Research Links

Legal Reference and Research Tools

(These are part of the materials from the Fundamentals of Federal Legal Research course.  Some of the linked files are in PDF format (marked (PDF)), which requires Adobe Acrobat, a free download. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

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Fundamentals of Federal Legal Research

 

Table of Contents

Federal Resources

- Constitution
- United States Code
- Statutes At Large
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Courts of Appeals
- U.S. District Courts
- Special Jurisdiction
- Regulations
- Administrative Decisions
- Executive Branch

State Resources

- State Statutes
-
State Courts

Law Journals


LEGAL RESEARCH Tutorials



  CONSTITUTION

The Constitution of the United States of America, Analysis and Interpretation 
Senate Document No. 103-6, and the 1996 Supplement, Senate Document No. 104-14, is the GPO ACCESS online version of the entire printed document, as prepared by editors Johnny Killian and George Costello of the Congressional Research Service.

The Constitution and Annotations 
with links to full text Supreme Court opinions from 1906 to June 29, 1992, is available via FINDLAW. This version of Senate Document No. 103-6 excludes preliminary matter, appendices, tables and the index available in the GPO version. Its research value is in its search capabilities and links to Supreme Court opinions.

Pocket Constitution

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  UNITED STATES CODE

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  STATUTES AT LARGE
  • United States Statutes at Large
    (Law Library / National Digital Library Program) The seventeen volumes presented in this online collection cover the laws of the first forty-two Congresses, 1789-1873.
    • Vol. I (1st-5th Cong.)
    • Vol. II (6th-12th Cong.)
    • Vol. III (13th-17th Cong.)
    • Vol. IV (18th-23rd Cong.)
    • Vol. V (24th-28th Cong.)
    • Vol. VI (private acts: 1st-28th Cong.)
    • Vol. VII (Indian Treaties:1st-28th Cong.)
    • Vol. VIII (Foreign Treaties 1st-28th Cong.)
    • Vol. IX (29th-31st Cong.)
    • Vol. X (32nd-33rd Cong.)
    • Vol. XI (34th-35th Cong.)
    • Vol. XII (36th-37th Cong.)
    • Vol. XIII (38th Cong.
    • Vol. XIV (39th Cong.)
    • Vol. XV (40th Cong.)
    • Vol. XVI (41st Cong.)
    • Vol. XVII (42nd Cong.)

    The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School: Selected Statutes of the United States 

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  PUBLIC LAWS

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  The Federal Court System and Decisions

  OVERVIEWS

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  U.S. SUPREME COURT

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  U.S. COURTS OF APPEALS

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  U.S. DISTRICT COURTS

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  SPECIAL JURISDICTION

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  U.S. Executive Agencies and Regulations

  REGULATIONS

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  ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS

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  EXECUTIVE BRANCH

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  STATE RESOURCES

  State Statutes 

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  State Courts 

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  LAW JOURNALS

The following are Internet sites that provide access to law journals. Journals may be abstracted, indexed or full text.
 

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  Legal Research Tutorials


 

  NEWSLETTERS and LISTSERVS

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  MORE FEDERAL COURT LINKS

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The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation

Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals

ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, Fourth Edition

The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style

Understanding and Mastering The Bluebook

Plain English for Lawyers

Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises

The Process Of Legal Research

 

 

Quick DC Links - Washington Essentials

 

 

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URL:  www.TheCapitol.Net/Research/legalFTL.htm
 

 

Related Resources

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Live Courses

Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments
 

 

Capitol Hill Workshop

 

 

Tracking and Monitoring Legislation: How to Find and Use Congressional Documents 

 

 

 

How to Research and Compile Legislative Histories: Searching for Legislative Intent

 

 

 

tive Understanding the Regulatory Process: Working with Federal Regulatory Agencies

 

 

Audio Courses

Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking, 9 Capitol Learning Audio Courses

 

 

 

Statutory Construction: A Primer on How to Read and Understand Statutory Text, Capitol Learning Audio Course

 

 

 

Congressional Committees and Party Leadership: Who Controls the Congressional Agenda Capitol Learning Audio Course

 

 

 

Researching Legislative Histories: Finding Legislative Intent in Bills and Committee and Conference Reports, Capitol Learning Audio Course

 

 

 

Congress and Its Role in Policymaking, Capitol Learning Audio Course

 

 

 

The House Rules Committee: Gatekeeper to the Floor, Capitol Learning Audio Course

 

 

 

Publications

Legislative Drafter's Deskbook: A Practical Guide, by Tobias A. Dorsey

 

 

 

Common Sense Rules of Advocacy for Lawyers, Softcover, by Keith Evans

 

 

 

Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress. Fifth Edition

 

 

 

How Our Laws Are Made

 

 

 

The Federal Budget Process

 

 

 

Committee Markup in the U.S. House of Representatives