The subject of this month’s bar bulletin – amendments - presents a real challenge when it comes to looking at web site information. I decided to focus on United States Constitutional amendments. Much of the information on the Internet that deals with constitutional issues can be interesting, but flawed.

When looking at web sites, I always consider the following points critical:

• What authority does the web site have?
• The material’s author is indicated and they are qualified to write about this subject.
• Is the content accurate?
• Sources for factual information are listed so they can be verified.
• The information is free of grammatical and spelling errors.
• Is the web site objective, that is, free of bias?
• How current is the web site?
• The site includes a last updated page, and it is updated regularly.
• If different editions of material are posted, they are clearly marked.
• What kind of coverage does the site contain?
• The material is relevant for the people who use it.
• The level of detail and depth of treatment is appropriate.
• The major elements of the subject are covered.
• How is the material presented?
• It is easy to navigate and logically organized.
• It is easy to read, contains accessible text, and is professional in appearance.

Thus, when I look for good web sites, these are some of what I may include in my evaluation of a site.

This month I will start with one of my favorite web sites, the Cornell Legal Information Institute of the Cornell Law School. You can find it at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/. This site contains the U S Constitution and its amendments – the primary text, plus an annotated version that contains so much information you can spend much research time here.  When you enter the site, choose the link for Constitutions and Codes, and then the Congressional Research Services Annotated Constitution. The annotations contain particularly strong links to the primary United States Supreme Court cases which address the various issues. This web site should be on everyone’s favorite list. It is authoritative, contains in-depth treatment of the subject, is updated regularly, is written by experts on the issues, is easy to browse and read, objective and relevant.

Basic Internet searches on the Constitution and its amendments will include links to Wikipedia, Findlaw, and other (interesting) web sites.

While many people are using Wikipedia on a regular basis, I would automatically reject it as authoritative. Most of the entries do not indicate the author, as this free encyclopedia is edited by many authors. Thus, it fails my first criteria. So, while I may look at an entry on this site, I am not necessarily going to consider this a web site for serious use.

And if I look at the Findlaw web site material on the amendments I get no real indication of where the annotations came from – although as the web site is part of the Thomson West publishing giant, it is likely that the material was vetted, but I see no indication of the author of this particular material.
Then we get to the interesting web sites that appear in a search. One of the first web sites found via a search – and remember, that is what most people are doing now – brings up the Lady Liberty Constitution Clearinghouse web site at http://www.ladylibrty.com. This web site represents the fringe aspect of constitutional sites quite well.  The first thing I notice at the Lady Liberty web site is its presentation. Its organization is not immediately apparent and the home page is cluttered. The point of view is biased if you just read a page or two. The author is supposedly a graphic designer, writer and editor, which to me does not indicate an expertise in the subject area.

Another web site found through search engines is the U.S. Constitution.net web site. It is another site produced by an individual. He lists himself as a journalist with a degree in Political Science. The site contains news links, the text of the constitution and its amendments, a discussion board open to all, plus answers to frequently asked questions. While it is absorbing reading the answers to the questions he gets and the postings to the discussion board the site hosts, this site has no real value for the researcher. It is not authoritative, but is current; it is fairly easy to navigate and has interesting coverage of constitutional issues. Finding specific information on the amendments isn’t straightforward, so this would not be of much help to most researchers.

The Law Library of Congress has a nice page on the Constitution at: http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/usconst.html. This includes a link to the CRS Annotations, plus links to other web sites such as the Cornell site. As this is a web site maintained by LOC, the authority of the site is evident. It even includes links to the early debates on the Constitution contained in the Annals of Congress. This is a great site for primary information and documents on the Constitution and its amendments.

And last, the Future of Freedom Foundation hosts a web site that initially peaks my interest. It is presented well, easy to navigate, updated frequently, and seems to have much coverage. However, if you read its mission statement and start looking closely at the articles, you see that the viewpoint is biased - with most material written primarily by two authors. While they state their credentials, it becomes readily apparent that this site is for a particular audience. If you are that audience, you may like this site. But, if you are a serious researcher who needs accurate and complete information on the amendments to the US Constitution, you will skip this site.

If you need further information as to where to start your research on the Constitution and its amendments, feel free to call the King County Law Library at 206-296-0940. We will try finding you the web site you need – whether it is from the center or on the fringe.