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This site seeks to provide convenient access to all briefs (other than responses in IFP cases) filed by the Solicitor General.
Briefs are grouped by the Supreme Court Term during which they are filed. Note that this is not necessarily the same as the calendar year of the filing, the Term or year the case is argued or decided, or the year shown in the case's docket number. As explained by the two preceding links, each Term technically begins and ends around October 1. Beginning, however, with the changeover from the 1998 to the 1999 Term, we will follow the Court's practice of beginning the new Term, for most administrative purposes, when the Court "rises" for the summer toward the end of June.The means available for locating briefs varies by Term:
Briefs filed after June 30, 1998, are generally available in two formats -- HTML and .pdf (Adobe Acrobat). Clicking on a brief title will normally take you to the HTML version; the .pdf version should then be available through a link at the top of the HTML file. More information on these format options is available in the "help" file.
While we endeavor to ensure that electronic copies of briefs on this site are complete and accurate (apart from formatting changes and omission of indexes in HTML versions of briefs, see format options), errors or omissions may occur. The official text of any brief is the text filed with the Court. |
The following search engine may be used for simple literal searches, such as for docket numbers or distinctive names or phrases. Please note that the searching program, and the supposedly automatic word-indexing on which it depends, seem to be subject to unpredictable glitches, so that negative search results may not be reliable. If a search doesn't turn up a brief you know or think exists, it is worth checking (if possible) by type or subject category as well. |
The Solicitor General files a number of different types of briefs or other pleadings with the Supreme Court, depending primarily on (i) the type of case, (ii) the stage of proceedings, and (iii) whether the government is a party to the case or an amicus curiae. Select the Term for which you would like to browse briefs, arranged by type of filing. |
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Most briefs are classified using a limited number of client/subject headings. These headings do not purport to provide comprehensive subject indexing to the briefs. Each brief is keyed to a limited number of headings (often only one), although the case may involve many different legal issues. Also, the heading or headings may be based on the source of the case -- that is, which government agency is involved, or which Division within the Department of Justice handled the case in the lower courts -- rather than on the subject matter of the case. In some cases -- such as those from the Department's Antitrust Division -- the source of a case will typically correlate closely with its subject matter. In other cases -- such as those involving one of the broad variety of agencies and programs represented by the Department's Civil Division -- a client/subject category based on source (such as Civil Division: General) will reveal considerably less about the type of legal issues the case involves. These classifications are for general reference only. |
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