Research Guides: HIST 3322/ 4333/ 5386: African American Civil Rights Movement: Research Legal Cases

Librarian

Contact:

936-294-1520
kclaunch@shsu.edu
Library (NGL) Room 223G

Where to Search for Documents FROM the Case

Westlaw This link opens in a new window Best place to start. Cases from the courts of all 50 states and federal courts, statutes from all 50 states and federal statutes, plus American Law Reports and numerous law reviews. Look under "Famous Documents." Your case may be listed there. To search for a case: Click the "Law" tab at the top; Look on the left side under the "Find" heading; Enter party names (like Brown and Board of Education) in the two boxes with "v." between them; Click Go.

Where to Search for Articles ABOUT the Case

In addition to the History databases on the "Find Articles" tab and the two databases above, the follownig databases of legal journals may also contain articles that analyze a particular case, its impact, etc.

Legal Source This link opens in a new window Includes scholarly law journals, scholarly articles, symposia, jurisdictional surveys, court decisions, legislation, books, book reviews, and more. Covers topics such as criminal justice, international law, federal law, organized crime, medical law, labor & human resource law, ethics, the environment, and more. International scope covers U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Tip!

If the party names in your case are very common, your searches may return material on other cases as well.

It is helpful if you know a year, or at least a general time period, when your case was decided. Then you can look at the dates on the cases you find and you will know which one to choose!

Useful Website

Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
Information about 4,900+ civil rights cases across the US. Dockets, complaints, filings, settlements, decrees, opinions, and links to additional sources in the Westlaw database. Create a free account to save searches and documents.
(Note: Search on campus or use Remote Desktop Connection to access SHSU's subscriptions to Westlaw.)

Useful Book

African Americans in Congress: A Documentary History
Call Number: JK1021 .A47 2008, Reference