Legal/Law Resources
LAW FOR WRITERS
Books, Crooks and Counselors
http://www.lawandfiction.com/
Leslie Budewitz, author and attorney, answers writers’ questions.
Criminal Justice Writers
http://criminaljusticewriters.com/
Aspiring and published authors working in the Criminal Justice System who collaborate to provide free technical advice on any writing project.
Publish Lawyer
http://publishlawyer.com/
A web site devoted to providing reliable information about publishing law, contracts, copyright, trademark, and many other common legal issues affecting writers, publishers, editors, and the Internet community.
Copyright
http://copyx.org/lectures/
Lectures prepared and delivered by Prof. William Fisher
DEATH PENALTY
Cornell University Law School
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Death_penalty
This is Cornell’s web page on the dealth penalty, taking at look at it from the legal side, with federal and state statutes and decisions.
The Death Penalty on About.com
http://crime.about.com/od/death/The_Death_Penalty.htm
A site with articles on various aspects of the dealth penalty from one of the writers at About.com, a private investigator who has worked frequently with law enforcement. There are articles about “Women on Death Row,” “Aggravating and Mitigating Factors,” and news articles. It’s mostly balanced, with a tilt toward the anti-death penalty camp.
Death Penalty Information
http://teacher.deathpenaltycurriculum.org/
This is a teaching guide from Michigan State University for high school teachers. It has an overview, state by state data, courtroom cases, and additional links. For any teachers out there, it includes lesson plans. It’s very balanced, with links to pro and con sites.
Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
The Death Penalty Information Center is a non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. It includes resources pages with articles from newspapers and law reviews, quizzes, multimedia, books and editorials. There is also an e-mail subscription service that sends the previous week's news on the death penalty to your mailbox. It tries to be fair and balanced with both sides to the issue, pro and con.
Death Penalty News and Updates
http://people.smu.edu/rhalperi/
This site has current news and udpates, as well as a listing of executed criminals and victims going back several years. Although the news reports are factual, the slant is anti-death penalty.
INTERNATIONAL CRIME
Australian Institute of Criminology
http://www.aic.gov.au/
The Australian Institute of Criminology is the national focus for the study of crime and criminal justice in Australia and for the dissemination of criminal justice information.
Interpol
http://www.interpol.int/
The web site of Interpol reports on the activities of this international police organization which facilitates cross-border police cooperation to combat international crime and terrorism.
Jane’s Information Group
http://www.janes.com/
The Jane’s intelligence resource has been around for a century, and is a recognized leader in intelligence news and information. Although most of this particular site has links to the various Jane’s products for law enforcement, there are free news briefs and a weekly email service offering the latest Jane's headlines and abstracts, delivered free of charge
LEGAL (COURTS & GENERAL LAW), US.
ASSOCIATIONS
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
http://www.criminaljustice.org/
There are member-only sections, but the general public can access news, articles from the Champion Magazine, and federal and state resolutions.
ATTORNEYS
American Bar Association
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/criminal/home.html
In addition to public resource links, and the obligatory find-a-law section, they have an area on “How the Courts Work.”
Lawyers.com
http://www.lawyers.com/
In addition to an attorney directory, there are lots of articles on legal topics such as business law, elder law, immigration, malpractice, etc., and an “Ask the Lawyer” section.
Worldwide Legal Directories
http://www.hg.org/
Directories of attornies, law firms, expert witnesses, court reporters, process servers, and investigators worldwide
COURTS
The BLT: Blog of Legal Times
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/
Law and lobbying in the Nation’s Capitol (D.C.)
Federal Courts Law Review
http://www.fclr.org/
The Federal Courts Law Review (FCLR) is an electronic law review dedicated to legal scholarship relating to federal courts. Articles are from scholars, judges and distinguished practitioners. Articles are archived on site, with free access.
Federal Judicial Center
http://www.fjc.gov/
Provides information about the Center, its education programs for court personnel, online reports, and links to other federal court web sites
Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)
http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/
Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and from the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet. Links to all courts are provided from this web site. Electronic access is available by registering with the PACER Service Center, the judiciary's centralized registration, billing, and technical support center. Access to web based PACER systems will generate an $.08 per page charge.
