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Statutory, Case and Administrative Law: Federal and California
 | This guide lists federal and California statutory, case and administrative primary sources. Primary sources in law are publications which contain the original decisions and actions of legislative, judicial, and administrative bodies. For each source in the left column the following three vertical columns show 1) availability of print copies in the Cal Poly Humboldt Library; 2) free versions on the Internet; and 3) versions available in LexisNexis Academic or ProQuest Congressional to Cal Poly Humboldt students, faculty and staff. |
Federal Sources | California Sources |
| U.S. Constitution | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| US Constitution | • United States Code Vol. 1 (Docs Y 1.2/5 Legal Alcove) Contains the "Constitution of the United States of America" and an "Analytical Index to the Constitution of the United States and the Amendments Thereto". • The Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of California (California Legislature) Biennial (Ref KFC 680 1879 A33; earlier editions in Cal Docs C 825a) Contains the text of the US and state constitutions, Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and Articles of Confederation. • The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation; Analysis of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 28, 2002 (Killian, Costello, Thomas and the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service) 2004, with pocket supplements (Senate Document 108-17) (Docs Y1.1/2: 14866) Includes an extensively annotated text of the Constitution. | • The Constitution of the United States (US National Archives and Records Administration) Contains the text of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Other Amendments. • The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (Findlaw) (1992 edition with supplements) Prepared by the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service; includes an extensively annotated text of the Constitution plus "Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States." Includes a search form for keyword searching of the fulltext of the Constitution and annotations. | • Constitution of the United States (United States Code Service) Browse by Article/Section or search by keyword. In addition to the text of the Constitution annotations include "Cross References" to the US Code; a "Research Guide" to secondary sources, including law review articles; and "Interpretive Notes and Decisions" to Supreme Court rulings. |
| Federal Statutory Law | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LexisNexis (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| Congressional Bills: Tracking by Subject, Sponsor, Status, Bill Number | • Congressional Index (Docs Abstr J 69 C6) From 96th Congress (1979/80) to the 106th Congress (1999/2000) • Digest of Public General Bills & Resolutions (Docs LC 14.6) From the 83rd Congress (1953/54) to the 101st Congress (1989-90) Gives history of actions taken on bills, a summary of the bill, and indexes by sponsor and by subject. • "History of Bills and Resolutions" 1873 to the present. Appears annually in the Congressional Record (Docs X/A) • House Journal (Docs XJH)and Senate Journal (Docs XJS) 1789 to the present; records matters considered by the House and Senate, including bills introduced and votes and other actions taken. Index to each session includes a subject index and a table of actions taken for each bill. Prior to 1954 the House Journal and the Senate Journal appear as part of the Serial Set. See the US Serial Set Index (Docs Z 1223 Z9 C65 1975)for serial set numbers. | • Bill Summary and Status (Thomas-Library of Congress) From 93rd Congress (1973/74) to the present. Search by bill number, keyword, sponsor, status in legislative process, committee, or date of introduction. • Active Legislation (US Senate) Alphabetical listing of active legislation by subject or popular title. Updated at least weekly when Congress is in session. • Govtrack.us (Joshua Tauberer) Independent website containing information collected daily from Thomas and other official government websites. Search current bills and older legislation back to 1999 by bill number, bill fulltext keywords, committee assignment, section of US Code to be amended, and bill subject. Bills contain links to Congressional Budget Office estimates on cost of legislation and organizations who have made major contributions to bill sponsors and cosponsors. Set up email or RSS alerts for specific bills, committees or subjects. • History of Bills (US Government Printing Office) From 1983 to the present; updated daily. Includes actions that are recorded in the Congressional Record and gives page and date where the action is reported. Browse by date; search by keyword or retrieve by citation. • House Journal and Senate Journal (Library of Congress) From 1789 to 1875. | • Bill Tracking by Bill Number or Bill Tracking by Keyword (subject and popular name) From the 100th Congress (1987/88) to the present; updated daily. Search by bill number, subject keyword, popular name, sponsor or status; and use other limits as appropriate. |
| Congressional Bills: Text | • Congressional Bills (Docs Y 1.4 microfiche) From 97th Congress (1981/82) to the 106th Congress (1999/2000); accompanying print guide to the microfiche is Cumulative Finding Aid, House and Senate Bills. | • Bill Text (Thomas-Library of Congress) From the 101st Congress (1989/90) to the present. • Bills and Resolutions (Library of Congress) Historical collection of bills and resolutions covering House bills from the 6th Congress (1799-1800) to the 42th Congress (1871-73); Senate bills from the 16th Congress (1819-1820) to the 42th Congress (1871-73); and Senate Joint Resolutions from the 18th Congress (1824-25) to the 42th Congress (1871-73). Browse by date or search by keyword. | • Bills (Full Text) Includes bills from the 100th Congress (1987/88) to the present; updated daily. Search by bill number or public law number. |
