Research Guides: U.S. Federal Government: Judicial

Rare and Distinctive Collections

Classroom: Norlin N345

Reading Room: Norlin M350B

Image Credits

George Washington Memorial Parkway - Supreme Court Chamber by Amy Davis from the National Archives' Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty. Office of Natural and Human Environment. National Scenic Byways Program. 1991-

Introduction

Article III of the United States Constitution begins, "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." The Supreme Court is the nation's "court of last resort," often using its decisions to interpret laws passed by the Legislative Branch and determining their constitutionality. It depends on the Executive Branch to enforce those interpretations.

Lower courts (including state courts not administered by the federal government) can hear both civil and criminal cases. There are specialized courts as well, including bankruptcy and tax courts.

For more information on the United States court system, visit the United States Department of Justice's webpage describing district courts, circuit courts, and the Supreme Court.

We Recommend

United States Courts
The federal court system can administer jury service, bankruptcy cases, naturalization, and any U.S. government court cases. Find a nearby courthouse with the Court Locator tool, access forms, data and statistics, court records, and more.
Federal Judicial Center
"This site contains the results of Center research on federal court operations and procedures and court history, as well as selected educational materials produced for judges and court employees."
Supreme Court
Transcripts, audio recordings, briefs, and docket search available for the Court.
Colorado Judicial Branch
Colorado's courts systems, with information for jurors, attorneys, and students. Learn about jury service, pay fines online, download/print forms, and more from here.

Additional Resources

Biographical Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court by Melvin I. Urofsky (Editor)
Call Number: KF8744 .B56 2006eb
ISBN: 9781452267289
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Signed essays profiling the men and women who have served and are serving on the U.S. Supreme Court includes not only important biographical information, but also in-depth details of the legal contributions made by the men and women of the nations highest bench. Keeping up with the recent changes to the Court, this volume includes all current justices.

Hein Online
Comprehensive law library, with coverage of most sources from their date of first publication.
Nexis Uni
Comprehensive source for local, regional and national newspapers in the United States, plus some international sources. Strong source for legal, company (including private), and country research.

LII (Legal Information Institute) at Cornell University
The LII publishes electronic versions of core materials in numerous areas of the law, both on the web and in other electronic products. They range from the Constitution to the U.S. Code, from Supreme Court decisions to the Code of Federal Regulations.
LLMC
"[A] non-profit cooperative of libraries dedicated to the twin goals of preserving legal titles and government documents," with a catalog of digitally available titles ranging from the Uniform Crime Report, to state-by-state and foreign government collections.
United States Code
The official compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal statutes of the United States. Browse, search, and download here.

Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado's highest court. Learn about justices, apply to clerk, and view oral argument videos (live and archived).
20th Colorado Judicial District (Boulder County)
With locations in both Boulder and Longmont, information on court business resources (small claims and criminal court, name changes, weddings), online fine payment, jury duty, and more are available here.

International Court of Justice/World Court
The main judicial body of the United Nations, the World Court works with the UN and member states to develop a body of international law and resolve disputes between them.
International Criminal Court
Founded by an international treaty, the Rome Statute, in 2002, the ICC oversees trials for crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The ICC is not a UN agency, but there is a cooperation agreement between the organizations.

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Government Information

Government Information is a regional library of the Federal Depository Library Program as well as a depository of Colorado state, United Nations, and European Union information. It consists of over five million items from the United States government, Colorado and other state governments, foreign governments, and international governmental organizations like the UN. As a federal depository, the Library also offers assistance and its collections to members of the public. This includes providing public computers for unrestricted access to government information on the Internet.

We offer a wide array of services to support students, staff, and faculty, including online guides for research, one-on-one consultations, class instruction, phone, email, and walk-in reference.