Government and Law

Resources for Researching Government and Law Topics
The links below will take you to resources that are not a part of WSCSS website. Links will open in a new window.
  • Judges in the Classroom—Court-related Lesson Plans and Teacher/Judge Pairings. The State Supreme Court administers the Judicial branch of the Washington State Government. There are more than 30 lesson plans designed with handouts and instructional directions that are consistent with the EALRs. The site offers a "Request a Judge" electronic form. The teacher can fill out the form to request a judge and I will work with the courts in the teacher's area to try and make a judge/teacher pairing.


  • Amnesty International. Amnesty International has an active world-wide membership with more than 1,100,000 individual members, subscribers and supporters in over 160 countries and territories. The movement is open to anyone who supports its goals. The work is impartial. Amnesty International is concerned solely with the protection of human rights involved in each case, regardless of either the ideology of the government or the beliefs of the victims.


  • CongressLink. Students and educators alike will find CongressLink an invaluable tool for civics classrooms. By typing in their ZIP code, students are immediately transported to detailed information about their representatives, including e-mail addresses, contact information, voting records, and committee assignments. Experts are available to help students locate, evaluate, and analyze information to improve their understanding of the workings of Congress. Teachers will find lesson plans and resources to engage their students in authentic learning at its best.


  • Congressional E-Mail List. Here you will find a clickable listing of the Senators and Representatives on line. You can even find out if your Senator or Representative has an e-mail address. I wonder when all our government officials will have e-mail.


  • E-Conflict. Over 1,500 pages of material intended to Eradicate Conflict by building cultural awareness. World Encyclopedia with Anthems, Flags, Maps, and the Nations of the World!


  • Electric Law Library . A fun library to learn law concepts...go to the Rotunda first.


  • Federal Government Information. Information about the federal government as well as all the states.


  • Federal Judicial Center Home Page. The Federal Judicial Center is the federal courts' agency for research and continuing education. Congress established it by statute in 1967 as a separate organization within the federal judicial system at the request of the Judicial Conference of the United States (see 28 U.S.C.620-629). Its basic policies are determined by an eight-member Board, chaired ex officio by the Chief Justice of the United States.


  • Federal Web Locator. An award-winning hot list of links to U.S. government WWW resources, compiled by Kenneth Mortensen of the Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy.


  • Freeadivce.com


  • Findlaw


  • Foster's Daily Democrat in Dover, NH. Under construction and very promising, follow the U.S. presidential campaign here. In addition to news and candidate info, this site will soon have a variety of on-line interactive forums that will allow citizens to discuss the issues with one another, submit questions to candidates and view on-line debates among the candidates. These are not the real- time, one-liner chat kind of discussions which are common on the Internet. Rather the responses remain on-line for others to read and/or respond to later, with search tools to help you maneuver through the threaded discussions.


  • Government Information in Canada. A quarterly electronic journal for discussion and study of Canadian federal, provincial/territorial, and local government information.


  • In Congress Assembled: Continuity & Change in the Governing of the U.S. provides four teaching units linked to American history readings. Topics include drafting the Constitution, adding the Bill of Rights, comparing certain issues then & now, & how the early Congress proclaimed holidays. (LOC)


  • Information from the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Japan). Welcome to the Prime Minister's official residence. Topics here include: What's New, WWW servers in Japanese government, The Prime Minister's official residence, Information, Japanese Information.


  • International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is one part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which comprises National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the Federation), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The National Societies (163 at December 1994) exist in almost every country in the world. The Societies must fulfill stringent conditions to become recognized by the ICRC and to gain membership of the Federation.


  • Languages. This page is devoted to bringing together information about the languages of the world. The language resources listed here come from all around the world, and range from dictionaries to language tutorials to spoken samples of languages.


  • LawGuru.com - Legal Questions, Answers and Research. The author has assembled 430+ legal related search engines onto the site into a "gigantic" meta index search tool. These are not just links to the search engines but the actual search forms. The Multiple Resource tool allows users to search multiple legal databases (codes, opinions etc.) at the SAME TIME from one search box. Both are great tools for legal research allowing you to access for free much of many companies still charge lots of money for. If you want, you can also install a full custom version of our legal research tool on your site for free. The "list Tool - Legal Mailing List Manager" makes the process of subscribing, unsubscribing and sending commands to over 600+ mailing and discussion lists easy.


  • Law.com


  • Law Forum. The LawForum is a nationwide legal directory. Attorneys and Law Firms are listed by Area of Law and by State. Do click the state link and you will get a listing of all the states and from there you will find even more valuable information.


  • LawGuru.com


  • Navy Online. NavyOnLine is the idea that information generated by the Navy ought to be easily accessible online, both within the Navy and to the public, in organized ways. NavyOnLine is an effort both to make Navy information more widely available and to provide tools to help people find what they are looking for.


  • NOAA Climate Prediction Center. The NOAA Mission: Promoting global environmental stewardship in order to conserve and wisely manage the Nation's, marine and coastal resources, Describing, monitoring, and predicting changes in the Earth's environment in order to ensure and enhance sustainable economic opportunities.


  • Public Broadcasting System. PBS ONLINE includes new areas devoted to education and public television programming as well as a constantly changing set of hyperlinks related to current and upcoming PBS shows. The content will be updated daily, with a main feature story highlighting upcoming programming and special events, and a combination of special features and regular departments offering active, event-oriented experiences.


