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LAW 690B - Human Rights Advocacy (Prof. Ludsin, Spring 2024)

US Civil Rights Law

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division: Enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, and national origin. Find publications and reports, case summaries, and information on how to file a complaint.

U.S.Commission on Civil Rights: An independent, bipartisan federal agency that studies alleged deprivations of voting rights and alleged discrimination to inform the development of national civil rights policy. Find research reports, state advisory committee reports, congressional reports and testimony, and meeting transcripts

University of Michigan Civil Rights Litigation ClearinghouseDocuments (dockets, complaints, orders) and information from civil rights cases, both historical and recent

Getting Uncle Sam to Enforce Your Civil Rights (US Commission on Civil Rights): Information, addresses, and links on where to file a complaint with federally assisted programs (2014 revision)

Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity: The state's agency charged with overseeing state civil rights.

Southern Center for Human Rights: Information on the organization's work in areas including the death penalty and the criminalization of poverty, with resources including handbooks.

American Civil Liberties Union: Reports and cases in which the ACLU is involved with preservation of individual rights and liberties.

Books, Treatises, and Journals:

  • Rodney A. Smolla, Federal Civil Rights Acts (Westlaw)
  • Martin A. Schwartz, Section 1983 Litigation (Federal Judicial Center publication on Hein Online and Westlaw)
  • Ivan Bodensteiner and Rosalie Levinson, State and Local Government Civil Rights Liability (Westlaw)
  • Manual on Employment Discrimination Law and Civil Rights Actions in Federal Courts (Westlaw)
  • Joseph Cook and John Sobieski, Civil Rights Actions (Lexis)
  • ABA Civil Rights Litigation (periodical) (Hein Online)
  • Study aids including Understanding Civil Rights Litigation, Section 1983 Litigation in a Nutshell, and Class Actions and Other Multi-party Litigation in a Nutshell. Find study aids on reserve at the Service Desk, and in the electronic West Study Aids Collection

US Election Law

Federal Election Commission: Federal election laws and regulations, policy statement and guidance documents, advisory opinions, pending litigation, case index of federal election law, financial disclosure reports and data.

National Association of Secretaries of State: Election information by state, surveys and reports on elections.

National Conference of State Legislatures: Research reports, news, and tables on state issues, including elections and compaigns, and redistricting and census.

NARA U.S. Voting and Election Resources: Links to resources on voting, elections, and campaign finance

U.S. Election Assistance Commission: Information on election administration and voting systems, with voter's guides and an Election Resource Library.

Brennan Center for Justice: Public policy institute with a focus on voting rights, redistricting, and campaign finance reform. Find case summaries, policy briefs, news, and a blog on election law.

Brookings Institution: Information on US Politics and Government, including on campaigns and elections.

Open Secrets.org: Resources on elections, lobbying, and money in politics

CQ Press Voting and Elections CollectionPrimary and secondary sources, plus data, on elections, campaign finance, electoral systems, and voting

Election Law at Moritz College of Law: Major pending election law cases and litigation documents, with commentary and recent developments

CRS ReportsReports from the Congressional Research Service on Congressional administration and elections

Carter Center Democracy Program: The Carter Center's work including elections observed, publications, voting in Georgia, and US elections

Election Law Manual: An overview of state and federal election law, from the National Center for State Courts and William & Mary Law School

ProQuest Legislative Insight: Legislative history documents and compiled legislative histories, including for voting rights legislation.

State Department and U.S. Foreign Policy

Current Foreign Policy:

State Department Policy Issues: Information and documents by issues within foreign policy

Office of Treaty Affairs: Treaties in Force, Texts of Agreements, Treaties Pending in the U.S. Senate

The White House: Presidential Actions, including Executive Orders, Memoranda, and Messages

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Federation of American Scientists: A curated collection of CRS Reports on national security and foreign affairs

Journals:

 

Historical Resources:

Digest of US Practice in International Law: Documents and statements by year and subject area

Foreign Relations of the United States 1861-1988: Official documentary history of U.S. foreign relations. Also available and more searchable on Hein Online

Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States: Statements of U.S. and international customary practice, commentary on the rules, and cases applying the rules.  Second and Third Restatements, plus a fourth edition focusing on status of treaties, jurisdiction and state immunity, and enforcement of foreign judgments. Available on Hein OnlineWestlaw, and Lexis. 

ProQuest Congressional: Database of congressional and legislative history materials, includes older CRS Reports

UN Member States on the Record: Dates of UN membership, links to General Debate statements, search for speeches and draft resolutions.

UN Security Council Repertoire of Practice: Historical record of the work of the UN Security Council

Security Council Report: An independent thinktank on the work of the UN Security Council with reports by country and theme. Includes chronologies of events and key UN documents

Disability Law

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