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Legal Resources and Research
Federal & Texas Legal Sources
U.S. Code & Statutes
- United States Code (USC) (govinfo.gov) (USC)Official Government Website (editions: 1994-current).
Official version of all general and permanent federal laws in force. Public Laws are arranged under fifty “titles” or subject categories. Does not summarize legislative history but cites Statutes at Large. Older editions available. - Popular Name ToolEnables search or browse of U.S. Code Table of Acts Cited by Popular Name. From U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
- United States Code Classification TablesTables show where recently enacted laws will appear in the United States Code and which sections of the Code have been amended by those laws
- United States Code Annotated (USCA) (West)Print: Offsite KF62 (Title 1-50, USCA Code Guide, General Index A-Z, USCA Tables I-II, USCA Laws) (Current volumes no longer received)
From West Publishing, unofficial compilation of general and permanent laws in force. Same arrangement as United States Code (USC) but also lists references to case law, legislative histories, administrative regulations and various secondary sources. - United States Code Service (USCS) (Nexis Uni)Unofficial, annotated version of the United States Code (U.S.C.) which also lists references to case law, legislative histories, administrative regulations and law review articles.
- United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN)Print: Offsite - use Get It For Me KF63 .C65 (78th Congress 1944-2014) (no longer received)
Cumulates slip laws from each Congressional session. Contains complete text of public and private laws and concurrent resolutions passed during that session. Includes selected committee reports. Gives citations to U.S. Code and brief legislative history. From West Publishing. - United States Statutes at Large (govinfo)Govinfo: Official government website (1951-2014)
Print: JPL 3rd Floor KF50 .U52 (1972-no longer received in print)
Microfilm: JPL 4th Floor KF50 .U52 (1789-1971)
Permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. Prepared and published by Office of the Federal Register and National Archives and Records Administration.
Under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 112, the printed edition of the Statutes at Large is legal evidence of the laws, concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, and proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution. - United States Statutes at LargeLaw Library of Congress (1789-1951)
Statutes at Large is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. - United States Statutes at Large (Archival)Archival (1789-1875) (vol. 1-18)
Library of Congress - American Memory Project - United States Statutes at Large (ProQuest)Search "Bills & Laws" 1789-present; filter search results in left hand column
Use "Search by Number" (under Legislative & Executive Publications) for specific citation
- Congress.gov This link opens in a new windowOfficial website for U.S. federal legislative information. Full text and status of bills from 101st Congress (1989 to the current).
- LLMC Digital This link opens in a new windowExtensive collection of digitized historical legal material and government documents. Includes publications of state, federal, and territorial governments of the U.S, as well as foreign and international legal and government materials and indigenous law. All documents are available full text in PDF. Date range: 14th-21st centuries. Title List.
Federal Regulations (Administrative Law)
- Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR)Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (current).
Codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published by executive departments and agencies in the Federal Register. Divided into 50 broad subject areas known as Titles.
Other CFR sources:
Online (UTSA subscription): ProQuest Congressional (under "Regulations" on top menu) (1938-current)
Official Government Website: govinfo.gov (1996-current) (Annual Edition)
Nexis Uni (current)
Library of Congress (1938-1999) - List of CFR Sections AffectedIndex of updates to Federal regulations. Finding aid for historical research in CFR to find precise text of provisions on any given date. Each issue contains the CFR part and section number, and status indicated if amended, confirmed or revised, and Federal Register page number where the change may be found.
- Federal Register (govinfo.gov) 1936-currentThe official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other presidential documents. Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). (1936-current)
> ProQuest Congressional (under "Regulations" on top menu) (UTSA) (1970-current)
> Nexis Uni (UTSA) (1936-current)
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new windowVarious Administrative Decisions can be found in Nexis Uni, such as Department of Interior ALJ Decisions or Dept. of Labor Opinion Letters, or U.S. Attorney General Opinions
Search All Sources for specific files.
- U.S. Attorney General Opinions, Dept. of Justice1934-current free online. For 1791-current, see Nexis Uni.
- Unified Agenda (Semiannual Regulatory Agenda) (Reginfo.gov) (current)Free Government Website: govinfo.gov (1994-2010)
Developing or recently published regulations. Published twice a year, summarizes the rules and proposed rules that each Federal agency expects to issue during the next year. - Reginfo.govProvides information on the status of government agency documents undergoing review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). FAQ page gives a good explanation of the rule-making process.
- Regulations.govOnline source for U.S. government regulations from nearly 300 federal agencies. Submit a comment or sign up for an RSS feed.
Historical Federal Statutes & Legal Materials
- United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN)Print: Offsite - use Get It For Me KF63 .C65 (78th Congress 1944-2014) (no longer received)
Cumulates slip laws from each Congressional session. Contains complete text of public and private laws and concurrent resolutions passed during that session. Includes selected committee reports. Gives citations to U.S. Code and brief legislative history. From West Publishing. - United States Statutes at Large (ProQuest)Search "Bills & Laws" 1789-present; filter search results in left hand column
Use "Search by Number" (under Legislative & Executive Publications) for specific citation - Statutes at Large of the Confederate States of AmericaFrom Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Also Microfilm: JPL 4th Floor E487 .C65 1974 - Legislative Histories (ProQuest)(1969-present)
Legislative histories enable users to trace the development of a public law from its early consideration to its enactment, including development that spans more than one Congress. - Prestatehood Legal Materials A Fifty-State Research Guide, Including New York City and the District of Columbia, Volumes 1 & 2Guide to the history and development of law in the U.S. and the change from territory to statehood. Coverage of territorial government, identifies a wide range of available resources from each state to reveal the underlying legal principles that helped form the United States.
- Territorial Papers of the United States (Carter Papers)Official records of the 28 territories established between 1787 and 1912 to south and west of the 13 original colonies including Mississippi, Indiana, Florida, Wisconsin and Michigan. Affairs in the territories were under the general direction of the Department of State until 1873 and the Department of the Interior after 1873.
From the National Archives and available online in HathiTrust - Documenting the American SouthOnline access to text, images, oral histories, and audio files pertaining to Southern history, literature, and culture from UNC-Chapel Hill. Includes first person slave narratives.