Students

Website for prospective law school applicants that includes information and registration for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), details on applying to law school, admissions data for individual schools, and other resources.

Although there is no official ranking of law schools, U.S. News publishes their rankings based on reputation, LSAT scores, job placement success, and other factors. While controversial, these rankings have been influential with prospective law students.

In a commencement address to the 2014 graduating class of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, Justice Antonin Scalia weighs in on the debate over whether law school should remain a three-year endeavor or be shortened to two years. 25 minutes.

Website for attorneys, law students, and others interested in the legal profession with information and resources on the profession generally, improving the administration of justice, accrediting law schools, and ethics.

Four women chief justices of state supreme courts discuss their careers at a 2009 forum at the New England School of Law. Topics include their early struggles being hired by law firms, being the only females at a firm, balancing a career with motherhood, how being female influences a lawyer’s perceptions, and the impact of women on the legal system such as the growth in alternative dispute resolution strategies, family law, and community courts. 56 minutes.

Panel discussion among African American women lawyers on the contributions of women to the administration of justice and the legal profession. 52 minutes.

In a 1996 speech at Howard University Law School, then-Attorney General Janet Reno discusses ethical behavior in the legal profession. 51 minutes.

Website for the independent, nonprofit court improvement organization focusing on research and education for judges, court managers, and others interested in the functioning of state courts.

Website for the federal judicial branch agency that provides a broad range of information about federal courts and judges.

Website for the federal agency that contains the results of the research it conducts about federal court operation, procedures, and history.

In 2006, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer spoke about the differences between federal and state courts. 7 minutes.

In this 1992 speech before the National Center for State Courts, Chief Justice Delores Sloviter, of the U.S. Court of Appeals Third Circuit, discusses the influence of federal jurisdiction decisions on the sovereignty of state courts. She argues the high number of diversity cases in the federal courts each year has eroded ability of state courts to determine their own laws. 35 minutes.

In this 1992 interview, Judge Loren Smith discusses the U.S. Court of Federal Claims—then known as the U.S. Claims Court—an Article I Court that has jurisdiction over monetary claims against the U.S. government. 13 minutes.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) questions Judge Robert Bork during his 1987 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 6 minutes.

This ad—narrated by actor Gregory Peck—was aired in 1987 as part of People for the American Way’s successful effort to block the nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court. 1 minute.

On June 28, 1991 in the East Conference room of the United States Supreme Court, Justice Thurgood Marshall responded to reporters' questions and comments about his retirement from the Court. With good humor, Justice Marshall responded to reporters' questions with sharp and short retorts, and would not comment on decisions made by the Court. He said he was retiring due to his declining health and that race should not be a factor in the selection of his successor. He discredited reports that he was leaving in frustration and anger over the conservative leanings of the current Supreme Court. 23 minutes.

In this 2014 interview, Justice Sotomayor argues against a fixed retirement age and addresses the specific cases of Justices John Paul Stevens and David Souter. 2 minutes.

Professor Justin Wedeking discusses his research on the political atmosphere of Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees including how the introduction of cameras in 1981 affected the process. 13 minutes.

In a 2010 speech, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor speaks about selecting state judges. She argues that the campaign finance ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission creates “a problem for an independent judiciary” if more corporate spending in campaigns for state judgeships becomes prevalent. 30 minutes.

In this 2015 segment from his show, comedian John Oliver critiques the judicial election process by making fun of the bizarre ads and campaigns that some judicial candidates have run. 13 minutes. 

Feature-length documentary about the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit and how it was exploited by conservatives to weaken civil justice. Official website: http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/

At this 2005 panel, a coalition of consumer groups talks about their new education campaign in their fight to allow consumers to file lawsuits or join class action lawsuits against corporations instead of facing binding arbitration. Attorneys explain how consumers are hurt by binding arbitration, and two persons describe their experiences in the system. 42 minutes.

This 2009 Senate Republican Conference hearing on tort reform covers measures to lower the numbers of lawsuits brought, general reforms to the judicial system, and ensuring that job creation is not hindered by excessive lawsuits. Phillip Howard gives a broad overview of reforms needed. Crystal Chodes speaks from the perspective of a victim of lawsuit abuse. Dr. Teuscher addresses medical liability issues and Chris Drahozal addresses arbitration versus litigation. 80 minutes.

Website for the executive branch department charged with handling the legal business of the federal government.

At the center of the national death penalty debate today is the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham, put to death for the arson-murder of his three little girls. But was he guilty? This PBS Frontline documentary originally aired in 2010. 54 minutes.

How could four men confess to a brutal crime that they didn’t commit? Inside the incredible saga of the Norfolk Four – a case that cracks open the justice system to reveal almost everything that goes wrong when innocent people get convicted. This PBS Frontline documentary originally aired in 2010. 84 minutes.

Vintage film shows a new police recruit’s selection, training, and first days on the job. 25 minutes.

This 1974 TV program investigates the history of police brutality in Oakland, California and documents efforts to reform the department including audio recording police-public interactions. 25 minutes.

As part of a conference titled, “The American Prosecutor: Power, Discretion and Accountability,” the panelists talk about prosecutorial misconduct. In recent years, studies by investigative reporters at the Chicago Tribune and the Center for Public Integrity suggest that prosecutorial misconduct is a pervasive problem in the criminal justice system. Members of this panel discuss the extent of the misconduct along with specific case examples, its ramifications, and the effectiveness of existing legal remedies. After their discussion they respond to audience members' questions. 92 minutes.

