The 2011-2012 term of the United States Supreme Court begins Monday, October 3, 2011, the first Monday in October.  In most terms, the Court usually completes its work by the following July 1.  Of the approximately 10,000 petitions filed with the Court each term, very few cases are granted review and receive signed opinions. Many […]

On March 18, 1963, the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, a case that made significant changes to the face of criminal law in the United States. Charged with breaking and entering into a Florida pool hall, Clarence Earl Gideon could not afford an attorney. After being convicted and sentenced to […]

This coming Monday October 4, “the first Monday in October,” marks the beginning of a new term for the U.S. Supreme Court.  Why do Supreme Court terms always begin on the first Monday in October?  Watch this 2-minute video from the Clerk of the Supreme Court to learn why.

C-SPAN, the non-profit cable network whose mission is to provide public access to the political process, offers an extraordinarily rich source of video content via its Supreme Court Week web site. (You can also access the site through the Mendik Library’s online catalog.) The site includes the C-SPAN documentary The Supreme Court: Home to America’s […]

The Law Library of Congress joins the University of Michigan Law Library in offering its own comprehensive web page detailing the background of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.  The page contains links or cites to Kagan’s articles and books, transcripts of her oral arguments in the Supreme Court, the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Kagan’s […]

The University of Michigan’s Law Library has created an informational web page for the latest nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan. The web page includes biographical information about Elena Kagan, links to her authored works, transcripts of speeches and links to confirmation hearings for Ms. Kagan’s nomination as Solicitor General. The site […]

The Law Library of Congress has created a new resources page on Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor.  The page contains links and citations to Judge Sotomayor’s writings as well as a variety of web resources.  The page will most likely be updated as more material becomes available online.    

Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, which would allow photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising of court proceedings except when it would violate a party’s due process rights.  A similar bill is already pending in the House.  Complete information about the bill (S. 352) is available from THOMAS.

CourTopics, the NCSC court information database, features in-depth information on court-related topics. Features include Resource Guides, Overviews, Frequently Asked Questions, State Links, and much more.

From Law.com C-SPAN announced Monday that Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. has approved its request for same-day release of the audio of Supreme Court oral arguments set for Dec. 5 in Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States. The cases, testing the habeas corpus rights of Guantanamo detainees, were deemed of sufficient public […]