Basic Information about the App:
Pocket Justice is an app that is available on the ITunes and Android market. This App is available in a free and full version. The free version allows you to research the top 100 constitutional law issues for free. The full version costs $4.99 and contains information for all constitutional law issues. This App is powered by the Oyez Today Project at Chicago Kent and Justia.com.
My Search:
I was interested in The Affordable Care Act based on the recent Supreme Court decision and decided to try out Pocket Justice using this research topic.
I started my search by simply beginning to type, in the search bar, “Affordable Care Act.” Because the App’s search engine is equipped with an automatic fill feature, this search automatically pulled available cases and other resources that contained the starting letters “aff.”
Please note that this app does not provide the ability to complete Boolean strings or advanced searches. This App is only equipped with general keyword search abilities.
After selecting “The Affordable Care Act Cases,” the app immediately pulled the precedent and landmark case on this issue. The app organized the information clearly and directly, starting with the overall facts of the case/ background of the issue, then the four questions of law that were presented in the case, and the conclusions of law reached by the majority and dissent for each question of law.
There was also an interesting hyperlink, on the main page of the App, called “deep-dive.” This link can be easily located in the first sentence of the fact section. Upon selecting this hyperlink, the link automatically pulled up a new site. This site contained a specialized web page specifically manufactured to give information about the Affordable Care Act. In particular, the site gives an in-depth overview of the procedural history of cases at the District Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Levels. The App allows you to review each filing for the case, and also links you to oral arguments for the case and informational videos about each question of law presented in the case.
Overall, I found this app easy to navigate, and it provided a wide variety of information about the particular subject matter requested. This app would be especially useful for research on a specific constitutional law matter or for an attorney investigating a particular constitutional law case.
~ Ashley Watlington, Class of 2013 ~
