Friday, June 27, 2014

The Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse

A hearty welcome to the Blogosphere to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, directed by Michigan Law professor Margo Schlanger.  Originating in Professor Schlanger's research files, the Clearinghouse is, as of today, "posting at least partial information on 5,947 cases, including a litigation summary for each as well as: 42,541 dockets, complaints, filings, opinions, settlements, court orders, and other documents; and citations and links to an additional 1,199 opinions. Some of these cases are historical, but many more are current; the site is strongest for cases from the 1990s to present."  For example, the collection of cases on conditions in jails and prisons "span the time period from 1956 to the present."  (Information on the categories collected by the Clearinghouse is here.)

Professor Schlanger's Clearinghouse and my Georgetown Law colleague Laura Donohue's State Secrets Archives are models of how legal academics can make their research available to other scholars.

Hat tip: