Oyez: New and Improved

This is a guest post from our friends at Oyez, a digital multimedia archive of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Just in time for the start of the October Term 2015, we here at Oyez are proud to unveil a brand new version of our website. Not only does it look much cleaner, it is easier to navigate, find, and discover the treasures of our content.

Some new features include:

  • An improved audio player. The player opens quickly (no more loading bar) and the features are improved as well. The bench of justices who heard the case are pictured at the top, and whenever a justice speaks, that justice’s image will light up on the player. The audio has also been directionalized, so it sounds like the justice is speaking from their place on the bench. The search functionality is cleaner, and we’ve made it easier to clip, download, and share from our player.
  • Cleaner visuals. The site is much more intuitive to navigate and easier to understand. In addition, each case page features a larger visual array of the justices’ vote breakdown and short explanations for every decision made in the case. (For an impressive example of this feature, check out the 12 decisions in McConnell v. FEC!)
  • The introduction of the Oyez email list. Want to be in the know when it comes to the workings of the Supreme Court or Oyez’s latest content? Simply subscribe, and you’ll get the inside scoop.
  • In addition to the email list, you can easily see new ways to find Oyez around the web. On the top left of every page of the site, you’ll find links not just to our Facebook and Twitter, you’ll find the podcast of each recent Term’s arguments as well as a link to help support Oyez’s work.
  • Responsive design. No matter where you look at Oyez, be it on your phone, tablet, or computer, Oyez’s screen will fit yours.

We have many more features that are currently in the works. Many of the justices already feature improved biographies, and the rest are on their way. Short case descriptions pop up for many of our most popular cases, and more are being written every day. And, as many users have requested, we’ll be bringing back the ability to search by topic.

The transition may cause some problems, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you come across any issues. We’re already working on building a bridge to reconnect the site with the ISCOTUSnow and Pocket Justice apps. We’ve also discovered that cases pre-1900 without a docket number are having trouble making the URL switch. If you’re linking to a specific case page that isn’t working, you can simply search for the case on the site instead.

Thank you to all of our audience who gave us feedback during the beta phase of the website, and to everyone who uses our content. Oyez wouldn’t exist without you!

3 thoughts on “Oyez: New and Improved”

  1. I appreciate the new audio content.

    The old version split oral arguments both by term and subject matter. I only see things split by term. So, for instance, if a person wants to search for an abortion case, they need to go to the specific term. This is unfortunate.

    Also, the old version had a link for each person who argued the case, so a person could see the other cases they argued such as the many that Laurence Tribe did. This too seems not to be there. But, the first issue is more of a concern for me.

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