Supreme Court Cases Gateway

Fedworld.gov
http://www.fedworld.gov/supcourt/index.htm

"Search and View Supreme Court Decisions between 1937 and 1975"

This site will allow the user to search for the complete text of any U.S. Supreme Court decision issued between 1937 and 1975. This site is too complex for students in grades 6-10. Perhaps students in grades 11 & 12, with assistance, will be able to effectively use the site to pull out needed information from the many pages of documents and opinions.

Historic Supreme Court Decisions-Legal Information Institute--Supreme Court Collection
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/name.htm

This site is maintained by the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University. It is an alphabetical listing of landmark cases of which many, according to site, continue to be invoked and interpreted by appellate courts today. After each case name, you'll see the case number, the year the case was decided, and two additional search links: (Recent Fed?) and (Recent Supct?). By clicking on one of these additional links, you will conduct a search of the times these cases were cited in decisions by the US Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, respectively.

The reviews of the cases themselves could be very useful for high school teachers, in discussion of Supreme Court decisions and how they pave the way for change in our society as a whole. In addition, the searches for references can illustrate how influential certain decisions continue to be, even decades later. Overall, this is a useful and fascinating site.

Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu/donors/solicit.php?http_referer=/supct/index.html

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University is dedicated to providing information to the public about Court cases and decisions. This is an excellent site for up to the minute information about the Supreme Court, as the site is updated regularly. There are links to recent and archived decisions from 1980 to the present. Excellent background information about the law and the Supreme Court is provided, including a legalese glossary, Article III of the Constitution, and the Rules of the Supreme Court. Also included is a page devoted to the justices, with a picture and links to the biographies and decision list for each. This site is excellent for middle school and high school students conducting research on the Supreme Court.

United States Supreme Court Records and Briefs
http://curiae.law.yale.edu/

Even though this Yale site dedicated to the "United States Supreme Court Records and Briefs" is in the process of beta testing at the time of this review, it's obvious that the site has enormous potential. The Quick Search enables teachers and students not well versed in law to find cases and briefs to read and research. The student needs only a key word in the title to be able to locate the case. If the student does not know the name but is looking for an important case to read, there is a "Most Commonly Cited Cases" list and a "Most Frequently Viewed Cases" list. These features make this a valuable website for students with limited law knowledge or younger students. A major link in this site is for the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School. Easy-to-read primary sources and supporting documents offer teachers and students an extensive look into American history.