Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Keeping Up with the Court

Monday, October 2 marked an important annual legal event: as required by 28 U.S.C. § 2, the "First Monday in October" begins a new term of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court has already begun to hear oral arguments in the cases it will decide during this term, which adjourns in June 2013.

Court-watchers regard First Monday with great anticipation, and much was written earlier this week about the current docket and expected additions. See coverage at CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among others. But once the mainstream media's excitement about First Monday dissipates, how can you keep up with the goings-on at One First Street? The Goodson Blogson has some ideas.
  • The Court's own website includes argument calendars and transcripts, links to briefs and other docket materials, and opinions and orders as they are released. 
  • For news and commentary, many legal researchers subscribe to U.S. Law Week, which is available electronically to the Duke Law community. The long-running current awareness service includes commentary on the latest federal cases which are likely candidates for appeal to the Supreme Court, as well as a separate section "Supreme Court Today" with links to opinions, case previews, and oral arguments.
  • Bloomberg BNA, which publishes U.S. Law Week, also sponsors SCOTUSblog, a free source for authoritative previews and reports on Supreme Court activities. 
  • The OYEZ Project at Chicago-Kent College of Law posts audio recordings of the latest arguments, along with occasional videos of scholarly commentary. Need your SCOTUS updates on the go? Download the free OYEZ Today App for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
For more sources to keep up with the latest SCOTUS activities, check out our U.S. Supreme Court research guide or Ask a Librarian.