| Congressional Floor Action and Debate: Congressional Record (1873 to the present); Congressional Globe 1833-1873); Register of Debates (1824-1837); and Annals of Congress (1789-1824) (Definition: Includes transcripts of statements and debates, and recording of roll call votes on the floor of the House and Senate) | Text: • Congressional Record and earlier titles in the series (Docs X microfilm and microfiche) In 4 parts - House proceedings, Senate proceedings, Extension of Remarks, and Daily Digest; 1789 to 1988 on microfilm; and 1989 to 2003 on microfiche. | Text and Indexes: • Congressional Record (Thomas-Library of Congress) Includes the 101st Congress (1989/90) to the present. Search Congressional Record text, browse the Congressional Record index, or search by member of Congress. • Congressional Record (US Government Printing Office) Covers 1994 to the present. Browse by date, retrieve by citation, or search by keyword (fulltext, author, etc). • Video Feeds from the House Floor (US House of Representatives) Includes streaming video and podcasts of "House Floor Proceedings" from 2009 to the present. Includes searchable text. • Congressional Chronicle (C-Span) Video archive and index of House and Senate floor proceedings, along with corresponding text from the Congressional Record. Only members who appeared on the floor to deliver or insert their remarks into the record are included. Browse by date using the Congressional Calendar, or search by member or bill. Includes House telecasts from 1979 and Senate telecasts from 1986 to the present. • Congressional Globe (Library of Congress) Covers 1833-1873. • Register of Debates (Library of Congress) Covers 1824-1837. • Annals of Congress (Library of Congress) Covers 1789-1824. | Text and Indexes: • Congressional Record Includes fulltext from 1985 to the present. Updated daily. Search by keyword, member of Congress or citation. |
| Indexes: • Congressional Record Index (Docs X microfilm and microfiche) Issued every 2 weeks with annual cumulations from 25th Congress (1838/39) to the present. 1938 to 1988 on microfilm; and 1989 to 2003 on microfiche. • CIS Annual: Legislative Histories of US Public Laws (Docs Abstr KF 49 C62) Includes references to Congressional debate on public laws from the 91st Congress 2nd Session (1970) to the 106th Congress (2000). | Indexes: • The Congressional Record Index (US Government Printing Office) Split into two files on the Internet-- the Congressional Record Index and History of Bills that lists legislative actions on bills reported in the Congressional Record.
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| Congressional Hearings and Prints (Definition: committee hearings contain the transcripts of testimony presented before a committee as well as other submitted written testimony. They may be legislative, oversight, investigative or confirmation in purpose.) (Definition: committee prints are specialized research reports commissioned by a Congressional committee to give members information on proposed legislation.) | Text: • Hearings from the 97th Congress 2nd Session (1982) to the present are received in microfiche format and are found in the Docs Y4 classification. • Hearings from the 89th Congress (1965) to the 97th Congress 1st Session (1981) are included in the CIS microfiche collection. Microfiche for 1965-69 are keyed to the US Congressional Committee Hearings Index and for 1970-81 to the CIS Annual. • Hearings prior to the 89th Congress are selectively available in print in the Docs Y4 classification. Indexes: • CIS Annual (Docs Abstr KF 49 C62) Covers the 91nd Congress 2nd Session (1970) to the 106th Congress (1999/2000). Includes subject and personal name indexes to witnesses who testified at hearings. • US Congressional Committee Hearings Index (Docs Abstr Z 1223 Z9 C57) Covers the 23rd Congress (1833) to the 91st Congress 1st Session(1969). Includes subject and personal name indexes to people who have testified at hearings. • US Government Publications Monthly Catalog Available online from 1976 to the present and in paper (Docs Abstr GP 3.8) from 1900 to the present. • Cal Poly Humboldt Library Catalog Indexes hearings added to the Cal Poly Humboldt Documents Collection since 1998 | Text and Indexes: • Congressional Hearings (US Government Printing Office) Includes hearings from the 102th Congress (1991/92) to the present. Browse by session and committee; or search by keyword. • Congressional Chronicle (C-Span) Video archive and index of selected House and Senate committee hearings. Includes House telecasts from 1979 and Senate telecasts from 1986. • Congressional Committee Prints (US Government Printing Office) Includes committee prints from the 100th Congress (1987/88) to the present. Browse by session and committee; or search by keyword. • Capitol Hearings (C-Span) Live audio of House and Senate hearings. • U.S. Congressional Documents (Rutgers School of Law) Includes fulltext of approximately 14,000 hearings dating from the 1970's to 1998. • Catalog of U.S. Government Publications: Congressional Publications Indexes Congressional hearings and committee prints from 1976 to the present, with links to online fulltext if available. • Quick Links to House and Senate Committee Hearings and Other Publications (Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C.) | Text and Indexes: (Note: Hearings available through LexisNexis may not include everything that is included in the official printed version, especially appendices.) • Committee Hearings Indexes hearings from 1970 to the present with links to selective fulltext. Search by keyword (subject, popular name, committee, witness or witness affiliation) or search by bill number or public law number. • Commitee Prints and Miscellaneous Publications Indexes prints from 1970 to the present with links to selective fulltext. Search by keyword (subject, committee, witness or witness affiliation). • Congressional Hearing Transcripts Includes transcripts from three different sources of in-person testimony presented at selected Congressional committee hearings. Transcripts date from 1988 to the present. Updated daily. |
