The Federal Courts: A Guide to Selected Sources
Charlene C. Cain and Mary Johns
rev. August 2002
Table of Contents
Federal Courts : A Guide to Selected Sources
Charlene C. Cain and Mary Johns August 2002
NOTICE: The purpose of this pathfinder is to assist in the identification and use of potentially relevant sources of lega l information. Nothing in this document should be interpreted as legal advice. Items cited in this pathfinder can be located using the library’s catalog. Also, many of the items cited can be used electronically through LEXIS, WESTLAW, and the Internet.
Constitutional & Statutory Authority
Provisions creating the Supreme Court and establishing the judicial branch of the federal government: Article III of the US Constitution, as modified by the 11th Amendment.
The Constitution of the United States of America : analysis and interpretation : analysis of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 28, 2002. Washington: US GPO, 2004. (New edition every 6 years)
Reserve KF 4527 .K55 2004
GPO Access Online
Current Laws Concerning the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
United States Code (USC) Title 28
Westlaw, USC database
FindLaw
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/28
House of Representatives’ Office of Law Revision Counsel
http://uscode.house.gov/
Cornell’s Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28/usc_sup_01_28.html
United States Code Annotated (USCA), Title 28
2nd Floor, Federal Collection
4th Floor, Research Collection
Westlaw, USCA database
United States Code Service (USCS), Title 28
2nd Floor, Federal Collection
LEXIS, Genfed library, USSCSCT, USCS files
Decisions
How to Find Federal Court Decisions
For Supreme Court decisions see the Supreme Court of United States pathfinder.
Digests and reporters for the federal courts are located in the Federal Collection, 2nd Floor
Digests for the lower Federal Courts are:
Federal Digest pre-1940
Modern Federal Practice Digest 1940-1960
Federal Practice Digest 2nd 1961-1975
Federal Practice Digest 3rd 1975-
Federal Practice Digest 4th
Reporters for the lower Federal Courts are:
Federal Cases, 1789-1879
Also available in LLMC-Digital
Federal Reporter, 1st-3rd series, 1880-1924
Some vols. available in LLMC-Digital
Federal Supplement, 1st and 2nd series
Decisions are also available electronically through:
BNA United States Law Week
Westlaw, BNA-USLW database
LEXIS, Genfed library, Courts database
FindACase Network (free) http://www.findacase.com/
PACER (fee based service) http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/
Secondary Sources
Search the Law Library’s catalog, using the following Library of Congress subject headings. For example, type the following search strings and select Subject:
jurisdiction united states
conflict of judicial decisions united states
courts united states
courts of special jurisdiction united states
criminal jurisdiction united states
district courts united states
forum non conveniens united states
forum shopping united states
judgment united states
judicial impact statements united states
justice administration of united states
political questions and judicial power united states
privileges and immunities united states
prohibition writ united states
transfer of cause united states
venue united states
Journals and Journal Articles
The Federal Courts Law Review
HeinOnline
Westlaw
The Judges' Journal
2nd Floor Journals K10 .U27
HeinOnline
LexisNexis, Short Name: ABA;JUDGEJ
Westlaw, Search JUDGEJ
The Third Branch
US Government Documents Ju 10.3/2:
US Gov Docs -Microforms Ju 10.3/2:
HeinOnline
http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index.html
Law journal articles can be located using the Index to Legal Periodicals and Books and the Current Law Index, which are located on the 2nd Floor Index Table. These are also available on LEXIS (Law Reviews, combined) and Westlaw (JLR and ILP). The ILPB is also available via all computer desk tops in the Law Center by clicking on the Wilson Web icon, or pointing the browser to http://hwwilsonweb.com. Legal periodicals are indexed on LEXIS (Law Reviews, Combined) and WESTLAW (ILP and JLR files).
Nutshells & Study Aids
Currie, David P. Federal Jurisdiction in a Nutshell. 4th ed. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1999.
Reserve Alcove KF 8858 .Z9 C87 1999
Little, Laura. Federal Courts: Examples & Explanations. 1st ed. Austin: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business/Aspen Publishers, 2007.
Reserve Alcove KF8719 .L58 2007
Mullenix, Linda et al. Understanding Federal Courts and Jurisdition, New York, N.Y.: M. Bender, 1998.
Reserve Alcove KF8719 .M88 1998
Understanding the Federal Courts. Washington, DC: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 2003
http://www.uscourts.gov/understand03/media/UFC03.pdf
General Works
Baum, Lawrence. American Courts: Process and Policy. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.
KF 8700 .B38 1998
Brilmayer, Lea., et al. An Introduction to Jurisdiction in the American Federal System. Charlottesville, VA: Michie Co., 1986.
Reserve Reading Room 8735 .B74 1986
Carp, Robert A., and Ronald Stidham. Judicial Process in America. 5th ed. Washington, DC : CQ Press, 2001.
KF 8700 .C37 2001
Casad, Robert C., and William B. Richman. Jurisdiction in Civil Actions: Territorial Basis and Process Limitations on Jurisdiction of State and Federal Courts. 3rd ed. 2 vols. Charlottesville, VA: Lexis Law Publishing, 1998.
Reserve Reading Room KF8858 .C37 1998
Chemerinsky, Erwin. Federal Jurisdiction. 3rd ed. Gaithersburg, [MD]: Aspen Law & Business, 1999.
KF 8858 .C44 1999
Clinton, Robert N., Richard A. Matasar, and Michael G. Collins. Federal Courts: Theory and Practice. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1996.
KF 8840 .C55 1996
Fallon, Richard H., Daniel J. Meltzer, and David L. Shapiro. Hart and Wechsler's The Federal Courts and the Federal System. 4th ed., Westbury, NY: Foundation Press, 1996.
