Jamail Center for Legal Research
Tarlton Law Library

Online finding aids to the papers of Supreme Court Justices

Prepared by Mark Holman, reference librarian. Sources consulted.

The personal papers of the Justices provide biographical information on individual justices and their peers, a view of the internal workings of the Court, as well as rich insight into American society during different eras in American history. These archival collections contain case files, correspondence, dockets, briefs and other primary material. The personal papers of many Justices include correspondence with friends, peers, and family as well as early drafts of Court opinions. Collectively, these manuscript collections provide a valuable resource for research.

The purpose of this page is to identify and provide links to finding aids to the papers of the Justices which are available on the Internet. Finding aids to the collected correspondence of other individuals that provide significant research value are included. When the additional step of searching the on-line library catalog of the library or institution where the collection is found is necessary, we provide a link to the catalog and a suggest a search entry. Finding aids on the collection, folder or item level are included below.

- Denotes direct a link to online finding aids.
- Denotes a link to online catalogs that include finding aids.

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Baldwin, Henry Biographical Directory, U.S. Congress Federal Judicial Center Barbour, Philip Pendleton Biographical Directory, U.S. Congress Federal Judicial Center Virginia Historical Society Online Catalog - author search, "Barbour Family" Black, Hugo LaFayette Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Blackmun, Harry Andrew Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Blair, John, Jr. Federal Judicial Center William & Mary Libraries, LION online catalog - title search, "Blair, Banister, Braxton, Horner, Whiting papers, 1760-1890, 1765-1817" Blatchford, Samuel Federal Judicial Center Bradley, Joseph P. New Jersey Historical Society Federal Judicial Center Brandeis, Louis Dembitz University of Louisville Law School - Louis D. Brandeis files, 1926-1959 Federal Judicial Center Brennan, William J., Jr. Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Brewer, David Josiah Federal Judicial Center Yale University Library - search the Orbis catalog for "Brewer family papers" Brown, Henry Billings Federal Judicial Center Syracuse University Library, Elihu Root Correspondence - title search, "Correspondence, 1874-1935" then select "Guest Access" Burger, Warren Earl Federal Judicial Center Burton, Harold Hitz Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Bowdoin College Federal Judicial Center Butler, Pierce Minnesota Historical Society Federal Judicial Center Byrnes, James F. Robert Muldrow Cooper Library - title search, "James F. Byrnes papers, 1910-1972" Federal Judicial Center

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Campbell, John Archibald Southern Historical Collection Federal Judicial Center Cardozo, Benjamin Nathan Harvard Law School Library Federal Judicial Center Catron, John Federal Judicial Center Chase, Salmon Portland Library of Congress - search for "Papers of Salmon P. Chase, 1755-1898" Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory, U.S. Congress Chase, Samuel Federal Judicial Center Clark, Tom C. Tarlton Law Library - The University of Texas School of Law Federal Judicial Center Harry S. Truman Library (Accretion to the Tom C. Clark Papers) Clarke, John Hessin Federal Judicial Center Clifford, Nathan Federal Judicial Center Maine Historical Society - author search, "Clifford, Nathan, 1803-1881" Curtis, Benjamin Robbins Federal Judicial Center Cushing, William Massachusetts Historical Society - ABIGAIL Online Catalog, title search, "William Cushing family papers, 1657-1840" Federal Judicial Center

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Daniel, Peter Vivian Henry E. Huntington Library - title search, "Daniel family correspondence, 1813-1904" Federal Judicial Center Davis, David Biographical Directory, U.S. Congress Federal Judicial Center Day, William R. Federal Judicial Center Douglas, William O. Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Duvall, Gabriel Maryland State Archives Federal Judicial Center

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Ellsworth, Oliver Biographical Directory, U.S. Congress Federal Judicial Center

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Field, Stephen Johnson Online Archive of California - Manuscript Division, Bancroft Library, University of California Federal Judicial Center Fortas, Abe Federal Judicial Center Frankfurter, Felix Federal Judicial Center Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Fuller, Melville Weston Federal Judicial Center Bowdoin College

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Goldberg, Arthur Joseph Federal Judicial Center Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Gray, Horace   Federal Judicial Center Grier, Robert Cooper Federal Judicial Center

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Harlan, John Marshall I University of Louisville Law Library Federal Judicial Center Harlan, John Marshall II Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library - Princeton University, scroll to "Harlan, John Marshall, 1899-1971" Federal Judicial Center Holmes, Oliver W., Sr. Federal Judicial Center Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Hughes, Charles Evans Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Charles Evans Hughes, 1836-1950" Federal Judicial Center Hunt, Ward Correspondence in the Abraham Lincoln Papers - Library of Congress, keyword search for "Ward Hunt"

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Iredell, James North Carolina State Office of Archives and History U.S. Congress Biographical Directory Southern Historical Collection University of North Carolina

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Jackson, Howell E.   Southern Historical Collection - University of North Carolina Federal Judicial Center Jackson, Robert Houghwout Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Jay, John Columbia University Library Johnson, Thomas Federal Judicial Center Johnson, William, Jr. Maryland Historical Society - "simple" search, "Bayard family papers, 1672-1895" Federal Judicial Center

