Article III of the Constitution begins “The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” From the creation of inferior courts to dealing with decisions of the Courts as it affects their legislation, Congress interacts with the federal courts on a regular basis. This interaction between these two branches of government is an interesting area of our legal system. To assist in researching these issues, the Law Library has recently subscribed to a new HeinOnline library, Congress and the Courts.
The heart of this library is a legislative history of Congress and the Courts from 1787-2010. Here researchers can find documents ranging from a review of the debates in the state and federal constitutional conventions that led to the creation of the federal judiciary to a 2009 Senate hearing responding to the growing need for federal judgeships. Many other useful resources are included in the database as well. If you’re doing any research on Congress’s interaction with the Courts, this is a great place to start.