| Congressional Committee Reports (Definition: reports from individual committees describing the purpose and scope of a public bill or resolution and reasons for recommending it to the full Senate or House) | Text: • Senate Reports (Docs Y 1.1/5 microfiche) Includes 96th Congress (1979/80) to the present. • House Reports (Docs Y 1.1/8 microfiche) Includes 96th Congress (1979/80) to the present. • Earlier reports are part of the US Congress Serial Set (Docs Y4) | Text and Indexes: • Committee Reports (Thomas-Library of Congress) Includes fulltext from 104th Congress (1995/96) to the present. • Congressional Reports (US Government Printing Office) Includes committee reports from the 104th Congress (1995/96) to the present. Browse by session and committee, search by keyword or retrieve by citation. | Text and Indexes: • House and Senate Reports and Documents Indexes Congressional committee reports from 1970 to the present with fulltext available from 1990 to the present. Search by keyword (subject or popular name), bill number or public law number. |
| Indexes: • Document Index (Docs Abstr GP 3.7) Covers 1914-1933 • Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes of the Reports and Documents of Congress (Docs Abstr GP 3.7/2) Covers 1933-1980 • United States Congressional Serial Set Catalog: Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes (Docs Abstr GP 3.34) Covers 98th Congress (1983/84) to the 102nd Congress (1991/92) (Note: 97nd Congress (1981/82) published as U.S. Congressional Serial Set Supplement (Docs Abstr GP 3.8: 1981/82) • CIS Annual (Docs Abstr KF 49 C62) Covers 91st Congress 2nd Session (1970) to the 106th Congress (1999/2000) • US Serial Set Index (Docs Abstr Z 1223 Z9 C65) Covers 1789 to 1979. | Indexes: • U.S. Congressional Serial Set: Numerical Lists of Documents and Reports (GPO Access) Covers 1991-2006 • Congressional Serial Set Catalog (GPO Access) Searchable catalog of House and Senate Reports, House and Senate Documents, Senate Executive Reports and Documents, and Senate Treaty Documents. Covers July 1976 to the present and is complete from the 95th Congress (1977-1978) to the present. Links are provided to publications when they are available online. | ||
| Legislative Histories (Definition: lists bills, congressional debates, committee reports, committee hearings associated with a specific legislative act; useful for determining legislative intent; see Federal Legislative History Research: A Practitioner's Guide to Compiling the Documents and Sifting Legislative Intent) | • CIS Annual: Legislative Histories of US Public Laws (Docs Abstr KF 49 C62) Covers 91st Congress 2nd Session (1970) to the 106th Congress (1999/2000). • United States Statutes at Large (Docs AE 2.111 Legal Alcove) Brief legistative history accompanies each law from 1975 to the present. • Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories: A Bibliography of Government Documents, Periodical Articles and Books, 1st Congress-102nd Congress (Johnson) 1996 (Docs Abstr KF 42.2 1996) • Federal Legislative Histories: An Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources (Reams) 1994 (Docs Abstr KF 42.2 1994) Includes references to legislative histories compiled by congressional committees and federal agencies for legislation enacted between 1796 and 1990. | • Public Laws (Thomas-Library of Congress) Includes text of laws enacted from 101st Congress (1989/90) to the present and summaries from 93rd Congress (1973/74) to the present. Laws are available in law number sequence, e.g., P.L. 101-76 or in bill number sequence by type of bill. For each law gives summary of all congressional actions and, since the 104th Congress (1995/96), provides links to online Congressional documents associated with each law. | • Legislative Histories Covers 91st Congress (1969/70) to the present. Entries are keyed to CIS reference numbers. Depending on date includes direct links to fulltext of Congressional deliberations. Search by keyword (subject or popular name), bill number or public law number |
| Voting Records (Roll call votes in the House and Senate are sequentially numbered starting with 1 in each session of Congress; see also Congressional Floor Action and Debate above) | • Congressional Quarterly Almanac (Congressional Quarterly) Annual (JK 1 C66) Library has from the 86th Congress (1959) to the 108th Congress (2004). Includes House and Senate roll call votes by roll call number. Includes bill number index and subject index. Also includes section on key votes | • Roll Call Votes (Thomas - Library of Congress) Records every vote taken in the House and Senate from the 101nd Congress second session (1989) to the present. Browse by roll call vote. • U.S. Congress Votes Database (Washington Post) Records every vote taken in the House and Senate from the 102nd Congress (1991) to the present. Browse by roll call vote, review key votes and for each member display their voting record. • Roll Call Votes Database (GovTrack.us)Covers 1989 to the present. Search by subject keyword or member of Congress. Compare votes of two members of Congress. | • Search Floor Votes (CQ Weekly) Records every vote taken in the House and Senate from the 102nd Congress (1991) to the present. Search by bill number or subject keyword; or browse by topic or date. |
| Presidential Signings and Vetoes | • Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Docs Ae 2:114:) 1923 to the present | • Compilation of Presidential Documents Composed of the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents and its predecessor, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Covers 1992 to the present. Browse by date or search using the generic keywords "bill signings" or keywords specific to an act. • Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (US Government Printing Office) 1991 to the present. Browse by date or search using the generic keywords "bill signings" or keywords specific to an act. • Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (University of Michigan Digital Library) 1923 to the present | |
