Other
Differences Between Civil and Criminal Law in the Usa
This website provides a well-organized introduction to the differences between civil and criminal law. Addresses topics such as "punishment," "burden of proof," "protections for criminal defendants" and "ignorance of the law." Examples...
Other
Judicial Learning Center: Types of Court Cases
Learn about the two types of court cases - criminal cases and civil cases - and what types of crimes and disputes fall into each category.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez.org: Oyez Directory
The OYEZ Directory offers hyperlinks to Supreme Court cases. Choose the topic you'd like to search under, like "Attorneys," or "Civil rights," for example.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Supreme Court: Expanding Our Civil Rights: Gideon v. Wainwright
This is a synopsis of the landmark Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, which ruled that states must provide defense attorneys to any indigent criminal defendant charged with a felony. The decision was written by Justice Hugo Black.
Other
Federal Judicial Center: Inside the Federal Courts
A fantastic overview of the federal court system of the United States can be found here. Read about what the federal courts do, the difference between federal and state courts, the types of cases handled by federal courts, the structure...
Scholastic
Scholastic: John Doe in a u.s. Court
This site from Scholastic provides a well-written essay describes the federal court system and its jurisdiction including the '7 steps in justice.'
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: The Mississippi Burning Trial
Updated detailed account of the case of United States versus Cecil Price et al., also known as the "Mississippi Burning trial", a criminal trial where the United States charged a group of 18 men with conspiring in a Ku Klux Klan plot to...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What Happened to Trial by Jury?
In the United States today, juries decide less than 4% of criminal cases and less than 1% of civil cases filed in court. At the same time, jury systems in other countries are growing. So what happened in the US? And could the...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Article Iii: Categories of Contempt
An in-depth look at the different types of contempt of court, in the United States legal system.