Researching United States Supreme Court Justices Law 590

Researching United States Supreme Court Justices Law 590 -202 Senior Seminar (Supreme Court Decisions) June 29, 2006 James E. Duggan

Why is it important? Knowing a justice’s background may give you insight into how the justice thinks… n If you know what arguments a justice responds to, you can prepare briefs and oral arguments in an influential way. n Unlike juries, you cannot usually pick a court bench. But, you should think how the court views all aspects of your case as you would a jury. n

Potential Predictors of Judicial Decisions How have justices ruled in the past? What alliances have justices formed? n How have justices responded to arguments? n What questions have justices asked in oral arguments? n How have justices responded to briefs? n What have justices said in speeches? Other writings? Interviews? n

Potential Predictors of Judicial Decisions Biographical Information n Nomination/Confirmation Battles n What has been written about the justice n Political Science Studies/Supreme Court Forecasting Project n Personal Connections/Anecdotal Information/Blogs n

Getting Started: Researching the Supreme Court Martin & Goehlert, How to Research the Supreme Court (CQ, 1992) n Stern, Gressman, Shapiro & Geller: Supreme Court Practice, 8 th ed. (CQ, 2002) n Epstein, Segal, Spaeth & Walker, The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions & Development, 2 nd. Ed (CQ: 1996) n

Getting Started: Researching the Supreme Court Paddock, Facts about the Supreme Court of the United States (H. W. Wilson & Co. , 1996) n Bader & Mersky, The First One Hundred Eight Justices (W. S. Hein & Co. , 2004) n

Getting Started: Researching the Supreme Court Lambert, U. S. Supreme Court Research. Select Internet Sites (on LLRX) n Official U. S. Supreme Court Website n

How Have Justices Ruled in the Past? n Search for their opinions on Lexis. Nexis & Westlaw – Lexis. Nexis: Use Segment Search: Opinionby, Writtenby, Dissentby, Concurby – Westlaw: Use Field Search: JU (judge), CON (Concurring), DIS (dissenting) – Remember to search for opinions prior to service on Supreme Court; may also want to search for cases they argued as attorneys

What Alliances Have Justices Formed? Lexis. Nexis and Westlaw Search: Look at who joins the justice in the opinion (concurrence, dissent, etc. ) n Look at commentary about Court in newspapers, legal journals, etc. n See postings on SCOTUSblog (linked from SIU Law Library webpage) n

Justices: Oral Arguments & Responses n Look at texts of oral arguments: – http: //www. supremecourtus. gov/ – Official transcript proceedings before the Supreme Court of the United States [SIU microform] – May it please the court [sound recording] : the most significant oral arguments made before the Supreme Court since 1955 n OYEZ-U. S. Supreme Court Multimedia

Briefs Lexis. Nexis & Westlaw n http: //www. supremecourtus. gov/ n http: //www. abanet. org/publiced/preview/ home. html n Landmark briefs and arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States (SIU) n U. S. Supreme Court records and briefs [microform] n

Speeches, Writings, Interviews n n n Check Index to Legal Periodicals & Wilson. Web Checks News files on both Lexis. Nexis & Westlaw See Partin’s Supreme Court Research Guide & Bibliography Book Example: Sandra Day O’Connor, The Majesty of the Law (Random House, 2003) Historically, locate papers collections (generally at major universities) Library of Congress Resources (ex: Alito)

Biographical Information Friedman and Israel, The Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Major Opinions (Vol. V, Chelsea House, 1995) n The American Bench: Judges of the Nation n Almanac of the Federal Judiciary n Be careful, though… n

Biography Examples Andrew Peyton Thomas, Clarence Thomas: a Biography (Encounter Books, 2001) n Nancy Maveety, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: Strategist on the Supreme Court (Rowan & Littlefield, 1996) n Kevin A. Ring, ed. , Scalia Dissents : Writings of the Supreme Court's Wittiest, Most Outspoken Justice (Regnery, 2004) n

Nomination/Confirmation Battles n Lots of information surfaces at a confirmation hearing: – Newspaper/Media files (Lexis. Nexis/Westlaw) – Mersky & Jacobstein, The Supreme Court of the United States : hearings and reports on successful and unsuccessful nominations of Supreme Court Justices by the Senate Judiciary Committee, 1916 -1993 (W. S. Hein & Co, 1993 -1995).

Nomination/Confirmation Battles – A Field Guide to the Alito Confirmation Hearings n n n http: //www. law. com/jsp/article. jsp? id=1136541915440 Gearing Up for the Alito Confirmation Hearings: Documents Fuel the Debate http: //lawprofessors. typepad. com/law_librarian_blog/ 2006/01/gearing_up_for__1. html Alito Coverage from the Law Professor Blogs Network http: //lawprofessors. typepad. com/law_librarian_blog/ 2006/01/alito_coverage_. html

Nomination/Confirmation Battles – Searchable Version of John Roberts Confirmation Hearings and Court Opinions – http: //www. asksam. com/ebooks/John. Roberts/confirmat ion_hearing. asp – Background Information for Senate Confirmation of John Roberts – http: //lawprofessors. typepad. com/law_librarian_blog/2 005/09/background_info. html – Parsing John Roberts – http: //lawprofessors. typepad. com/law_librarian_blog/2 005/08/parsing_john_ro. html

About the Justice: Books, Articles, etc. n Use various indexes/databases to search for materials: – – OCLC First Search Library Catalogs Periodical Indexes (ILP, Legal. Trac, Wilson. Web, etc. ) Silverburg, Index to Law School Theses & Dissertations (W. S. Hein & Co. , 1995) – Comprehensive Dissertation Index (Law & Political Science; Social Sciences and Humanities)

About the Justice: Books, Articles, etc. Examples Epstein & Knight, The Choices Justice Make (CQ Press, 1998) n Johnson, Oral Arguments and Decision Making on the United States Supreme Court (SUNY Press, 2004) n Cooper & Ball, The United States Supreme Court: From the Inside Out (Prentice Hall, 1996) n

About the Justice: Books, Articles, etc. Examples Perry, “The Supremes”: Essays on the Current Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States (Peter Lang, 1999) n Clayton & Gillman, Supreme Court Decision Making: New Institutionalist Approaches (University of Chicago Press, 1999) n

About the Justice: Books, Articles, etc. Examples Segal & Spaeth, The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model Revisited (Cambridge University Press, 2002) n Savage, Turning Right: The Making of the Rehnquist Supreme Court (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. , 1992). n

Political Science Studies/Forecasting Models n See Morris Library’s Social Science Indexes for political science journal articles, etc.

Forecasting Models

Personal Connections/Anecdotal Information/Blogs n Who do you know? – Clerks/other Employees – Attorneys who have argued before the Supreme Court n Who can you hire? – Georgetown’s Supreme Court Institute

Blogs The Rutherford Institute Court Watch n About U. S. Politics: Supreme Court n Judicial Confirmation Network n