HeinOnline's Judges and the Judiciary: Exploring America's Court System database focuses on the structure, creation, actions of, and oversight of the courts, both state and federal. When first launched to customers, this database was built around Bernard D. Reams, Jr., et al.’s Congress and the Courts: A Legislative History, 1787-2018, which collected documents relating to congressional concern with the composition and structure of Article III Courts. While this work originally excluded thornier philosophical issues concerning the judiciary, such as the removal of judges and judicial ethics, this database brings these items to the forefront, especially in the wake of 2023 reports of lavish gifts bestowed on Supreme Court justices.
Also included in this collection are the complete archive of publications from the Federal Judicial Center, which serves as the education and research agency for the federal courts, links to the complete text of Title 18 (Crimes and Criminal Procedure) and Title 28 (Judicial Administration), legislative histories on the laws that created and govern the federal courts, and much more. For ease of use, within this collection is linked a separate but closely related HeinOnline collection, History of Supreme Court Nominations (separate subscription required). On the more eclectic side, users will find judicial histories of state courts, court rules, accounts of judicial impeachment, and even a lurid account from Kentucky of the murder trial of a judge. To aid users in discovering content, each title in this collection has been analyzed by HeinOnline editors and assigned one or more title-level subject. Subjects include Court Reform, Courts and Technology, Judicial Ethics, Judicial Selection, State Courts, and more. Finally, a curated list of highly cited scholarly articles allows users to further target their research without the hassle of searching, linking highly-cited articles on court jurisdiction, judicial power, ideologies, and judicial makeup.