Supreme Court Pages Information

	The Supreme Court of the United States Alternative Web Site Methods

This page contains links to web pages that use different methods to display information and indicate links (e.g., buttons, lists, text, image maps). The intent of this page is NOT to focus on aesthetic concerns such as color schemes, choice of graphics types, and layout. These are important, but are beyond the scope of this page.

Frames: The top part (seal and name) and the left side (navigation, links menu) of the screen remain fixed unless the horizontal and/or vertical dimensions are/is reduced to the point where a scroll bar appears. The major portion of the lower right part of the screen displays the information from the selected (clicked) link with a vertical scroll bar on the right edge if needed. This area (frame) is refreshed as other links are selected.
Mouseovers and Popups: Moving the mouse over the links provides a preview (popup) of the information available at those links. The selected link(s) open in a new window which remains open until closed allowing toggling between the opened windows. In this case, the original window remains open; the [Back] button doesn't return to the original window.
Active Server Pages (ASP): This is a "server-side" method whereby much of the "behind the scenes work" occurs. This approach is most useful when the information is prone to frequent changes that affect several to many pages, and the ability to update the information can be made in fewer places.
Circuit Courts and History: These pages use data that are stored in XML files and are processed by XSLT stylesheets. These pages display information in multiple scrolling windows. XML is useful when the information is prone to frequent changes that affect several to many pages, possibly on several platforms, and the ability to update the information can be made in fewer places.

These are just a few of the many methods that can be mixed and matched that illustrate some of the many possibilities that web sites can incorporate. These methods are an integral part, along with the aesthetic concerns mentioned above, of designing effective web sites. Some advantages of these methods include:

"Cross-browser capable" - they work on the most popular browsers.
"Cross-platform" potential - they could be modified to work on different platforms and devices.
Do not require special "plugins" or additional downloads.
Download / response time is fast.
Easier to maintain.

It is better to select a few methods and use these throughout the site to maintain a consistent "look and feel" and to reduce the likelihood of becoming "lost in cyberspace."

The images and information used were from the The Supreme Court Historical Society web site. Some of the pages contain their internal links. An integrated web site would address the issues of a consistent color scheme, graphics chioces and layout. Consider these as prototypes showing web methods rather than mock-ups of completed web sites.

A few of the many Supreme Court sites are listed below, since this site is not intended to reseach the Court, but rather to show a few possibilities using just a limited number of web methods.

Go ahead and "navigate" around these pages. I'm interested in your opinions and ideas. (See web site and email links below.)

Supreme Court Links: