United States

Office of the Legal Adviser

This website outlines the work of the Office of the Legal Adviser 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.

Actual innocence and freestanding claims for relief

Online guide to the claim of actual innocence in US law written by Ken Strutin, who is Director of Legal Information Services at the New York State Defenders Association. The guide was published in November 2010 on LLRX.com. The author gives an introduction explaining the term ‘actual innocence ‘and how it has been used to contest wrongful convictions. There are abstracts of scholarly articles with links to the full text. Some of the articles linked to are available on subscription sites only. Links are also given to cases and relevant legislation.

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.

Canine detection evidence

Online guide focusing on the use of canine scent detection evidence in US law, by Ken Strutin, Director of Legal Information Services at the New York State Defenders Association. The article was published in 2010 on LLRX.com (Law Library Resource Xchange) a free online web journal for legal information professionals.

Solitary confinement

Online guide to solitary confinement written by Ken Strutin who is Director of Legal Information Services at the New York State Defenders Association. The article was published in 2010 on LLRX.com (Law Library Resource Xchange) a free online web journal for legal information professionals.

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.

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. 

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