Library Research Guides: POL1 215: Courts, Law &amp; Politics: Find Laws & Regulations

Federal Laws

Laws passed by Congress (also called federal statutes) come in several different versions. Some terms that you might see are:

Slip Law - official publication of a law passed by Congress.
Statutes at Large - all laws and regulations passed by Congress during each session. Organized by public law number in the order of date of enactment. Aggregation of slip laws. Also referred to as session laws.
U.S. Code - final, formalized statutes organized by subject rather than date.

Tip: Look for a citation to the law from a journal article or book.

GovInfo This link opens in a new window
Primary source documents from all three branches of the U.S. Federal government, including bill history, budget, Congressional Record, Supreme Court decisions, and Economic Reports of the President.
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
U.S. bills, laws, legislative histories, regulations, Congressional hearing testimony, and some executive documents. Also contains guides with information on a variety of political topics, such as immigration, affirmative action, education, Native American relations with the United States, health insurance, and more.
Dates: 1988 CE-Present

Congress.gov
U.S. Congressional legislation, Congressional Record debates, Members of Congress, legislative process educational resources presented by the Library of Congress.

Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Legal resources, many of which are full text. Includes law review articles, legislation, legal analysis, statutes, regulations, court cases, court filings and documents, news, and more.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Legal, business, and news sources. Includes law journal articles, legislation, regulations, court cases, company information, SEC filings, U.S. and foreign newspapers, and more.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Collections of government documents and scholarly articles on a wide range of legal topics, including civil rights, social justice, human rights, international law, the U.S. presidency, Congress, and more.

Regulations are actions by executive branch agencies to implement laws passed by Congress.

Federal Register
Regulations, rules, and proposed rules organized by date.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Regulations ordered by subject. The final version of regulations, rules, and proposed rules that might have appeared in the Federal Register.

Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Legal resources, many of which are full text. Includes law review articles, legislation, legal analysis, statutes, regulations, court cases, court filings and documents, news, and more.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Legal, business, and news sources. Includes law journal articles, legislation, regulations, court cases, company information, SEC filings, U.S. and foreign newspapers, and more.

State government websites - both the legislative and executive branches.

Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Legal resources, many of which are full text. Includes law review articles, legislation, legal analysis, statutes, regulations, court cases, court filings and documents, news, and more.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Legal, business, and news sources. Includes law journal articles, legislation, regulations, court cases, company information, SEC filings, U.S. and foreign newspapers, and more.