| Public Laws (Definition: chronological arrangement of all laws as enacted; numbered by Congress and then sequentially by date of enactment, e.g., Public Law 106-57. Laws are eventually compiled into US Statutes at Large volumes for each session of Congress) (Many laws are given a popular name and are frequently referenced by their popular name) | Text: • United States Statutes at Large (Docs AE 2.111 Legal Alcove) Covers 1789 to the present. Updated by Public Law Preprints or "slip laws" (Docs AE 2.1110 Legal Alcove) which are retained until a bound volume of United States Statutes at Large is published. | Text: • Public Laws (Thomas-Library of Congress) Includes text of laws enacted from 101st Congress (1989/90) to the present and summaries from 93rd Congress (1973/74) to the present. Laws are available in law number sequence, e.g., P.L. 101-76 or in bill number sequence by type of bill. • Public and Private Laws (US Government Printing Office) Includes laws from the 104th Congress (1995/96) to the present. Browse by Congress, search by keyword or retrieve by citation. • United States Statutes at Large (US Government Printing Office) Covers 2003 to the present. Browse by volume, retrieve by citation or search by keyword. • United States Statutes at Large (Digitized) (US Government Printing Office) Covers 1951 to 2002. • United States Statutes at Large (Library of Congress) Covers the laws of the first 43 Congresses, 1789-1875. | Text and Indexes: • Public Laws Covers 1987 to the present. Search by keyword (subject or popular name) or by public law number or Statutes at Large citation. |
| Indexes to Popular Names of Individual Acts: • Shepards Acts and Cases by Popular Name (two copies--ref or Abstract Docs KF 90 S52) Compilation of popular names by which laws and cases have been referred or cited. • "Acts Cited by Popular Name" in United States Code, Title 50 (Docs Y 1.2/5 Legal Alcove) Lists popular names of public laws. Gives the legal citation to Statutes at Large and the United State Code. | Indexes to Popular Names of Individual Acts: • Popular Names of Acts in the U.S. Code (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute) Lists common names for legislative acts with links to the United States Code, if the act is codified together. • "Table of Popular Names" in United States Code (US House of Representatives, Office of Law Revision Council) Search the "Table of Popular Names" by entering a search in the following format: "table adj popular adj names and <popular name of law>", e.g., "table adj popular adj names and taylor adj grazing adj act". Will give the legal citation to Statutes at Large and the United States Code. | ||
| Indexes to Parallel Statutes at Large/ United States Code Citations: • "Table III, Statutes at Large" in United States Code, Tables volume (Docs Y 1.2/5 Legal Alcove) Beginning with 1789 lists in chronological order the location in the United States Code of each act as well as the status of the act. | Indexes to Parallel Statutes at Large/ United States Code Citations: • Table III, Statutes at Large in United States Code, Tables (US House of Representatives, Office of Law Revision Council) Beginning with 1789 lists in chronological order the location in the United States Code of each act as well as the status of the act. • US Code Classification Tables (US House of Representatives, Office of Law Revision Council) Shows where recently enacted laws will appear in the US Code and sections of the Code that have been amended by those laws. | ||
| United States Code (Definition; codification of all laws currently in effect; subdivided into 50 subject-oriented titles. Note: private laws and appropriation acts are generally not codified) | • United States Code (Docs Y 1.2/5 Legal Alcove) New editions published every six years with annual cumulative supplements. Includes subject index. Each section includes references to the Public Law number and the Statutes at Large volume. Table III in the "Tables" volume shows where a Statutes at Large citation will be found in the United States Code. | • United States Code (US Government Printing Office) Includes both current and historical editions back to 1994. Browse by title and section, retrieve by code citation, or search by keyword. • United States Code (US House of Representatives, Office of Law Revision Council) Updated on an annual basis. Search by text keyword or specific title/section. • United States Code (Cornell University, Legal Information Institute) Browse the code; or search by exact code citation, individual Titles by keyword or the entire code by keyword. For each code section includes text notes, links to recent legislation that has amended the code section, and citations to parallel CFR regulations. | • United States Code Service Browse by Title or search by keyword. To enter a citation in the correct format using a keyword search see Annotated U.S. Code. In addition to code text includes "History, Ancillary Laws and Directives"; references to parallel Code of Federal Regulations sections; a "Research Guide"; and "Interpretation Notes and Decisions" to judicial and administrative decisions interpreting the law. Updated several times a month. Here is an example of an annotated code section. |
