In addition to providing the text of the Supreme Court opinions, the United States Reports (U.S. Reports) provide information about extra-judicial proceedings before the Supreme Court. The preliminary pages of the U.S. Reports, for example, contain the Justices’ retirement letters and provide the text of a Justice’s reception of appointment to the Supreme Court.

Finding a Justice’s retirement letter or appointment record involves a two step process: (1) finding the year of the Term that the Justice retired or was appointed, and (2) locating the first volume of the U.S. Reports covering that Term. Often a retirement letter will follow a letter from the Supreme Court acknowledging the absence of the newly retired Justice. Retirement letters can be a useful resource for gaining insight into the collegiality among the Justices and for obtaining a sense of the personality of the retired Justice. In a similar manner, the text of remarks given at a Justice’s appointment reception can provide information about the start of a Justice’s tenure with the Supreme Court.