The library recently acquired a microfilm collection of the Earl Warren Papers which reproduces documents archived in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. This 70 reel microfilm collection includes Warren's opinions as Chief Justice from 1953 until 1969, as well as his conference memoranda and 13 reels of his correspondence from 1953 through 1974.

Earl Warren, nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, served as the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Warren Court oversaw such landmark decisions as Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright and Miranda v. Arizona.

The collection is available for use in our Media Department on the first floor of the Williams Library.

The Law Library has acquired the online version of the Supreme Court Compendium. If you are unfamiliar with the Compendium, you may want to check it out. It contains a wealth of information about the U.S. Supreme Court, its history, justices, and decisions. This information is presented in the form of well over one-hundred tables, making it easy to navigate. For example, one table evaluates the ideology of each justice from 1937-2006, using several different measurements, such as commitment to civil and economic liberties and support for the programs of the New Deal.

In addition, each chapter includes introductory commentary, and there is an extensive bibliography. First published in 1994, the Compendium is now in its fourth edition. We also have two copies of the print version in our reference collection. 

Nominees for the federal judiciary are required to complete a questionnaire created by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee has made Judge Sotomayor's responses and related documents available on its home page. Included are her publications, speeches, news clippings, and notable past decisions and opinions.

On Friday, Justice Souter announced his intention to retire from the Court at the end of its current term. 

For a crash course in how the nomination process works, read the Congressional Research Service's report Supreme Court Appointment Process: Roles of the President, Judiciary Committee, and Senate (last updated 3/20/08).

The Library recently updated the Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide.  It includes links to materials about the nomination process and the text of previous nomination and confirmation proceedings.