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Over the years judicial directories have transitioned from a shelf of books in the reference collection (generally KF 8700) to timely, online resources.  Official court websites are extremely useful for locating judicial information, but there are additional judicial directories which compile detailed personnel lists, outline court structure, and offer interesting biographical notes.

Federal

The Almanac of the Federal Judiciary lists all active district and appellate court judges and includes biographical information, noteworthy rulings, publications, and lawyers' comments on a judge's court demeanor.  This content might be particularly helpful if you are investigating clerkships or arguing a case in federal court.  The UW Law Library has an electronic subscription to the Almanac and it is also available on Westlaw.

And for current information regarding judicial nominations, appointments by the president, salary data, and court statistics, check the "Judges & Judgeship" section on the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts website.

The BNA Directory of State and Federal Courts, Judges and Clerks compiles information about the courts of record in the federal court system, the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and territories in one authoritative volume.  This directory is also available on Bloomberg Law.

States

West's Legal Directory - Judges is noteworthy for its broad scope, providing brief biographical entries for state judges as well as federal judges. This directory is available on Westlaw.

The State of Wisconsin Blue Book profiles the the Judiciary with a summary of recent, significant supreme court decisions, and descriptions of the supreme court, court system, and judicial service agencies.


Submitted by Cheryl O'Connor on February 20, 2014

This article appears in the categories: Law Library

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