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Lamar, Joseph Rucker University of Georgia Libraries - GIL Quick Search, "Joseph Rucker and Clarinda Pendleton Lamar papers" Federal Judicial Center Lamar, Lucius Q.C. Mississippi Department of Archives and History Southern Historical Collection - University of North Carolina Livingston, H. Brockholst Federal Judicial Center Lurton, Horace Harmon Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Horace H. Lurton, 1860-1914" Tennessee State Library and Archives - Manuscript Guide, search for: Mf. 151 Federal Judicial Center

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Marshall, Thurgood Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Matthews, Stanley Federal Judicial Center McKenna, Joseph Virginia Historical Society - Holmes Conrad papers, title search, "Papers, 1850-1944 (bulk 1850-1874). Section 1" click "show related items in context" for collection listing Federal Judicial Center McKinley, John Federal Judicial Center McLean, John Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of John McLean, 1817-1861" Ohio Historical Society- select "Archives/Library Collections," title search, "Papers, 1816-1859" Federal Judicial Center McReynolds, James Clark University of Virginia Library Federal Judicial Center Miller, Samuel Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Samuel Freeman Miller, 1854-1887" Federal Judicial Center Minton, Sherman (All of Minton’s non-judicial papers were burned in 1960) Lilly Library - manuscripts, Indiana University Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Federal Judicial Center Moody, William Henry Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of William H. Moody, 1879-1917" Federal Judicial Center Moore, Alfred North Carolina State Office of Archives and History Murphy, Frank Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Federal Judicial Center

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Nelson, Samuel Library of Congress- title search, "Papers of Benjamin Robbins Curtis, 1831-1879" Maine Historical Society Research Library - author search, "Clifford, Nathan, 1803-1881" select "Papers" Federal Judicial Center

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Paterson, William Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of William Paterson, 1760-1806" Biographical Directory, United States Congress Federal Judicial Center Peckham, Rufus Wheeler Library of Congress - title search, "Rufus W. Peckham family papers, 1838-1894" Federal Judicial Center Pitney, Mahlon Federal Judicial Center Powell, Lewis Franklin, Jr. Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Archives - Washington and Lee University School of Law Library Federal Judicial Center

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Roberts, Owen Josephus Library of Congress, Atlantic Union Committee Records, 1940-1968 Federal Judicial Center Rutledge, John Duke University Libraries - click on catalog, search by title for "Papers, 1760-1862" South Carolina Historical Society - enter catalog, perform "simple search" for "John Rutledge account book, 1761-1779" Federal Judicial Center Rutledge, Wiley Blount Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center

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Sanford, Edward Terry Federal Judicial Center Shiras, George, Jr. Federal Judicial Center Stewart, Potter Federal Judicial Center Sterling Memorial Library - Yale University, search for "Potter Stewart papers, 1930-1986" Stone, Harlan Fiske Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Harlan Fiske Stone, 1889-1953" Federal Judicial Center Story, Joseph Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Joseph Story, 1807-1943" Federal Judicial Center William Clements Library - University of Michigan Strong, William Oregon Historical Society Research Library - title search, "Benjamin Stark papers, 1835-1890" Federal Judicial Center Sutherland, George Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of George Sutherland, 1850-1944" Federal Judicial Center Swayne, Noah Haynes Federal Judicial Center

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Taft, William Howard Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of William H. Taft, 1784-1973" Federal Judicial Center Taney, Roger Brooke Federal Judicial Center University of Maryland Libraries - Archives and Manuscripts Department Thompson, Smith Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Smith Thompson, 1765-1831" Federal Judicial Center Todd, Thomas Filson Club Historical Society - Louisville, Kentucky - see Manuscript Collection numbers 697 and 698 Federal Judicial Center Trimble, Robert Kentucky Historical Society - Robert Trimble letter, July 18, 1818

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Van Devanter, Willis Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Willis Van Devanter, 1884-1941" Federal Judicial Center Vinson, Frederick Moore University of Kentucky Library Federal Judicial Center

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Waite, Morrison Remick Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Morrison R. Waite, 1818-1888" Federal Judicial Center Warren, Earl Library of Congress, Manuscript Division California State Archives Federal Judicial Center Washington, Bushrod Duke University - select "Title begins with..." search, "Papers, 1686-1828" Federal Judicial Center Wayne, James Moore Federal Judicial Center White, Byron Raymond Library of Congress - title search, "Papers of Byron R. White, 1961-1992" Federal Judicial Center White, Edward Douglass Federal Judicial Center Whittaker, Charles Evans Federal Judicial Center Wilson, James American Philosophical Society - account book and diary - scroll to "[Wilson, James?] (1743-1798)" Historical Society of Pennsylvania - scroll to record 721 Federal Judicial Center Woodbury, Levi Library of Congress, Manuscript Division Federal Judicial Center Woods, William Burns Unknown

The following valuable sources were consulted in compiling this guide -

Adrienne deVergie and Mary Kate Kell, Location Guide to the Manuscripts of Supreme Court Justices (Tarlton Law Library Legal Bibliography Series Number 24, Revised ed. June, 1981).

Lee Epstein Et al., The Supreme Court Compendium 418-427, Locations of the Justices' Personal Papers, Table 5-11(3d ed. 2003).

Federal Judicial Center, Federal Judges Biographical Database (accessed August 4, 2004).

A list of comprehensive, printed location guides to the Justices' Papers can be found on the Supreme Court Historical Society's Papers of the Justices webpage.