| Federal Case Law | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| US Supreme Court (Definition: briefs are documents filed by parties to appealed litigation and other interested parties that argue why a lower court decision should be reversed or upheld. For further information see The Skinny on Briefs (LLRX)) | Opinions: • US Reports (Docs Ju 6.8) Updated by Slip Opinions (Docs Ju 6.8/6) | Opinions: • Opinions (Supreme Court of the United States) Includes current "Slip Opinions" and "Bound Volumes" from 1991 (502 US Reports) to the present. • Google Scholar Contains the legal opinions of federal and state supreme, appellate and district courts. "Cited By" links list subsequent opinions and other legal resources that have cited an opinion. • US Supreme Court Decisions (Findlaw) Includes decisions from 1893 (150 US Reports) to the present. Browse by year; or search by legal citation, party name, or fulltext keyword. Also lists other Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals cases which have subsequently cited a case. • Supreme Court Collection (Cornell University. Legal Information Institute) Includes decisions from 1990 to the present and selected historic decisions. Search by keyword, subject, party names or Supreme Court justice. | Opinions: • US Supreme Court Cases (US Supreme Court Lawyers Edition) Includes cases from 1790 to the present. In addition to the official syllabus and the opinion, the "Lawyer's Edition" includes a summary of each case, additional headnotes, and cross-references to other treatments of the subject matter of the case. (See Academic Help: US Cases for guidance in searching) |
| Indexes: • US States Supreme Court Decisions: An Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions (Guenther) 1983 (two copies--ref or Abstract Docs KF 101.6 G83) Cases are listed chronologically, with indexes by case name and subject. Coverage is selective and only includes cases decided in 1980 and earlier. Cases are included when there are references to secondary sources containing excerpts, reprints and discussions. • United States Supreme Court Decisions 1778-1996: an Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions, 1980-1995 (Janousek) 2001 (two copies--ref or Abstract Docs KF101.6 G83 2001) Continues Guenther (cited above). Cases are listed chronologically, with indexes by case name and subject. Coverage is selective with cases only included when there are references to excerpts, reprints and discussions in books published between 1980 and 1995. • Shepards Acts and Cases by Popular Names (two copies--ref or Abstract Docs KF 90 S52) Compilation of popular names by which cases have been referred to or cited. | Indexes: • Case Citation Finder (Supreme Court of the United States) Covers 1790 to the present. Search by case name or case citation. | Indexes: • Shepard's Citations Enter a citation for any federal or state case to establish the current validity of a case by retrieving prior and subsequent history and all citing references. Lists subsequent cases, briefs, law review articles, and other authorities which have cited the case. (See Shepard's Citations for guidance in searching) | |
| Docket: • Docket (Supreme Court of the United States) Contains information about the status of cases for both the current Term and the prior Term, both pending and decided. Searchable by docket number, e.g., 99-123, or keyword. | |||
| Briefs: • Supreme Court Briefs (Findlaw) Includes briefs from 1999 to the present. • Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases (American Bar Association) Hosts all of the merits and amicus briefs filed with the Supreme Court from 2003 to the present for each case granted oral argument. Individual Preview issues include expert, plain language analysis of each case. | Briefs: • US Supreme Court Briefs Selective coverage begins in 1936 with more complete coverage from 1993 to present. | ||
| Oral Arguments: • Argument Transcripts (Supreme Court of the United States) Contains transcripts of oral arguments made before the court from October 2000 to the present. • Argument Audio (Supreme Court of the United States) Audio recordings of all oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court starting with the 2010 Term | |||
| US Court of Appeals | Opinions: • Federal Courts of Appeals (Findlaw) Includes decisions for all 13 circuit courts from 1996 to the present. Search each circuit by date, party or keyword. • Federal Law Materials - Judicial Opinions (Cornell University Legal Information Institute) Includes decisions from 1995 (or earlier in some instances) to the present. Search decisions collectively or individually by circuit court. • Public Access to Court Electronic Records - PACER (Administrative Office of US Courts) Contains case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and from the U.S. Party/Case Index. Written opinions are free of charge. There may be charges for other materials.Briefs: • Free and Fee Based Appellate Court Briefs Online (LLRX) Guide to finding appellate court briefs online. | Opinions: • US Court of Appeals Cases Includes decisions from 1789 to the present. | |
| US District Courts | Opinions: • Federal Law Materials - Judicial Opinions (Cornell University Legal Information Institute) Coverage varies by district • Public Access to Court Electronic Records - PACER (Administrative Office of US Courts) Contains case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and from the U.S. Party/Case Index. Written opinions are free of charge. There may be charges for other materials. | Opinions: • US District Court Cases Includes decisions from 1789 to the present. | |
| Federal Administrative Law | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| Federal Register (Definition: official daily publication for regulations, proposed regulations, and notices of federal agencies, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential documents) | • Federal Register (Docs AE 2.106 microfilm) Library has Vol. 1-64, 1936-1999 on microfilm. | • Federal Register (US Government Printing Office) Covers Vol. 59, 1994 to the present. Browse by date, retrieve by citation, or search by keyword (fulltext, agency, title, etc.) • Federal Register (US Government Printing Office and National Archives and Records Administration) Covers Vol 59, 1994 to the present. User friendly version of the official edition. •Regulations.gov Find, review, and submit comments on federal regulations published in the Federal Register that are open for public comment. Search by agency or by keyword. • Justia Regulation Tracker: Rules, Proposed Rules and Notices Browse regulations by agency or date; or search by keyword. | • Federal Register Covers 1980 to the present. Search by keyword or citation. (See Academic Help: Federal Statutes for guidance in searching) |