Supreme Court of the United States
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/index.html
Recent decisions, oral arguments, briefs, court rules, case handling guides, and more
U.S. Courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/
General information about the courts and links, and a resources section which includes commonly-used terms, court fees, forms, judicial ethics and conduct, periodicals, and more
GENERAL LAW
All Law
http://www.alllaw.com/
Includes an attorney database and links to sites on law issues by topic
American Law Sources Online
http://www.lawsource.com/also/
In addition to sections with links on Answers to Legal Questions and How to Find a Lawyer, this site contains a compilation of links to freely accessible on-line sources of law for the United States (which separate links for each state), Canada, and Mexico.
Cornell University Law School
http://www.law.cornell.edu/
A listing of state and federal statutes by topic, as well as information grouped by topic area, I.e., commerce, enterprise law, business activities or sectors, property and environment, intellectual property, taxation, and constitutional law; also U.S. Supreme Court and other federal court opinions
Find Law
http://www.findlaw.com/
Information and resources on various legal topics like accidents and injuiries, bankruptcy and debt, criminal law, etc., with links to sample legal forms like living wills, and a section on legal news from around the U.S., updated daily
FindLaw Law Crawler
http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com/
Sections for up-to-date legal news, US FEDERAL LAW (Constitution · Codes · Supreme Court Opinions · Circuit Opinions), state law, and lots of links to sites on various legal subjects and forms; includes a search engine which looks through its various databases
Katsuey's Legal Gateway
http://www.katsuey.com/
Katsuey's Legal Gateway is a free legal directory for legal professionals researching law related topics on the Internet and lay-people who want to know more about the law, understand their legal rights and obligations and search for an attorney to assist them. Lots o’links.
Law Worm
http://www.lawworm.com/index.php
Legal links
‘Lectric Law Library
http://www.lectlaw.com/
Over 4,000 articles on legal topics on all subjects
Legal Explanations
http://www.legal-explanations.com/
Legal terms defined, sorted by alphabet
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
http://www.ncjrs.gov/
This site, from the U.S. Department of Justice, offers a wealth of reports, statistics, and articles on crime. They also have a section where you can search through a database of Q&As or ask your own question if what you are seeking isn’t included there. Examples of questions answered there include “What percentage of arrestees test positive for drugs?”, “What are the penalties for possession of illegal substances?”, “How do I obtain an order of protection?”, “How do I find the age of consent in my state?”, and lots more.
Nolo.com
http://www.nolo.com/glossary.cfm
Nolo’s mission is to publish reliable, easy-to-understand tools and information that just about anyone can use, and their web site follows suit, with articles on legal topics worded in layman’s terms.
Rominger Legal
http://www.romingerlegal.com/
Links of legal resources, organizations, professional directories, and federal and state links
STATISTICS
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/
You can read through their resource guides on various subjects such as capital punishment, homicide, violence against women, etc. NACJD also maintains a mailing list and publishes several guides and bulletins available at no charge. In all, there are over 500 data sets available in the archive, for example, “Detroit, Michigan Crime Statistics for the years 1862-1920.”
US Crime Statistics: Total and By State
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/
Includes time-series statistics (1960-2005) by state, and is sponsored by The Disaster Center
SPECIALIZED TOPICS
Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org/
EFF confronts cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights
Indian Law Resource Center
http://www.indianlaw.org/
The Indian Law Resource Center seeks to overcome the devastating problems that threaten Native peoples by advancing the rule of law, by establishing national and international legal standards that preserve their human rights and dignity, and by challenging the governments of the world to equally esteem all human beings. Site resources included several articles available to the public.
Law and Fiction
http://www.lawandfiction.com/
Lawyer Leslie Ann Budewitz helps writers of novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, and television scripts better incorporate law into fiction.
