Today’s guest post is by Ann Hemmens, Senior Legal Reference Librarian. Ann wrote on accessing federal materials on the Law Library’s Guide to Law Online.
At the Law Library of Congress, we collect, organize, and provide access to original print records and briefs filed with the Supreme Court of the United States. We are one of ten depository libraries throughout the United States that receive these briefs in paper. The types of documents submitted by the attorneys or parties (for those individuals representing themselves) include, for example, Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, Brief in Opposition, and Petition for Rehearing. Some documents are unique to original jurisdiction cases, such as Exceptions by Plaintiff to Report of Special Master, Brief Amicus Curiae in an Original Action at the Exceptions Stage, and Reply to Plaintiff’s Exceptions to Report of Special Master. The rules of the Court govern the style of the documents including word length and the color of document’s cover page.