Federal Research - Quick Links

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TX  Dist Ct, So Div      TX Dist Ct, SW Div

• Federal Rules of Civil Procedure   (Current version with official notes, as maintained by Cornell University)
• Federal Rules of Civil Procedure   (direct to archived 2008 version without official notes)
•  Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (direct to 2003 archive document)
  
  
• Federal Rules of Evidence    (Current version  with official notes, as maintained by Cornell University)
• Federal Rules of Evidence (direct to 2004 archive document)

The North Dakota state supreme court maintains a free research library on-line for legal research, including federal statute and case law.

The first place to look for all sorts of federal government information is the official website of the Federal Government, called now USA.Gov. -  http://www.usa.gov/

A useful category of links on USA.Gov are links to find and print out  government form.  Imagine! Social Security, IRS, you name it - most agencies' forms.

USA.Gov also has a "Contact" section that can get you to the contact point for the various agencies. You can phone or email your request for who to contact.

In addition, the Federal Government has  a general phone number of 1-800-FED-INFO (800/333-4636) that can direct you to a real live person at most federal agencies.

SUPREME COURT

• Supreme Court (Official site of the Supreme Court)
• Supreme Court Justices

U. S. COURTS OF APPEALS - OPINIONS

• D.C. Circuit (Georgetown University Law Library.)
• US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Federal Circuit (Georgetown University Law Library)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
   
• 1st Circuit
• 2nd Circuit
• 3rd Circuit
• 4th Circuit
• 5th Circuit
• 6th Circuit
• 7th Circuit
• 8th Circuit
• 9th Circuit  The Ninth Circuit is the largest of the 13 federal circuits and includes all federal courts in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
• 10th Circuit
• 11th Circuit

DISTRICT COURTS - HOMEPAGES

• Listing at Administrative Office of the Courts

U.S. District Courts

Iowa, Southern District, http://www.iasd.uscourts.gov
Michigan, Western District, http://www.miwd.uscourts.gov/
Nebraska, http://www.ned.uscourts.gov
Texas http://www.txed.uscourts.gov.
Texas, Northern District, http://www.txnd.uscourts.gov/  
Texas, Southern District, http://www.txsd.uscourts.gov/
Texas, Western District, http://www.txwd.uscourts.gov
Utah, http://www.utd.uscourts.gov
Wyoming, http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/wyoming/district/
Wisconsin, Western District, http://www.wiw.uscourts.gov/.

Note:  The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was  was formed by the merger of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and the appellate division of the United States Court of Claims The Federal Circuit is unique among the thirteen Circuit Courts of Appeals. It has nationwide jurisdiction in a variety of subject areas, including international trade, government contracts, patents, trademarks, and certain money claims against the United States government. Appeals to the court come from all federal district courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The court also takes appeals of certain administrative agencies' decisions, including the United States Merit Systems Protection Board, the Boards of Contract Appeals, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, and the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board. Decisions of the United States International Trade Commission, the Office of Compliance, an independent agency in the legislative branch, and the Government Accountability Office Personnel Appeals Board, and the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance also are reviewed by the court. The court's jurisdiction consists of administrative law cases (55%), intellectual property cases (31%), and cases involving money damages against the United States government (11%). Suits for money damages against the United States government include government contract cases, tax refund appeals, unlawful takings, and civilian and military pay cases.

Note: The Federal Court of Claims has nationwide jurisdiction over most suits for monetary claims against the government and sits, without a jury, to determine issues of law and fact. The general jurisdiction of the Court, described in 28 U.S.C. § 1491, is over claims for just compensation for the taking of private property, refund of federal taxes, military and civilian pay and allowances, and damages for breaches of contracts with the government.