In 1997, Marcia Clark—the lead prosecutor in the murder trial against former football star and actor O.J. Simpson—spoke about her then-new book, Without a Doubt, about her impressions of the case. She stresses that she knew from the beginning that the prosecution had virtually no chance to convict Simpson because he was a cultural icon. She also answers several criticisms about the prosecution’s case and takes questions from the audience. 58 minutes.

In 2010, the Department of Justice held a symposium on the public defender system. Attorney General Eric Holder gave the keynote address and panelists talked about the system that began after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1963 decision in Gideon v. Wainwright overturning the felony conviction of Clarence Earl Gideon after he was denied a request for free legal counsel. 117 minutes.

In this 2014 program, Michael Nachmanoff talks about the Federal Public Defender Program that offers free legal counsel for poor people charged in federal cases. He speaks about how growing caseloads and sequestration cuts were affecting the offices that provide the constitutionally guaranteed legal services. 40 minutes.

As part of a 2007 conference titled, “The American Prosecutor: Power, Discretion and Accountability,” the panelists talked about the role of U.S. prosecutors in charging individuals and plea bargaining. The panelists explored the pros and cons of the vast discretion prosecutors exercise when deciding whether to charge or offer a plea bargain in a criminal case. 120 minutes.

In 2008, a group of federal court judges participated in a panel discussion on the plea bargaining process. They discussed recent changes in sentencing law and whether some of the powers given to prosecutors should be given to judges. 81 minutes.

Test your memory skills with this video to see how reliable eye witness testimony is. 2 minutes.

CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos explains how jurors get selected to sit on a trial – and why it can take such a long time. 2 minutes.

A panel talks about the American jury system. Among the topics they address are the role of the jury in the American legal system, the jury selection process, jury nullification, and the outcome of jury trials. 60 minutes.

On June 16, 2015 an en banc 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in Edward Peruta v. County of San Diego. The case, consolidated with Adam Richards v. County of Yolo, concerns the right of law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm in public. California allows county sheriffs and police chiefs to decide what constitutes a “good cause” to issue a permit. 76 minutes.

On September 2, 2014, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City heard oral argument in ACLU v. Clapper, which challenged the National Security Agency’s (NSA) program of bulk data collection of telephone records. Judge Lynch began by explaining the nature of appellate proceedings. 106 minutes.

On September 5, 2014, the Nebraska Supreme Court heard oral argument in a dispute over the planned route for the Keystone XL pipeline through the state. In January 2014, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman (R) approved a revised route for the pipeline, saying it avoided ecologically sensitive regions of the state. A group of landowners challenged the decision, and in February 2014 a lower court ruled that the governor did not have the authority to approve the new route. 30 minutes.

In this 1997 interview, Cathy Catterson—Clerk for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals—explains how it operates. 14 minutes.

Website for the Supreme Court Database, the definitive source for researchers, students, journalists, and citizens interested in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Database contains over two hundred pieces of information about each case decided by the Court between the 1953 and 2008 terms. Examples include the identity of the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed, the parties to the suit, the legal provisions considered in the case, and the votes of the Justices.

Website for the U.S. Supreme Court, containing information about the Court’s history, procedures, personnel, and current cases. It also includes an archive of the printed bound volumes of the United States Reports since the Court’s 1991 term in PDF.

A law blog devoted to comprehensively covering the U.S. Supreme Court. It includes information on the Justices, petitions, and case dispositions, as well as a variety of statistics and symposiums on key legal issues (e.g., gene patenting, the Affordable Health Care Act, immigration).

Website for the Oyez Project, a database on major constitutional cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, with multimedia resources including digital audio of oral arguments.

In this 2013 interview, former Supreme Court clerks Pratik Shah and William Jay talk about the experience of clerking at the Supreme Court including the selection process, some of the tasks clerks perform, and their influence on the justices. 50 minutes.

In this 2009 interview, Chief Justice Roberts talks about the oral argument process at the U.S. Supreme Court. 12 minutes.

On April 28, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Obergefell v. Hodges consolidated with three other same-sex marriage cases. The first question heard was whether the 14th Amendment required a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex. The cases raising that question were DeBoer v. Snyder from Michigan and Bourke v. Bashear from Kentucky. There was a brief interruption while a protestor was removed. This program contained the audio recording released by the Court immediately after the arguments were presented. Still images of participants were shown on the screen as they spoke. 90 minutes.

In this 2014 interview, Justice Scalia talks about what goes on in the private conferences of the justices and how the opinion writing process takes place. 6 minutes.

An anecdote from a 2014 interview that illustrates the friendly relationships on the Supreme Court despite the ideological divisions. 5 minutes.

Justice Breyer discusses Worcester v. Massachusetts and how the Supreme Court’s decision was ignored by President Andrew Jackson. 4 minutes.

In this 1998 lecture in the U.S. Supreme Court chamber, Professor Gerald Rosenberg discusses the role of the Supreme Court and the impact of its decisions in the civil rights movement. Rosenberg’s remarks follow introductions by Leon Silverman and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 60 minutes.