An American Field Guide to Court-Watching: Researching Current Activities of the U.S. Supreme Court

Abstract:     
Over the years, the Supreme Court has engendered its own cohort of "Court-watchers" - a group of journalists, lawyers and academics who document the High Court's activities and predict its course. At one time, this activity was closed to all but the Washington insiders who could pick up slip opinions, follow the Court's docket in expensive services like the Bureau of National Affairs' U.S. Law Week, and hear rumors and predictions from members of the federal appellate bar. However, with the advent of the Internet and the blog, Court-watching is something anyone can do. This article discusses the websites and blogs where researchers can follow the Supreme Court's activities in real-time.

Keywords: Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, legal research

Accepted Paper Series