a searchable database of U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1760. It also has information about the U.S. Code, U.S. Constitution, and state codes and caselaw. It also provides access to decisions from state supreme courts and state appellate courts.
Justia
Justia provides free access to federal and state court decisions, codes, and regulations as well as recent dockets and selected case filings from the US federal district and appellate courts.

Nexis Uni (Lexis Nexis)
Covers newspapers, magazines, wire services, federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes, federal regulations, and SEC filings such as 10-Ks,10-Qsand their exhibits. News information is updated daily and wire services several times daily. Research areas in LexisNexis Academic cover top news, general news topics, and news transcripts; non-English language news sources; company, industry, and market news; legal news; company financial information; general medical and health topics and medical abstracts; accounting, auditing, and tax information; law reviews; federal case law; U.S. Code; and state legal research.

Oyez
Oyez (pronounced OH-yay) is a free law project from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute (LII), Justia, and Chicago-Kent College of Law. It is a multimedia archive devoted to making the Supreme Court of the United States accessible to everyone. It is the most complete source for all of the Court’s audio since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.
Supreme Court of the United States
The official website of the Supreme Court. Users can search for information about the Court as well as read opinions and oral arguments.
United States Court of Federal Claims
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims allows citizens to file claims for money against the federal government. The court has nationwide jurisdiction and its judges may hear cases anywhere in the United States. The court is authorized to hear primarily money claims founded upon the Constitution, federal statutes, executive regulations, and contracts (express or implied in fact) with the United States.
United States Court of International Trade
The United States Court of International Trade, established under Article III of the Constitution, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of the customs and international trade laws of the United States.
United States Courts
The official website of federal courts within the United States. Users can search for a federal court by location or court name. The website also includes information about the Judicial Branch, judges and judgeships, statistics, reports, and court records.
United States Courts Opinions
United States Courts Opinions (USCOURTS) collection is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) to provide public access to opinions from selected United States appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts.
United States Government Manual
As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions.
United States Reports
The official opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court are available from the Library of Congress for years 1754-2003. U.S. Reports are available on the Supreme Court website for years 1991 to the most recent publication.

About the Judicial Branch

In contrast to the executive and legislative branches where leaders obtain their positions through an election, members of the judicial branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Article III of the United States Constitution established the Judicial Branch and left Congress the power to determine the structure of the federal judiciary. Congress has also established courts that are inferior to the Supreme Court, such as the district courts which try most federal cases. There are also 13 courts of appeal which review appealed district court cases.

Federal Courts possess the power to interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and then apply the law to individual cases. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court and all inferior courts are constrained by the decisions of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court does not hear appeals as a matter of right; instead, parties must petition the Court for a writ of certiorari. The Court's practice is to “grant cert” if four of the nine Justices decide that they should hear the case. If the Court grants certiorari, Justices accept legal briefs from the parties to the case, as well as from amicus curiae, or “friends of the court.” Before issuing a ruling, the Supreme Court usually hears oral arguments. If the case involves the federal government, the Solicitor General of the United States presents arguments on behalf of the United States. The Justices then hold private conferences, make their decision, and issue the Court’s opinion along with any dissenting arguments that may have been written.