KF 8718 .H37 1996
Mullenix, Linda S., Martin Redish, and Georgene Vairo. Understanding Federal Courts and Jurisdiction. New York, NY: Matthew Bender, 1998.
KF 8719 .M88 1998
Neubauer, David W. Judicial Process: Law, Courts, and Politics in the United States. 2nd ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1997.
KF 8719 .N48 1997
Posner, Richard A. The Federal Courts: Challenge and Reform. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.
KF 8700 .P67 1996
Redish, Martin H. The Federal Courts in the Political Order: Judicial Jurisdiction and American Political Theory. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1991.
KF 5130 .R42 1991
Redish, Martin H. Federal Jurisdiction: Tensions in the Allocation of Judicial Power. 2nd ed. Charlottesville: Michie Co., 1990.
Reserve Reading Room KF 8858 .R43 1990
Smith, Christopher E. Courts, Politics, and the Judicial Process. 2nded. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, 1997.
KF 8700 .S586 1997
The Sourcebook of Federal Courts, U.S. District and Bankruptcy: The Definitive Guide to Searching for Case Information at the Local Level Within the Federal Court System. 2nd ed. Tempe, AR: BRB Publications, Inc., 1996.
KF 8700.A19 S65 1996
Stumpf, Harry P. American Judicial Politics. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.
KF 8719 .S88 1998
United States. Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals. Final Report. Washington, DC : The Commission, [1998].
Y 3.2: St 8/St 8 Final
Available electronically from http://www.library.unt.edu/gpo/csafca/final/appstruc.pdf
Wright, Charles Alan. The Law of Federal Courts. 5th ed. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1994.
Reserve Reading Room KF 8840 .W7 1994
Yackle, Larry W. Federal Courts. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1999.
KF 8719 .Y33 1999
Casebooks
Currie, David P. Federal Courts: Cases and Materials. 4th ed. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1990.
Reserve Reading Room KF 8858.A7 C8 1990
Doernberg, Donald L., and Keith C. Wingate. Federal Courts, Federalism, and Separation of Powers: Cases and Materials. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1994.
KF 8735.A7 D64 1994
Fallon, Richard H., Daniel J. Meltzer, and David L. Shapiro. Hart and Wechsler's The Federal Courts and the Federal System. 4th ed. Westbury, NY: Foundation Press, 1996.
KF 8718 .H37 1996
Fink, Howard P., et al. Federal Courts in the 21st Century: Cases and Materials. Newark, NJ: LexisNexis, 2002.
KF 8718 .F56 2001
Redish, Martin H. Federal Courts: Cases, Comments, and Questions. 2nd ed. St. Paul, MN: West, 1989.
KF 8718 .R33 1989
Weinberg, Louise. Federal Courts: Cases and Comments on Judicial Federalism and Judicial Power. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1994.
KF 8735 .A7 W45 1994
Civil Procedure
Clermont, Kevin M. Civil Procedure 5th ed. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1999.
KF 8841 .C53 1999
Federal Civil Rules Handbook
KF 8816 .A192
Federal Civil Judicial Procedure and Rules
Circulation Desk KF 8816 .A195
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: As Amended ...
Reserve Reading Room KF 8816 .A196
Friedenthal, Jack H., Mary Kay Kane, and Arthur R. Miller. Civil Procedure. St. Paul, MN: West Group, 1993-.
KF 8840.F72 1999
Glannon, Joseph W. Civil Procedure: Examples and Explanations. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Aspen Law & Business, 1997.
Reserve Reading Room KF 8840 .G52 1997
Kane, Mary Kay. Civil Procedure in a Nutshell. 4th ed. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1996. Circulation Desk KF 8841 .K36 1996
Moore, James William, et al. Moore's Federal Practice. 3rd ed. New York, NY: M. Bender, 1997-KF 8840 .M65
Mullenix, Linda S. Civil Procedure. New York, NY: Aspen Law & Business, 1997. KF 8841 .M78 1997
O’Connor, Michol, et al. O'Connor's Federal Rules, Civil Trials: Practice Guide and Annotated Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence. 1998 ed. Houston, TX: Jones McClure Pub., 1998. KF 8816.A2 1998
Shreve, Gene R. and Peter Raven-Hansen. Understanding Civil Procedure. 3rd ed. Newark, NJ: LexisNexis, 2002. Reserve Reading Room KF 8840 .S484 2001
Woodley, Ann E. Litigating in Federal Court : A Guide to the Rules. Durham, NC : Carolina Academic Press, 1999. KF 8841 .W66 1999
Wright & Miller, et al. Federal Practice and Procedure. St. Paul: West Pub. Co., 1969KF 8840 .W75
Yeazell, Stephen C. Civil Procedure. 4th ed. Boston MA: Little, Brown, 1996. KF 8839 .L35 1996
Federal Court Directories
Almanac of the Federal Judiciary
Reference Office KF 8700.A19 A4 1984
BNA's Directory of State and Federal Courts, Judges, and Clerks
Reference KF 8700.A19 K56
Judicial Staff Directory
Reference KF 8700.A19 J83
Judicial Yellow Book: Who's Who in Federal and State Courts
Reference Office KF8700.A19 J835
General Internet Sites
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/adminoff.html
Courts.Net: The Nation’s Courts Directory
http://www.courts.net/fed/
The Federal Courts Finder (Emory University)
http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDCTS/
The Federal Judiciary Homepage
http://www.uscourts.gov/
The Federal Judicial Center
http://www.fjc.gov/
FindLaw information on the Federal Judiciary
http://www.findlaw.com/10fedgov/judicial/
University of Michigan Documents Center, Sources on the Judiciary
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/fedjudi.html
Charlene C. Cain and Mary Johns
August 2002
