Although Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law are great sources for recent U.S. Supreme Court briefs, what do you do when you need briefs or appendices from classic cases?  The library subscribes to a database called The Making of Modern Law: U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832-1978.  As the title suggests, this database allows you to find briefs and records going back all the way to 1832.

What kinds of items are included in the record transcripts?

• Pleadings
• Motion practice from lower courts
• Prior proceedings before administrative agencies
• Discovery documents
• Answers to interrogatories
• Advertisements
• Financial statements
• Deposition testimony
• Maps

Basically, most things submitted to a court during the course of litigation will be included, with the exception of items that cannot be made publicly known (ex. trade secrets).  This makes this database not only a great source for old briefs, but also for a wide variety of information appended to briefs.