Constitutional Law

Welcome to the Research Guide for Constitutional Law.  The majority of research information required for this course is provided by the professor in the form of required readings.  However, a few additional electronic resources are available linked from here and from the Electronic Resources section of the library home page.  Print resources are available in the PHC on-campus collection or by mail to distance learning members of the PHC community.  You may check out the location and availability of an item in the on-campus collection through the online catalog, Voyager, accessed here or through the library home page.

Professional library assistance is available on campus, by phone at 540-441-8400, or by email at askalibrarian@phc.edu .

 

Databases

 

LexisNexis Academic - Legal
Search the full text of U.S. and international legal cases. Part of a LexisNexis database.

U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832-1978
"Containing nearly 11 million pages of records and briefs brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978, this product provides an essential primary source tool for the study of all aspects of American history as well as the U.S. judicial system."

 

Internet 

 

Supreme Court is the official site developed and maintained by the court.  You can listen to archived oral arguments and read court documents.

Oyez Project  began as a multimedia experience of "all things" Supreme Court.  Of particular note is the access to audio of the arguments before the court, not just the rulings.

Cornell Law allows you to locate the opinion of the court and any concurring or dissenting opinions.

 

Research tips

• Search by subject: Once you have located one item in the catalog, you may click on the search term within the record to find other items on the same or similar, subjects.. 
• Use JSTOR and LexisNexi Academic to locate  articles on a particular subject.
• Once you locate an appropriate resource, potential valuable resources may be listed in the item's bibliography. 
• Interlibrary loan (ILL):  If you are unable to locate an item in the PHC online or on-campus collection, you may request resources through Interlibrary loan.  ILL requests may be made directly into the library database WorldCat.  If you have difficulty requesting an ILL in WorldCat, you may use the form on the website or request assistance from any of the library staff.
• Loudoun County Public Library's Purcellville Branch is available to students offering a variety of potentially valuable resources.  A library card may be obtained by presenting your PHC library card and their catalog is available online, as well as the option to request items.

Turabian is the approved citation format for this course.  Information on proper Turabian citation is available in the PHC collection, Chicago manual of style, at Ref Z 253 .U69 2003 or online at several sites, such as OWL (Online Writing Lab).

Created: Thornhill, 2011.