Political Science 418: Legal Research & Writing

Andersen Library's legal research database is Westlaw Campus Research.

It contains primary and secondary legal authority, including: federal & state appellate court cases, statutes, and regulatory (administrative) law; American Jurisprudence 2d and Corpus Juris Secundum legal encyclopedias; American Law Reports; Black's Law Dictionary; international legal authority; and law reviews. For federal and state court case updating, it provides the full citator KeyCite.

Note: UW-Whitewater libraries' access to Nexis Uni ended on July 1, 2021.

American Bench, 24th ed. (Reference Collection, 2d fl., KF8700.A19 A44 2014)

Biography Reference Bank database (Search for judges by name)

Search the library's article databases for judges using their names as subjects, e.g., searching all EBSCOhost databases simultaneously will include Biography Reference Bank results--Click Continue, Go to the advanced search to put the name in the top search box and select the field "SU Subject Terms."

Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court (2011 ed.: see chapter 22; 1990 ed. in 3rd-floor Main Collection at KF8742 .W567 1990)

The Supreme Court A to Z (Reference Collection, 2d fl., KF8742 .A35 S8 2007)

Search Research@UWW's "Books, Media and more (UW Whitewater)" for books, using the person’s name in subject (last name first) in and Advanced Search, or try these keyword "in subject" searches:

• Judges AND "United States" AND Biography
• Judges AND "United States" AND History
• "United States Supreme Court" AND History

Search the ProQuest Congressional database for confirmation hearings, as well as CRS reports, on nominated justices. An alternative for finding confirmation hearings is Research@UWW's "Books media and more (UW Whitewater)." Example search: nomin* AND kagan AND supreme

Search Westlaw Campus Research for opinions they have written or joined. 

• Click "Cases" on the Browse menu below the search box, then "U.S. Supreme Court."  Then click "Advanced" to the right of the search box. Scroll down to enter a justice's last name in "Written By (WB)," which will find majority, concurring, or dissenting opinions written by that justice. You can combine this with putting the justice's last name in Concurring or Dissenting if you want to find non-majority opinions written by that justice (although this is not entirely accurate).

You can find many majority opinions written by a U.S. Supreme Court justice with:

<last name> /1 delivered, e.g., kavanaugh /1 delivered

When looking at a case, use "Go to" to move quickly to different parts of the case, such as the majority opinion.

See the bios on the U.S. Supreme Court web site and the SCOTUSblog site, as well as on the Oyez site.

The Library of Congress provides a research guide for sources of information about U.S. Supreme Court Nominations (since 2005).

Select Cases from the Browse menu, and then select Supreme Court if desired.

Click Advanced Search (right of the main search box), and then put the justice's name in one of the field boxes for Concurring, Dissenting, or Written By.