| Code of Federal Regulations (Definition: codification of all regulations currently in effect; subdivided into 50 titles that are arranged by agency; each title is updated on a regular annual cycle.) | • Code of Federal Regulations (Docs AE 2.106/3 Legal Alcove) Each title is updated on an annual cycle; includes Index and Finding Aids volume. | • e-CFR (National Archives and Records Administration) Updated daily. Browse by agency or part; or search by keyword. | • Code of Federal Regulations Browse by Title/Chapter/Section or search by keyword/citation. New and revised regulations are integrated into the CFR within two weeks after being published in the Federal Register. Some regulations include "LexisNexis Case Notes" that reference court cases that have ruled on the applicability of the regulation. (See Academic Help: Federal Statutes for guidance in searching) |
| • LSA: List of CFR Sections Affected (Docs AE 2.106/2 Legal Alcove) Lists regulatory changes, additions or deletions issued in the Federal Register after the annual publication date of a CFR title; appears monthly with 4 separate annual cumulations that each cover one quarter of the CFR titles. | • List of CFR Sections Affected (US Government Printing Office) Includes monthly lists back to 1997. Browse by date, or search by keyword. | ||
| Indexes to Parallel US Code, Statutues at Large, Public Law or Excecutive/CFR Citations: • Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (included as part of CFR Index and Finding Aids (Docs AE 2.106/3-2:Index) Lists by United States Code, Statutes at Large, Public Law or Executive Order citation the parallel regulatory reference in the CFR. | Indexes to Parallel US Code, Statutues at Large, Public Law or Excecutive/CFR Citations: • Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (US Government Printing Office) Lists by United States Code, Statutes at Large, Public Law or Executive Order citation the parallel regulatory reference in the CFR. • PTOA: Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (Cornell University, Legal Information Institute). For each source gives citations to parallel CFR regulations. | Indexes to Parallel US Code/CFR Citations:
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| Other Administrative Decisions | • Administrative Decisions & Other Actions - By Subject (University of Virginia School of Law) Links to other administrative actions which are outside the scope of the CFR or the FR | ||
| Presidential Executive Orders | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
Definition: Presidential directives issued to executive agencies and their employees based on authority derived from the Constitution or federal statute. Since 1789 approximately 15,000 executive orders have been issued. Originally all were separately signed documents and unnumbered. In 1907 they were selectively numbered going forwards and retrospectively numbered on a selective basis back to 1862. Not until 1941 were all executive orders numbered as they were issued. As a result there are two series of executive orders--a numbered series (1862 to present) and an unnumbered series (1789 to 1941). | • (1936-1999) Federal Register (Docs AE 2.106 microfilm-- Vol. 1-64, 1936-1999) The Federal Register Act of 1935 required that executive orders of "general applicability" be published in the Federal Register beginning in 1936. In 1941 this was expanded to include all executive orders. • (1936 to the present) Code of Federal Regulations Title 3 The President (Docs AE 2.106/3 Legal Alcove and Docs GS4.108/2 ) Annual compilation of all executive orders that have appeared in the Federal Register during the preceding year. Includes executive orders from EO 7316 to the present. • (1945-1989) Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders (Docs AE 2.113) Includes executive orders issued between April 13, 1945 and January 20, 1989 (Truman through Reagan). These are codified into 50 broad subject areas. • (Indexing 1789-1941) List and Index of Presidential Executive Orders: Unnumbered Series (1789-1941) (Docs Abstract KF 70 A5 1979) Chronological listing of executive orders. Includes citations on a selective basis to where the text of the executive order is located. Also includes a subject index. • (Indexing 1862-1938) Presidential Executive Orders: Numbered Series (1862-1938) (Docs Abstract KF 70 A5 1981) Chronological listing of EO 1 - EO 8030. Includes citations on a selective basis to where the text of the executive order is located. Also includes a subject/name index. | • (1826 to the present) American Presidency Project Includes text of executive orders from 1826 (John Quincy Adams) to the present. Browse by date, search by citation or search by keyword. • (1994 to the present) Federal Register Browse by date, retrieve by citation, or search by keyword. • (1997 to the present) Code of Federal Regulations Title 3 The President Annual compilation of all executive orders that have appeared in the Federal Register during the preceding year. Includes executive orders from EO #12985 to the present. Browse by title, retrieve by citation or search by keyword. • (1993 to the present) Compilation of Presidential Documents Daily or weekly compilation of Presidential documents, including executive orders. Browse by date or search by keyword. • (Indexing 1933 to the present; text 1993 to the present) Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index Contains information about executive orders from 1933 (Roosevelt) to the present. Arranged according to Presidential administration and date. For each executive order includes number, date of signing, Federal Register citation, amendments if any and current status. Executive orders from 1993 (Clinton) include links to the full text and a subject index. • (1929-1933) Herbert Hoover : Proclamations and Executive orders, March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933 Includes text of EO 5076 - EO 6070 • (1932-1941) Executive Order [1932-1941] Includes text of EO 5800 - EO 9003 • (1945-1989) Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders Includes text of executive orders issued between April 13, 1945 and January 20, 1989 (Truman through Reagan). These are codified into 50 broad subject areas. | • (1980 to the present) Federal Register Search by keyword or citation. |
