Legal History Research Guide

In the century before the creation of the Supreme Court of the United States, the British Privy Council heard appeals from the 13 colonies that became the United States and from the other ‘American’ colonies in Canada and the Caribbean. This catalogue focuses on all currently known colonial cases appealed to the Privy Council from the future United States, a number totaling nearly one-third of the more than 800 heard from the Americas. For the appeals from the 13 colonies, the catalogue provides links to original documents in England and the United States. Most significantly, the site includes images of surviving briefs filed in 54 of these appeals. Known as ‘printed cases’, these briefs provide the ‘reasons’ for the appeals.

The Cornell University Law Library's Trial Pamphlets Collection consists of pamphlets ranging in date from the late 1600s to the late 1800s. Trial pamphlets are contemporary accounts of trials that involved prominent citizens or that dealt with especially controversial or lurid topics.

Information, documents, news accounts etc., regarding selected famous and historical trials in the U.S. and worldwide, from the trial of Jesus to the present decade. Compiled by Prof. Douglas O. Linder, University of Missouri Kansas City Law School.

The University of Michigan Law School's Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse is a growing collection of case documents and other information about civil rights cases in over 20 selected case categories across the United States. Coverage includes case filings and transcripts from state and federal courts at all levels (trial to highest appellate).

The Cornell University Law Library's Trial Pamphlets Collection consists of pamphlets ranging in date from the late 1600s to the late 1800s. Trial pamphlets are contemporary accounts of trials that involved prominent citizens or that dealt with especially controversial or lurid topics.

This Law Library of Congress collection includes copies of reports and transcripts of the court proceedings published in 1770, 1807, and 1824, as well as a history of the Boston Massacre “consisting of the narrative of the town, the trial of the soldiers, and a historical introduction, containing unpublished documents of John Adams, and explanatory notes,” published one-hundred years later in 1870.

This collection, from the St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project, consists of 100 court cases in which one or both of the famous explorers are defendants, plaintiffs, or play a prominent role.

This collection from the St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project consists of 82 court actions stemming from the fur trade in Missouri and neighboring states and territories.

This collection from the St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project consists of 32 suits involving Native Americans. The documents can be searched by collection, year, parties, action, and the notes describing the cases that have been supplied by indexers.

This collection from the Library of Congress' American Memory Project contains over a hundred pamphlets and books published between 1772 and 1889. The documents comprise an assortment of trials and cases, reports, arguments, accounts, examinations of cases and decisions, proceedings, journals, a letter, and other works of historical importance.

"Numbering over 10,000 titles, May's pamphlets and leaflets document the anti-slavery struggle at the local, regional, and national levels. Much of the May Anti-Slavery Collection was considered ephemeral or fugitive, and today many of these pamphlets are scarce. Sermons, position papers, offprints, local Anti-Slavery Society newsletters, poetry anthologies, freedmen's testimonies, broadsides, and Anti-Slavery Fair keepsakes all document the social and political implications of the abolitionist movement." The May Anti-Slavery Pamphlets may be searched or browsed online. They are also cataloged in Cornell University Library catalog and many titles are also available a print-on-demand paperbacks.

Documents in this online exhibit, by the Washington University in St. Louis Libraries, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of this landmark decision, document Scott’s early struggle to gain freedom through litigation before the St. Louis Circuit Court. Links to additional resources concerning the Dred Scott case and to other freedom suits case files brought by or on behalf of persons of color held in slavery within the St. Louis area from 1814 to 1860.

This collection from the St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project consists of nearly 301 legal petitions for freedom brought by or on behalf of persons of color held in slavery within the St. Louis area from 1814 to 1860.

The Minnesota Historical Society's, Duluth Lynchings Online Resouce provides access to over 2,000 pages of scanned primary source documents, the vast majority originating from MHS’s recently completed microfilm edition of Duluth lynchings records. Additional resources for further reading and related research are provided.

University of Michigan Library's Brown v. Board of Education Digital Archive. This archive contains documents and images which chronicle events surrounding this historically significant case up to the present.

Contains historical records linked to the Sweatt v. Painter litigation. In 1946, with the support of the NAACP, Heman Marion Sweatt applied for admission to The University of Texas School of Law. The University registrar rejected his application because Sweatt was an African American and UT was a segregated institution. Sweatt, with NAACP counsel, sued. Although Sweatt lost in state court, the United States Supreme Court in 1950 ordered the integration of The University of Texas School of Law and also The University's Graduate School.These materials include university records, litigation materials, newspapers, and oral histories.

Presents the images of over 420 separately published trial narratives from the Harvard Law School Library's extensive trial collections.

An online selecton of titles from the Cornell University Library's extensive collection of materials on Witchcraft. As of the January 2009 the online collection contained 104 monographs. Users may search full-text or search/browse by author or title.

The digital collection presents images of key documents and artifacts in their historical context with a minimum of interpretive information. Much like the witness testimony and exhibits introduced during the Haymarket trial, these primary sources are pieces of evidence which enable the user to reconstruct and interpret the historical events to which they relate.

This collection provided by the Legal Information Institute and Cornell University Law School contains opinions (including concurring and dissenting opinions) of all the justices that have served on the Court arranged by name of Justice.