National Clearinghouse for Science, Public, and the Law
http://www.ncstl.org/home
The unique NCSTL database pinpoints focused results about forensic science & criminal justice topics in conjunction with the law. You can narrow your search by topic, including Accident Investigation, Arson & Fire, Biometrics, Bioterrorism, Blood Pattern Analysis, Crime Scene Investigation, Cybercrime, DNA, Digital Evidence, Entomology, Expert Witness Testimony, Explosives, Fingerprints, Firearms, and much more.
Privacy International
http://www.privacyinternational.org/
Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C. PI has conducted campaigns and research throughout the world on issues ranging from wiretapping and national security, to ID cards, video surveillance, data matching, medical privacy, and freedom of information and expression.
Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/hatewatch/
The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, SPLC is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups. The site includes Hatewatch Weekly, news about hate crimes both online and to which you can subscribe by e-mail.
Tribal Court Clearinghouse
http://www.tribal-institute.org/
The Tribal Court Clearinghouse is a comprehensive website established in June 1997 to serve as a resource for American Indian and Alaska Native Nations, American Indian and Alaska Native people, tribal justice systems, victims services providers, tribal service providers, and others involved in the improvement of justice in Indian country.
U.S. Copyright Office
http://www.copyright.gov/
The copyright office site contains news, laws, forms, licensing, the works. A recently-added feature is a powerful new records search system that accesses more than 20 million digital records of registrations and recorded documents from 1978 to the present. The new system allows searching by title, name, keyword, and registration or document number. Users can also search by type of work, such as sound recordings, dramas, motion pictures, visual materials, or preregistrations.
WorkPermit.com
http://www.workpermit.com/
Information and laws regarding immigration issues in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the UK
LEGAL (COURTS & GENERAL LAW), INTERNATIONAL
American Society of International Law
http://www.asil.org/
Includes information on courts, tribunals & other adjudicatory bodies around the world, and information and links on crime prevention, prosecution, and criminal justice, specific crimes, and statistical sources
Global Legal Information Network
http://www.glin.gov/search.action
GLIN is a searchable online database containing the following categories of legal documents for jurisdictions spanning the globe: Laws, Judicial Decisions, Legislative Records, and Legal Literature
Proceedings from the Old Bailey, London, 1674 to 1834
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
This is a fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court.
World Legal Information Institute
http://www.worldlii.org/
Law topics included in 865 databases from 123 countries and territories
Worldwide Legal Directories
http://www.hg.org/1table.html
Laws and governments of the world
LEGAL, FEDERAL (U.S.) LAW, ISSUES, DOCUMENTS
Congress.org
http://www.congress.org/
A vote monitor, "action alerts" on a wide range of topics from organizations that span the political spectrum and searchable databases for recent votes and current bills
Hot Docs: Government Documents in the News
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgdl
This page contains links to full text documents or reports about major governmental activities -- New York City, New York State, U.S. Federal, or international -- which have been featured in the news.
Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Federal legislative information freely available to the public, including bills and resolutions, activity in congress, the Congressional Record, schedules and calendars, committee information, presidential nominations, treaties, government resources
USA.gov
http://www.usa.gov/
The U.S. government’s official web portal
U.S. Government Printing Office
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to thousands of articles on various topics, including, but not limited to, congressional bills and records, federal regulations, and judicial resources
LEGAL, STATE & MUNICIPALITY (U.S.) LAW, CODES, DEPARTMENTS
GovEngine.com
http://govengine.com/
State by state links of government agencies
GovSpot
http://govspot.com/
Includes a state directory of legal links plus news by city, state, and county
LegalEngine
http://www.legalengine.com/
Legal forms for every state
Municipal Codes Web Library
http://www.bpcnet.com/codes.htm
The web library below includes links to Municipal Codes published through LexisNexis Municipal Codes Publishing and Ordlink Services.
Point of View
http://le.alcoda.org/publications/point_of_view/
From the District Attorney’s Office in Alameda County, California - articles about Detention & Contacts, Arrests, Searches, Probable Cause, Surveillance, Miranda, Mortions and more.
State Government Offices
http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
The State and Local Government Internet directory provides convenient one-stop access to the websites of thousands of state agencies and city and county governments.