| California Constitution | |||
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| California Constitution | • West's Annotated California Codes (Cal Doc KFC 30.5 W4 Legal Alcove) First section includes the "Constitution of the State of California." In addition to the text of the Constitution, annotations include "Historical Notes," "Cross References," "Law Review and Journal Commentaries," and "Notes of Decisions." • The Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of California (California Legislature) Biennial (Ref KFC 680 1879 A33; earlier editions in Cal Docs C 825a) Contains the text of the US and state constitutions, Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and Articles of Confederation. | • State Constitution (Legislative Council of California) Includes a keyword search option and a table of contents display. | • Constitution of the State of California (Deering's California Codes Annotated) Browse by Article/Section or search by keyword. Includes Constitution text plus notes on historical derivation; cross references to other Constitution and code sections; references to law review articles, the American Law Review and other secondary sources; and case law that has interpreted the section. |
| California Statutory Law | |||
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| Legislative Bills: Subject, Sponsor, Status, & Text | • Legislative Index and Table of Sections Affected (Cal Docs L 450 L4i) . Library has the "Final Edition" from 1973/74 to the present. Contains two parts: a "subject index" to introduced bills and resolutions; and a "table of sections affected" that shows each section of the Constitution, codes, and uncodified laws affected by introduced bills. • Final Calendar of Legislative Business (Cal Doc L500 F5) 1956-1972; Assembly Final History (Cal Doc L500 A1 H5a) 1973 to the present; and Senate Final History (Cal Doc L500 A1 H5s) 1973 to the present. Give status and history of all introduced bills. Arranged by bill number. | • Bill Information (Legislative Counsel of California) Search by bill number, author, or keyword. Contains text, status, history, analyses and votes of all introduced bills from the 1993/94 legislative session to the present. Updated daily. Includes an historical sequence of text revisions made during the legislative process. Indexes include bill number, author, and keyword. Bill analyses include point-by-point specifics on what a bill would do, the arguments in favor and against the bill, the fiscal impacts of the bill, prior history of the bill and background information on the issue. • Legislative Index (Legislative Counsel of California) Current legislative session only. Issued periodically with each issue being cumulative for the legislative session. Contains two parts: a "subject index" to introduced bills and resolutions; and a "table of sections affected" that shows each section of the Constitution, codes, and uncodified laws affected by introduced bills. • Histories and Indexes (California State Assembly) Contains electronic versions of the Assembly Final History and Senate Final History that give status and history of all Senate and Assembly bills from 1881 to 2005. • Open Government Tracks bills, votes, individual members of the California Legislature and campaign contributions. | |
| Legislative Hearings | Text: • Legislative Hearings (Cal Doc L500) The Cal Pply Humboldt Library has selective hearings.Indexes to Hearings: • Cal Poly Humboldt Library Catalog Indexes hearings from 1999 to the present. • California State Library Indexes most state hearings. | • The California Channel Provides current and archival streaming video of governent hearings and other proceedings. | |
| Legislative Histories (Definition: lists bills, committee reports, and committee hearings associated with a specific legislative act and are useful for determining legislative intent. | For recommended strategies and sources see the following guides: • State Legislative History Research Guides on the Web: California• How to Compile a California Legislative History (University of California Hasting College of Law Library) | ||
| Public Laws | • Statutes of California (Cal Doc L 325) Chronological arrangement of all California laws passed since 1850. Updated by Temporary Chapters (Cal Doc L 325) Each law is assigned a year and chapter number, e.g., 1990 chapter 1701. Each annual edition includes a brief summary of each law enacted, a subject index, and a multiyear index to codes affected by enacted legislation. | • Statutes (Legislative Counsel of California) Includes statutes from 1989 to the present. Searchable by chapter number, year, and keyword. • Statutes and Amendments to the Codes (California State Assembly) Includes statutes from 1850 to 2008. PDF version of the annual print edition. | • California Advance Legislative Service Includes statutes from 1987 to the present. |
