United States

FindLaw Cases and Codes

Findlaw is a US website owned by Thomson Reuters. Its Cases and Codes section provides free access to federal case law, the US Constitution and the US Code (a compilation of federal laws in force). State constitutions, state case law and some state codes are also available, together with materials such as bills and city ordinances. The case law files typically go back to the 1990s, but the US Supreme Court opinions go back to 1893.

Office of the Legal Adviser

This website outlines the work of the Office of the Legal Adviser at the US State Department and makes available US official publications and information about international law. The Treaty Affairs section provides the current edition of Treaties in Force; the Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) from 1996 to 2003; information about multilateral treaties deposited with the US Government; details of treaty actions; and a list of treaties pending in the Senate. The Digest of United States Practice in International Law is available from 1989/90 onwards.

Rules of warfare, arms control

The Rules of warfare, arms control page forms part of the Multilaterals Project at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. The project provides the text of international treaties and conventions covering various subjects. This section has the Hague Conventions, the Geneva Conventions and other texts dealing with the laws of war.

Judgepedia- an interactive encyclopaedia of courts and judges

The Judgepedia website is a wiki focusing on United States courts and judges. Anyone can contribute to the wiki by registering on the site. Judgepedia is sponsored by the Lucy Burns Institute a non-profit organisation concerned with helping people access public records. Information is organised under four main headings: Federal Courts; State Courts; Judicial Selection and Judicial Philosophy. There is also a page of news stories and a Judgepedia community page. Within these sections can be found information about each court, its judges and links to court websites.

Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School)

The Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII), founded in 1992, provides free access to US federal and state legal material, including US Supreme Court decisions, decisions of the US Courts of Appeals and other federal courts, the US Constitution, the United States Code, state constitutions and statutes (via links to state websites), and state regulations. Secondary materials on the site include 'Wex', an open access legal dictionary and encyclopedia, and the 'Introduction to Basic Legal Citation' by Peter W. Martin.

ABA Lawinfo.org

This gateway to information on legal topics that affect daily life, developed and maintained by the American Bar Association (ABA), aims to make freely available easy to understand information about law and the legal system of the United States for the general public. Resources are arranged under the following headings: the courts, criminal justice, buying & selling, your family, your home, your job, your finances and finding a lawyer.

Federal Bar Association

Official website of the Federal Bar Association (FBA), a professional organisation drawing membership from private lawyers, government lawyers and judges working in federal practice in the United States. The site provides the FBA's statements and letters to Congress and the Executive, together with Congressional testimony; it also covers the FBA's contributions to UN consultations. There is a judicial nomination tracker covering all federal courts. The site includes FBA publications, including Federal Lawyer magazine from 2007 onwards. There is a Members' area protected by a login.

Private International Law

Private international law information collated by the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Private International Law at the US Department of State. Covers US treaty information, US and international organisations concerned with private international law, and information about cross-border family law, dispute settlement, judicial assistance and commercial law. Also outlines the role of theAdvisory Committee on Private International Law and links to summaries of its public meetings.

National Institute of Justice

The website of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research and development arm of the United States Department of Justice. Its website covers the work of the institute, news, funding opportunities and publications. A section listing the programs currently being run by the Institute is included with links to the individual program sites. 

Women's Legal History Biography Project

A collection of educational materials aiming to record the history, lives, work and careers of pioneering women lawyers in the United States, derived from a course on women's legal history at Stanford Law School. Materials offered by the site include: articles, research guides and bibliographies, biographical profiles, obituaries and a photographic archive of early women lawyers. A list of links to other relevant Internet sites is also provided. A section of the site concentrates on Clara Shortridge Foltz the first women lawyer on the Pacific Coast (California 1978).

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