• Cases & Codes
• Introductory Materials

Introductory Materials

• The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School Features primary source materials in law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government.
• US Historical Documents From the University of Oklahoma Law Center. A chronology of US historical documents from pre-colonial to the present.

Library of Congress

• Enactment of a Law


• Historical Documents
• About Early Congressional Documents
• About The Constitution
• About The Declaration of Independence
• About The Federalist Papers


• How Our Laws Are MadeRevised and Updated by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian, United States House of Representatives.


• The Annual Budget Process

National Archives and Records Administration

• The Charters of Freedom Features the Magna Carta, the Declarati on of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.


• The Federal Judicial Center


• Creating the Federal Judicial System, 2d ed. (PDF) Explains the provisions of the 1789 Judiciary Act and the compromises it embodies; reviews the evolution of the federal judicial system during the 19th century; and analyzes the conditions and debates that led to the passage of the Evarts Act (1891), which established the three-tiered system that characterizes federal court structure today.

• Origins of the Elements of Federal Court Governance Brief description of the history and evolution of the major elements--agencies, offices, organizations, positions, and entities--of federal court governance.

• The Federal Judiciary Homepage Provides general information regarding the federal judiciary; includes links to what's new, frequently asked questions, court links, newsroom, and Judiciary Now newsletter.

• Understanding the Federal Courts (PDF) Provides an overview of the organization, operation, and administration of the entire federal court system.

• U.S. Department of State International Information Programs

• About the U.S. Government

• Elections

• State and Local Government

• Three Branches of Government

• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration


• United States Sentencing Commission Features guidelines, reports to Congress, and criminal sentencing related publications.


• United States Supreme Court

• A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court (PDF) Covers the constitutional origin, jurisdiction, rulemaking power, and the term of the United States Supreme Court.
• The Court and Constitutional Interpretation (PDF)
• The Court and Its Procedures (PDF)
• The Court and Its Traditions (PDF)
• The Court as an Institution (PDF)

• Making of America Digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction.