Wilkerson WR "The emergence of Internet citations in US Supreme Court opinions " Justice System Journal 27(3):323-338 2006

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Addresses: wilkerwr at oneonta.edu 

Title: The emergence of Internet citations in US Supreme Court opinions 

Author(s): Wilkerson WR (Wilkerson, William R.) 

Source: JUSTICE SYSTEM JOURNAL 27 (3): 323-338 2006 

Document Type: Article 
Language: English 

Cited References: 27      Times Cited: 0      

 
Abstract: This article tracks the use and growth of Internet citations in 
the decade 1996-2006. The first citation to an Internet reference appeared 
in a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in 1996. At the end of the 2005 term, all 
members of the Court had included Internet citations in opinions, and in 
recent terms, Internet citations appeared in over one-third of cases 
decided by the Court. Internet citations are found in a disproportionally 
large number of dissenting opinions. Internet citations are less permanent 
than other references, although the percentage of live links in Supreme 
Court opinions is much higher than that found in studies of Internet 
citation permanence done in other disciplines. The use of Internet 
citations is compared to larger trends occurring in what is cited by 
members of the Court in their opinions. The rise in Internet citations has 
taken place at a time when citations to nonlegal sources have grown and 
references to law reviews have declined. 

Addresses: Wilkerson WR (reprint author), SUNY Coll Oneonta, Oneonta, NY 
13820 USA
SUNY Coll Oneonta, Oneonta, NY 13820 USA

E-mail Addresses: wilkerwr at oneonta.edu 

Publisher: NAT CENTER STATE COURTS, 300 NEWPORT AVE,, WILLIAMSBURG, VA 
23185 USA 

Subject Category: Law 
IDS Number: 104TG 
ISSN: 0098-261X 

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