Virtual Reference Desk

Recommend a Website

How we select an External Website

Politics

The Jefferson Project

This site is a collection of political sites and public fora. Both left and right issues seem to be fairly represented. You can go here to learn about issues and read arguments from both sides.

All Politics

This searchable database from CNN & Time Political News provides access to information on the polls, issues and political analyses.

Policy.com

This site offers a comprehensive treatment of today's political issues including welfare reform, sexual harassment, and campaign reform. Policy.com is a great place to begin your research.

EmbassyWeb

EmbassyWeb is a searchable diplomacy database with over 50,000 addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of diplomatic posts worldwide.

Electronic Policy Network

"A consortium of top public policy organizations and advocacy groups, the Electronic Policy Network provides timely information and leading ideas about the policies and politics that shape our world. Since its founding in 1995 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Starr and The American Prospect magazine, EPN has grown to include over 60 member organizations, whose work tackles topics ranging from economic policy to civic participation, health care to foreign policy, and education to Social Security. Inside this site, you will find ... information on new releases from our member organizations; the latest columns and editorials from policy debate shapers; and job, internship, and event postings from the policy community."

Political Parties & Voting

Federal Elections Commission

This site presents information about candidates, parties and other committees in upcoming and past federal elections.

Democracy Network: Kentucky

You can get information on candidates, political parties, the Kentucky Government, and more. The purpose: "The Democracy Network provides citizens, public officials, and candidates a unique opportunity to debate issues of local, state and national importance. Candidates and elected officials can upload or update their positions to our database at any time. Citizens can access these statements and compare the positions of the people for whom they are asked to vote. Citizens can then contact candidates directly to ask questions, give opinions, or volunteer or donate to campaigns."

League of Women Voters

"The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy."

Vote Smart

"Project Vote Smart is a national library of factual information on over 13,000 candidates for public office --- President, Governors, Congress and State Legislatures. We cover them in five basic areas: backgrounds, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and the performance evaluations made on them by over 80 conservative to liberal special interests."

Politics1.com: Directory of U.S. Political Parties

At this site, you will find a comprehensive annotated directory of political parties in the United States.

Law

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Law: Guides

Find Law

This site serves as a collection of legal information available over the Internet, organized by subject.

Law Sources Online

This site "provides a comprehensive, uniform, and useful compilation of links to all on-line sources of American law that are available without charge. This site contains additional links to sources of commentary and practice aids that are available without charge (or available at a reasonable charge from governmental and nonprofit providers)."

Law: Constitutional

Constitution of the United States

Here is the text of the constitution and all its amendments. The constitution is provided in table of contents format. The site provides hotlinks from original statements to future amendments.

Constitutional Law: An Overview

This site is a good place to start for those wishing to learn about constitutional law. It provides links to pertinent federal sites as well as links to state and international constitutional sites.

International Constitutional Law

"(ICL) provides English translations of and other textual material related to constitutional documents. It cross-references those documents for quick comparison of constitutional provisions."

Law: Court Decisions

Supreme Court Collection

The site contains nearly all opinions of the court issued since May of 1990.

Federal Legal Information Through Electronics

"The file consists of over 7,000 Supreme Court opinions dating from 1937 through 1975, from volumes 300 through 422 of US Reports."

US Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

You can search the opinions of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Scroll down the page to browse or search. The sixth circuit includes Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.

US District Court-Western District of Kentucky

"This site provides web access to public information previously distributed directly through the Offices of the Clerk of Court"

Law: Criminal

Criminal Law: An Overview

A good introduction to Criminal Law. The site provides links to federal, state, and international resources.

Criminal Law Links

This site was compiled by the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. The content is broad, but has a focus on Kentucky issues.

ACLU-Criminal Justice

Law: Family

Office of Federal Child Support Enforcement

This site provides links to policies, news, and state child support enforcement pages.

The ABA Center on Children & The Law

Put together by the American Bar Association, this site is intended to be a "resource tool for lawyers, judges, and other child advocates." The site's "mission is to improve children's lives through advances in law, justice, knowledge, practice, and public policy."

Divorce Laws of the Fifty States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico

"This page links to the divorce laws of the states and to tables summarizing some of their salient points. Those interested in the divorce law of a particular jurisdiction should review its law directly rather than rely on the tables which may not be fully accurate or complete."

Law: General

Lawyers.com

Martindale-Hubbell's premier law directory is the most complete, trusted source for identifying qualified legal counsel.

Medicare Rights Center (MRC)

"Established in 1989, Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit organization devoted to ensuring that seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare have equitable access to quality health care."

Senior Law Home Page

"This is a Web site where senior citizens, their families, attorneys, social workers, and financial planners, can access information about Elder Law (Elderlaw), Medicare, Medicaid, estate planning, trusts, and the rights of the elderly and disabled."

Law Street

Law Street is designed to give you basic legal information in plain terms. This site is ideal for anyone doing legal research.

Law: Immigration/Emigration

Immigration & Naturalization Service

This website is "designed to provide our customers with the most up-to-date information about the agency and the services we offer."

ACLU - Immigration Rights

"The Immigrants' Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation was established in 1987 to expand and enforce the civil rights and civil liberties of non-citizens and to combat public and private discrimination against immigrants." The website offers access to news, current events and links to other sites.

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Founded in 1964, AILA is a national bar association of over 5,200 attorneys who practice and teach immigration law. This site contains a wealth of information on immigration in America.

Last updated: 3/28/01