OWH, Jr. Suite offers unprecedented access to the Harvard Law School Library’s rich collection of Holmes archival material. The Suite is comprised of five manuscript collections and three image groups. Using a new search platform developed by the Library’s Digital Lab, users can now search over 100,000 digitized documents and over 1,000 images from multiple collections from a single access point. A search may also be easily refined using the site’s faceted search functions.

Materials available on the web include: oral history videos and transcripts, case materials highlights, finding aid for the collection and a selected bibliography on Blackmum.

This archive created by Prof. Lee Epstein, Washington University in St. Louis, currently includes preliminary [pool] memoranda and docket sheets from Justices Blackmun's years on the Rehnquist Court (1986-1993 terms).

“Guide to the Papers of Louis Dembitz Brandeis at the Universitiy of Louisville” is available on the web. The guide primarily consists of a finding aid to the Brandeis papers. Other materials available on the web site include: chronology of Brandeis’ life, Brandeis’ family tree and selected writings of Justice Brandeis in full-text.

The Louis D. Brandeis Papers held by the Harvard Law School Library includes seven folders of drafts written by Brandeis for Ruthenberg v. Michigan. The multiple drafts provide remarkable insight into the thought process and working style of the Justice.

This guide to the collection at the University of Louisville includes finding aid information, a Harlan chronology, a history of the collection, a scope and content note and a location guide to other collections that contain correspondence by Justice Harlan.

A guide to the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Papers collection at Washington & Lee University Law School, including an XML/EAD encoded finding aid. Information on the history of the collection and a Powell chronology are also provided.

This bibliography compiled by the Thurgood Marshall Law Library, University of Maryland, includes a biographical synopsis section, references and links to cases, publications, documents and variety of other informative resources concerning Marshall’s life and career in the law.

Contains over 126 items totaling 3,534 pages from the Historical and Special Collections of the Harvard Law School Library.

Contains FBI records released to the pubilc. Records for Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Abe Fortas, Thurgood Marshall, William Brennan, Jr., and Hugo Black available.

The contents on this website of the Federal Judicial Center include: Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, 1789 to Present; Courts of the Federal Judiciary (reference & historical information, including historical Federal caseload data); Historic Federal Court Houses (600 images of famous Federal court houses); essays on the creation and administration of the federal judiciary, including various administrative bodies; a “Timeline for Landmark Judicial Legislation”; links to various Federal courts historical programs. and the Guide to Research in the Federal Judiciary (PDF) and hardcopy available in Law Library Reference Office: US-JU13.8: R31.

Content provided includes: oral history project, videos, links/resources and documents.

Mr. Gunderson was Clerk of the Supreme Court from 1935-1938. This book was produced on or shortly after July 1, 1937. This online version is based on a retyped and renumbered manuscript produced June, 1995.

A series of volumes on former justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court edited by State Law Library staff. Each volume includes articles, pictures, newspaper clippings, letters, commendations, judicial opinions, and essays by or about the Justice.

Includes Justices of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court (1849 - 1858) to current.

The Minnesota State Law Library has compiled this web page that lists various resources (books, articles, video and audio recordings) about the history of the Court and its judges.

1983 to current.

Compiled by the Minnesota State Law Library, contains brief biographical information for all judges and justices, and links to addtional information, e.g. photos, obituaries, and more.

An excellent guide to conducting court records research for Minnesota courts including District (trial), Probate, Appeals Court, Supreme Court and various other Minnesota courts. Provides helpful advice in locating court records held by the Minnesota Historical Society.

A directory of links to state court websites by the National Center for State Courts.

Directory of state, court and county law libraries that are members of the American Association of Law Libraries', Government Law Libraries Special Interest Section. Includes links to library websites and court directories where available.

This website of the Library of Congress' Federal Research Division contains selected materials and publications from the extensive military law collection held at the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School Library.

Contains materials collected by Harvard Law School Professor Edmund M. Morgan while serving as Chair of the Committee on a Uniform Military Code of Justice.

The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) was created in 1995 by the American University, Washington College of Law. The WCRO provides legal research assistance in the areas of international criminal and humanitarian law. It was intially created to assist the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR). Since then the WCRO continues to provide reseach expertise to other international criminal tribunals, special courts and panels and to the International Criminal Court. The WCRO website offers a wealth of documents and publications from the WCRO's research projects. A list of links to additional research resources is also provided.

This Law Library of Congress collection includes copies of reports and transcripts of the court proceedings published in 1770, 1807, and 1824, as well as a history of the Boston Massacre “consisting of the narrative of the town, the trial of the soldiers, and a historical introduction, containing unpublished documents of John Adams, and explanatory notes,” published one-hundred years later in 1870.

Trial transcripts, briefs, document books, evidence files and other papers from Harvard Law School Library's extensive collection of documents relating to the trial of military and political leaders of Nazi Germany.

The collection consists of nearly 150 bound volumes of Nuremberg trial transcripts and documents from the personal archives of General William J. Donovan (1883-1959). The Donovan papers contain both original statements from the defendants in German and typed translations in English prepared by the Allies. While many of the documents are copies that can be found elsewhere, there are a significant number that are unique to Cornell's holdings and that represent an important part of the history of the Nuremberg process.

Current as of the addition of the Appellate Decision on July 3, 2007 (with no further updates). News and analysis of legal developments from the relevant trials. Includes a bibliography of reference materials with links to items available on the web.