Research Guides: PS 470/570: Constitutional Law: Background information

CRS Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

The CRS provides policy and legal analysis to the U.S. Congress. It is well-known for analysis that is authoritative, objective, and nonpartisan

CRS reports are a great source of background information--with references to primary sources--on a range of issues, including executive powers and procedures.

Note: Some CRS reports are regularly updated; the little clock/circular arrow icon means there are previous versions you can see.

Encyclopedias, Guides, and Companions

The following reference sources can help you identify a topic for your research, provide an overview of a specific issue or topic, and suggest other materials which might be useful for your research.

American Jurisprudence 2d -- an encyclopedia containing over 400 separate titles on a broad range of legal topics, available through the Westlaw Campus Research database (see under Finding Articles or Primary Sources.)

Constitution Annotated: Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution
Provides a legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution based on a comprehensive review of Supreme Court case law and, where relevant, historical practices that have defined the text of the Constitution. This regularly updated resource is written in "plain English" and useful for a wide audience.

Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States
Call Number: Knight Reference KF8742 .A35 E525 2008
Publication Date: 2008
The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, 2nd ed. by Kermit L. Hall (Editor); James W. Ely; Joel B. Grossman
Call Number: Online
Publication Date: 2005 (updated in 2011)

Oxford Constitutions of the World
Oxford Guide to Supreme Court Decisions, 2nd ed., 2009
Analysis and overview of decisions.

The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments by Lee Epstein; Jeffrey A. Segal; Thomas G. Walker; Harold J. Spaeth
Call Number: Documents Reference KF8742 .S914 2012
Publication Date: 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court by Thomas T. Lewis
Call Number: Documents Reference KF8742 .U17 2007
Publication Date: 2007