Overview - U.S. Supreme Court Research - LibGuides at University of San Francisco School of Law

In This Guide...

This guide covers:

news about the Court
pending case information
opinions
briefs and petitions
oral argument transcripts
justices - biographies and other information
books and articles about the court
statistical information about the Court.

For advice specific to your research, ask a research librarian at the Zief Library Research Desk, or call 415.422.6773.

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Getting Started

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Best Web Sites

Supreme Court of the United States
The official web site of the Court. Offers: same-day slip opinions; the current docket; oral argument transcripts; merit briefs (via the ABA); court rules; case handling guides; calendars and schedules; public and visitor information.
SCOTUSblog
Not just a blog! SCOTUSblog also has or links to opinions, oral argument transcripts and audio, and statistical information.
Justia's U.S. Supreme Court Center
Links to opinions, news, constitutional law blogs, and other resources on the Court.
Cornell Legal Information Institute's Supreme Court Collection
Opinions and other information, such as orders, calendars, and case updates (including oral argument previews)
Oyez - U.S. Supreme Court Media
The "authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955," plus information about the court, its opinions, and its justices, the Oyez Baseball quiz, and a Podcast of newly-added media.
Supreme Court Historical Society
Profiles of justices, historical sketches, documentaries, teaching materials, selected content from the Journal of Supreme Court History, and a PDF guide on Researching the Court.
Solicitor General of the U.S.
The Solicitor General "supervise[s] and conduct[s] government litigation in the United States Supreme Court." The site includes Supreme Court briefs filed by the Solicitor General and historical information.

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Best Introductory Books

These books cover the Court's procedures, history, and justices, and can lead you to further, more detailed, research resources.

The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction - Linda Greenhouse

Call Number: KF 8742 .G744 2012 Law Open Reserve

ISBN: 0199754543

Publication Date: 2012

A concise overview based on insights from 30 years on the New York Times Supreme Court beat.

The Supreme Court A to Z, 4th ed. - Kenneth Jost, ed.

Call Number: KF 8742 .A35 S8 2007 Law Reference

Lengthy alphabetical entries discussing justices or defining terms (e.g., "assigning opinions," "docket," "Solicitor General"), and concepts (e.g., "incorporation doctrine," "political question") .

The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States - Kermit Hall, et al., eds.

Call Number: KF 8742 .A35 O93 2005 Law Reference

Short alphabetically-arranged essays on people, cases, concepts and doctrines (e.g., "federalism"), statutes, etc. Includes suggestions for further reading. (Available to the USF community via Oxford Reference Online (ORO). Connect to ORO, select "Law" from the "Subject Reference" list, then select "The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States.")

Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 5th ed. - David G. Savage

Call Number: KF 8742 .W567 2010 Law Reference

A more elaborate, two-volume version of The Supreme Court at Work, below. Covers much of the same ground but in greater detail.

The Supreme Court at Work, 2d ed. - Joan Biskupic & Elder Witt

Call Number: KF 8742 .S912 1997 Law Reference

Covers: history; operation; traditions; people; courtrooms; cost; members of the court. Appendix includes documents, tables, data, lists (e.g., of Acts of Congress held unconstitutional).

Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court, 2d ed. - Paul Finkelman & Melvin I. Urofsky

Call Number: KF 4549 .F56 2008 Law Reference

Succinct summaries of the cases, with suggestions for further research.

Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, 2d ed. - Leonard W. Levy & Kenneth L. Karst, eds.

Call Number: KF 4548 .E53 2000 Law Reference

Thorough scholarly articles about cases, concepts, justices, suggestions for further research.

Supreme Court Practice, 9th ed. - Eugene Gressman, et al.,

Call Number: KF 9057 .S8 2007 Law Open Reserve

Covers in detail: the Court's jurisdiction to review decisions of state and federal courts; the process by which the Court decides whether to grant cert.; specific procedures for handling appeals. (Published by BNA in 2007.)

How to Research the Supreme Court - Fenton S. Martin & Robert Goehlert

Call Number: KF 8741 .A1 M36 1992 Law Reference

Thorough discussion of strategies and resources. Contains a selected bibliography of major works covering all aspects of the Court and its work.