Search Engines
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USASearch.govThis is the U.S. Government's official web search engine.
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Human Rights Library Meta Search EngineAllows users to search many different human rights sites simultaneously. Includes a wide variety of human rights organizations, United Nations bodies, intergovernmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and governments.
U.S. Government Agencies & Information
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The White HouseOfficial site.
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The United States SenateOfficial site.
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U.S. House of RepresentativesOfficial site.
California Government Agencies and Information
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H-California Resources: Politics| Government| Public PolicyA good guide to many California political sites.
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California Secretary of StateProvides information on elections, voting, ballot initiatives, statistics, campaign finance, and lobbyists.
U.S. Constitution, U.S. Laws, and Federal Regulations
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The Constitution of the United States of AmericaUseful for understanding US Supreme Court decisions related to core constitutional issues.
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The Constitution of the United States of America (version 2)Another online version of the Constitution, provided by the U.S. Senate.
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Supreme Court of the United StatesOfficial web site.
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OyezThis US Supreme Court database includes briefs on constitutional cases, biographies, portraits of all justices who have served on the Supreme Court, and links to written opinions.
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LII and HermesMaintained by Cornell. Brings together Supreme Court information collected by the Legal Information Institute and Project Hermes. An excellent source for information on the Supreme Court.
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History of the Federal JudiciaryMajor reference source for the federal courts, including biographical information on federal judges, legislative histories of the courts, and selected topics in judicial history.
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FindLaw: Internet Legal ResourcesGuide to United States case law, law codes, law review articles, and other law materials.
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California CourtsOfficial page of the Judicial Council of California. Recommended for keeping abreast of the latest developments in California law.
Legislation
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United States CongressOfficial public page for Congressional information.
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Biographical Directory of the United States CongressGuide to members of Congress throughout history.
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The HillThis weekly newspaper covers Congress and also provides news coverage and a very useful congressional directory.
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C-SPAN OnlineC-SPAN [Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network] is a public service created by the American television industry to cover proceedings of the United States House of Representatives and Senate.
Policy Issues
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Public Policy Institute of CaliforniaThe PPIC is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to independent, nonpartisan research on economic, social, and political issues in California.
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The Pew Research Center for the People and the PressThis site posts online reports and public opinion data on public policy issues.
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Rough & TumbleA daily "snapshot" of California public policy and politics.
U.S. Elections
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Federal Election CommissionProvides resources on campaign finance reform and the structure of the US election system, including the electoral college.
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Center for Public IntegrityFeatures information on each presidential candidate's assets, and campaign funding sources.
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Common CauseA nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. The site features reports on campaign donors and charts on campaign expenditures.
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Opensecrets.orgThe website of the Center for Responsive Politics. Provides information on the amount and source of funds on campaign finance and related topics.
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Election StatisticsProvides vote totals for every congressional candidate in elections from 1920 to the present.
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U.S. Presidential Election MapsProvides information on both the popular vote by state and the number of electoral votes each presidential candidate received.
California Elections
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California Voter FoundationProvides the public with comprehensive access to information about upcoming elections. Includes an Internet Guide to California's Legislature.
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Project Vote SmartThis nonpartisan organization provides the public with information about the Political system, issues, elected officials, and candidates from both state and national elections.
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League of Women Voters - Vote411This interactive website is designed to improve the quality and quantity of voter information.
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Smart VoterAnother excellent guide provided by the League of Women Voters. This site is designed to be easy to use and provides voters with comprehensive nonpartisan information about contests on their ballot.
Political Parties
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Democratic National CommitteeOfficial site.
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Republican National CommitteeOfficial site.
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Green PartyOfficial site.
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Libertarian PartyOfficial site.
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Reform PartyOfficial site.
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Communist Party USAOfficial site.
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Natural Law PartyOfficial site.
Comparative Government
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The Library of Congress Country StudiesProvides information on the society and culture of most countries.
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CIA World FactbookThis annual publication is provided by the Central Intelligence Agency. An excellent source for quick country information.
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U.N. DataContains geographical, economic, demographic and social statistics for all United Nations members.
International Relations
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International Crisis Group NewsSponsored by the International Crisis Group, this site provides analytical information about trouble spots in the world.
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RefworldOperated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this site is a very comprehensive information source for refugees' issues around the world.
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University of Minnesota Human Rights LibraryThis site is a comprehensive source for documents related to human rights and links to other human rights sites.
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Amnesty InternationalNongovernmental organization devoted to human rights. Annual reports cover most countries in the world. Also includes links to other human rights organizations.
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CIA Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading RoomOnline archive of previously secret documents that are frequently requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
Polling and Public Opinion
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ICPSR: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social ResearchThe Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), established in 1962, is an integral part of the infrastructure of social science research. ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, and offers training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use. To ensure that data resources are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR preserves data.