LibGuides: Paralegal Studies: The Courts

The Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government

The Judicial Branch of the Government includes the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the country, and lower Federal courts. Courts hear arguments and issue decisions about the interpretation and application of laws and whether they violate the Constitution.

Supreme Court of the United States
United States Courts
United States Courts Opinions
United States Courts Opinions (USCOURTS) collection is a pilot project between the U.S. Government Printing 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. The content of this collection dates back to April 2004, though searchable electronic holdings for some courts may be incomplete for this earlier time period.

U.S. Courts News

SCOTUSblog - The Supreme Court of the United States blog

Additional Resources

Docket
The automated docket system is the Court's case tracking system. It contains information about cases, both pending and decided. The docket provided on this page contains information regarding the status of cases for both the current Term and the prior Term.
United States Reports
Contain opinions by the Supreme Court of the United States. Available in print format.
Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)
An electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts, and the PACER Case Locator via the Internet.
The Oyez Project
The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.