  • Search the Constitution. In this address, you will find options regarding kids and the court system. There are several choices. You can search the U.S. Constitution, Look at how the courts are structured, find out how the law works for kids, participate in contests where you are the "Judge," and find out about court T.V. programs. Students could research about laws and act out a court drama illustrating the court system in our country. Also, students can find out how the law works for kids and see some cases which involve students/children. In each major section, there are additional options that can take you to additional information. This is a fantastic URL!! I encourage you all to take a look!!!


  • Supreme Court Decisions. If you are remotely interested in law, this is a great site to visit.


  • The Law Engine. Dedicated to providing the best on-line law sources available in a fast, well-organized easy-to-use, single-page format!


  • Thomas. In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, a service of the U.S. Congress through its Library.


  • TV Washington. TVW is a statewide television network the sole purpose of which is to provide unedited coverage of state government deliberations and public policy events of statewide significance. TVW was founded on one simple idea and belief, namely that people have an inherent right to watch their government at work -- their government. TVW's unique form of unedited programming is received on a daily basis by about one and a half million people throughout various communities in the state and we are growing rapidly. For availability in your area, please check the local listings section of this Home Page.


  • United Nations Development Program. UNDP promotes human development. We seek to create opportunities through which people's abilities, talents and creativity can find full expression. We aspire to a world where people can better their lives in a manner of their own choosing. We recognize that development today must safeguard the options of future generations.


  • United States (Legal) Code. Welcome to the United States Code, generated from the most recent version of the Government Printing Office CD-ROM.


  • U.S. Balanced Budget Simulator. Become president and try to balance the national budget. Created by U.C. Berkeley.


  • U.S. Department of Education. Here the U.S. Department of Education hopes to provide useful and timely information about programs, policies, people, and practices that exist at the Department, in projects we fund, and elsewhere. The ED WWW server is a great entry point to the information not only at the U.S. Department of Education but also in much of the education community.


  • U.S. Department of Energy. The Department of Energy, in partnership with our customers, is entrusted to contribute to the welfare of the Nation by providing the technical information and scientific and educational foundation for technology, policy, and institutional leadership necessary to achieve efficiency in energy use, diversity in energy sources, a more productive and competitive economy, improved environmental quality, and a secure national defense.


  • U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services Resource Locator . The Dept. of Health & Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.


  • U.S. Department of Justice. As the largest law firm in the Nation, the Department of Justice serves as counsel for its citizens. It represents them in enforcing the law in the public interest. Through its thousands of lawyers, investigators, and agents, the Department plays the key role in protection against criminals and subversion, in ensuring healthy competition of business in our free enterprise system, in safeguarding the consumer, and in enforcing drug, immigration, and naturalization laws. The Department also plays a significant role in protecting citizens through its efforts for effective law enforcement, crime prevention, crime detection, and prosecution and rehabilitation of offenders.


  • US Copyright Office U.S. Copyright Office "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries" (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8)


  • U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is an independent statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. EIA maintains a comprehensive data and information program relevant to energy resources and reserves, energy production, energy demand, energy technologies, and related financial and statistical information. EIA's mission is to provide high quality, policy independent energy information to meet the requirements of Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes sound policy making, efficient markets, and public understanding.


  • U.S. Government Printing Office. The Government Printing Office Homepage offers electronic access to documents published by government agencies. Papers from the National Budgets to Nicotine Regulation Documents to Congressional Records are searchable and available for downloading in both text and PDF formats.


  • U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office. Newcomers to Intellectual Property may wish to peruse our online publications, and our two PTO pamphlets containing general information about Patents and Trademarks. The Copyright Office, which is under the Library of Congress, provides similar information on copyrights. You may also wish to browse through speeches and press releases at the Patent Office.


  • U.S. Social Security Administration Online. Welcome to Social Security Online, a service of the Social Security Administration, with headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Information on this server is maintained by the Social Security Online Team and is part of our Agency's commitment to the goal of providing World Class Service.


  • Virtual Law Library. The Virtual Law Museum has a very large list of topics arranged alphabetically for the reader. Topics include Constitutional law, copyright, treaties, legislation and other legal resources.


  • Voting By Phone. * The Swiss experience since 1848: The laws the people made. * Mayans, South Africans, Tibetans; the *world* is dying for real democracy. * Televote, Voting by Phone, The Electronic Congress, and other tested tools. * Initiatives and Referenda: the legal tools, and how to improve them. * Canadian primaries by telephone. The Democratech Party of British Columbia. * Links to Switzerland, Mexico, Tibet, Germany, South Africa and Alabama! * CBS Evening News, Wall St. Journal, Economist and other news stories. We provide turnkey personal computer-based telephone voting systems that insure one vote per person. We provide expert consulting on community decision-making. Gore Vidal told the US TV news Christmas Eve 1994: "Nobody can govern this country." We think everyone together can. Check out our plan. And please forward this announcement wherever you think right!


  • VoteSmart This project is a joint effort of the local Leagues of Women Voters and National League of Women Voters Education Fund ; Project Vote Smart; the Columbus Metro, Oakland Public, St. Petersburg, and Evanston Public Libraries; Sprint; the Public Information Exchange; and OCLC Online Computer Library Center.


  • White House. All about the Executive Branch of our government. You can take a tour of the White House and even email the President and Vice President.


  • World Health Organization (WHO). The World Health Assembly is the policy-making body of WHO and meets in annual session. The Executive Board, which meets twice a year, acts as the executive organ of the Assembly. Six regional organizations have been established as integral parts of the Organization, each consisting of a regional committee and a regional office. Regional committees meet in annual sessions. The Secretariat consists of a Director-General, six Regional Directors, and such technical and administrative staff as is required.


  • W3 Lawyer. A great legal site...you could spend hours here.