Where can I get Supreme Court records?

July 20, 2005 12:06 AM

Where can I find the text of briefings filed with the Supreme Court? Also, where can I find a list of cases a lawyer has participated in?

I'm working on an entry for knowmore.org regarding John Roberts, and we're trying to find out a little more information regarding the points of view he has advocated specifically concering issues of importance. There are a lot of articles that cite this information, so we know there must be some way to find these documents.

posted by Embryo to law & government (6 comments total)

For briefs, you can go right to the source.

As for a list of cases, I know Lexis and Westlaw have a feature that you can search cases for the listed counsel. Unfortunately, both those sources require $$ for access. If you don't have an account (or know someone that does), check your local library - sometimes they have limited access to those sources.
posted by dicaxpuella at 12:52 AM on July 20, 2005

I'm assuming you don't want to pay for this, because otherwise a simple LexisNexis or WestLaw search would give you what you need. You can find briefs here but they only go back so far, so I don't think they'd be useful to you. You might try poking around the Supreme Court's website. You could also visit a law library, though if you haven't done legal research before, it'll be difficult to find the information you're looking for. (If you go this route, ask a law librarian for help.) Also, many law libraries have restricted access, so you might need to have someone do the research on your behalf.

In general, even with LexisNexis or WestLaw, it's virtually impossible to know for sure what cases a lawyer has participated in, though it's much easier if you only care about cases before the Supreme Court.

Incidentally, while the briefs a lawyer writes can give valuable insight into the lawyer's attitudes and beliefs, keep in mind that the lawyer is writing from her client's point of view, not her own. You'll have much better luck in finding insights about a person's position on legal matters by the law review articles they've written, if any (which can also be found through WestLaw and LexisNexis).
posted by EatenByAGrue at 1:01 AM on July 20, 2005

I see I've repeated what dicaxpuella has managed to say so succinctly, but I do want to add that Lexis, at least, does have some services that are free, so it can't hurt to poke around on the Lexis and Westlaw websites to see what's available.
posted by EatenByAGrue at 1:04 AM on July 20, 2005

The U.S. Department of Justice website has government briefs back to 1997. On Oyez.org they have an incomplete list of Supreme Court cases that Roberts has argued (here and here) as well as the audio files, so you can listen to him at work.

The documents are also on LEXIS or Westlaw, if you have access or know a student who does.
posted by willbaude at 7:30 AM on July 20, 2005

The best place to start is by calling the court's clerk and asking how long they hang on to old briefs. What they don't have, the National Archives should have. Do not trust LEXIS or Westlaw to be comprehensive.
posted by profwhat at 9:52 AM on July 20, 2005

Similarly, the Solicitor General's Office has a number of briefs online.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:43 AM on July 20, 2005