SCOTUS Notes

History buffs and Government students will love this project to transcribe the handwritten conference notes left by Supreme Court justices. These transcriptions will provide unprecedented access to the justices' conversations in thousands of Court decisions. Click through to see the Zooniverse project page.

How do I get started? Check out the website.

How do I expand this narrative arc? If History is in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:

• Enter the National World War II Museum’s Essay Contest;

• See our post on getting any historical research you may have done published in The Concord Review.

• Get involved with more Civil War research through the Library of Congress website.

• If your school offers the ability to do an independent study or writing projects, consider doing a larger research project that expands on an issue related to the United States Supreme Court. Colleges love “pointy” students, and expansion on a theme will demonstrate your ability to go deep!

HOT TIP: On its own SCOTUS notes is unlikely to provide much WOW! factor. But combined with other projects that link into its theme you could be doing great work to expand and deepen your narrative arc. It can be challenging to find academic extracurriculars that are unusual, interesting and compelling. Use this as a jumping off point for a more robust and extensive historical project.