| California Codes (Definition: codification of all California laws currently in effect. Subdivided into 29 separate codes) | Text: • West's Annotated California Codes (Cal Doc KFC 30.5 W4 Legal Alcove) (Updated by annual pocket supplements and a quarterly cumulative bulletin) Contains the text of all 29 codes. Annotations associated with code sections may include historical and statutory notes on legislative history, citations to law review articles, court decisions that have interpreted the section, cross references to related sections, and citations to legal treatises and commentaries. West's Annotated Codes Research Guide updates annotations with newer citations to legal treatises and commentaries. Indexes: • West's Annotated California Codes (Cal Doc KFC 30.5 W4 Legal Alcove) Includes annually updated subject index. • Larmac Consolidated Index to the Constitution and Laws of California (ref KFC 40 L3) annual index. | • California Law (Legislative Counsel of California) Contains all 29 codes which may be browsed by table of contents or searched by keyword. | • Deering's California Codes Annotated Browse by code or search by keyword. This commerical edition Includes code text plus annotations to related primary and secondary sources. These include judicial decisions, law review articles, Legislative Counsel Opinions, attorney general opinions, the California Code of Regulations, as well as other publications such as California Jurisprudence (Cal Jur) and Witkin’s Summary of California Law. Here is an example of an annotated code section. |
| Ballot Propositions & Initiatives | • California Official Voter Information Guide (earlier names California Voter Guide, California Ballot Pamphlet, Proposed Amendments to Constitution: Propositions and Proposed Laws(California Secretary of State) (Cal Doc C 875) Library has 1948 to the present. | • California Ballot Propositions Database (University of California Hastings College of Law) Searchable database of all ballot propositions and initiatives from 1911 to the present. Contains fulltext of propositions and initiatives and arguments contained in the official voters pamphlet. | |
| California Case Law | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal | Opinions: • West's California Reporter (KFC 47 C31) Covers 1960 to the 2005. Contains the fulltext of court decisions issued by the California Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal, and Appellate Departments of Superior Courts. Decisions are published chronologically by court term. Indexes: • West's California Digest (KFC 47 C28) Covers 1850-1950. • West's California Digest 2nd (KFC 47 C282) Covers 1951 to 2005. Serves as an index to decisions of the California Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal, and the Appellate Departments of Superior Courts. Includes a descriptive word index and table of cases. • California Blue and White Book (KFC 47 C32) Provides parallel citations between the California Reporter series and the State Reports series. Updated through 2005 | • California Supreme and Appellate Court Cases (Findlaw) Includes Supreme Court and Appellate Court opinions from 1934 to the present. Searchable by citation, party name, fulltext, docket number, judge and attorney. One can also find cases that cite another case. (Requires free registration.) • Opinions (Judicial Counsel of California) Contains official opinions from the California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal from 1850 to the present and unofficial slip opinions in chronological order from 2000 to the present. For official opinions search by keyword or citation. • Google Scholar Contains the legal opinions of federal and state supreme, appellate and district courts, including California. "Cited By" links list subsequent opinions and other legal resources that have cited an opinion. • California Case Law Slip Opinions (Findlaw California) Contains California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal slip opinions in chronological order from October 1996 to the present. Indexes: • California Supreme Court Records and Briefs Index (University of California Hastings College of Law) Search California Supreme Court cases and briefs for the period 1906 thru 1978. Search by case name keyword, citation or docket number. | • California Supreme Court Cases Includes opinions from 1850 to the present. • California Courts of Appeal Cases Includes opinions from 1905 to the present. Indexes: • Shepard's Citations Enter a citation for any federal or state case to establish the current validity of the case by retrieving prior and subsequent history and all citing references. Lists subsequent cases, briefs, law review articles, and other authorities which have cited the case. For information on using Shepard's see Shepard's Citations. |
| California Administrative Law | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| California Code of Regulations (Definition: compilation of administrative regulations adopted by California state agencies; subdivided into 28 titles) | • California Code of Regulations Title 24 Building Standards Code (California Building Standards Commission) (ref KFC 35 A22 B85) Published in 12 parts every three years. Includes building, mechanical, plumbing, energy, fire and related codes. | • California Code of Regulations (California Office of Administrative Law) Updated weekly; search by keyword, exact citation, or browse by Table of Contents. Excludes Title 24. • California Code of Regulations Title 24 Building Standards Code (California Building Standards Commission) • California Code of Regulations Title 24 Building Standards Code (public.resource.org) | • Barclays Official California Code of Regulations Browse by Title/Division/Chapter/Section or search by keyword. Updated weekly. Excludes Title 24. |
| California Regulatory Notice Register (Weekly publication containing notices of proposed regulatory actions by state agencies) | • California Regulatory Notice Register (Cal Doc L375 ) Library has 1975-2001. Weekly publication containing notices of proposed regulatory actions by state agencies. | • California Regulatory Notice Register (California Office of Administrative Law) Includes fulltext from 2002 to the present. | • New regulations from the California Regulatory Notice Register are incorporated into Barclays on a weekly basis. |
| Municipal and County Codes and Ordinances | • California Local Codes and Charters (UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Library) Links to online codes and charters. • Municipal and County Codes and Ordinances: California (Findlaw) Contains links to counties and cities with online fulltext collections of codes and ordinances. | • California Municipal Codes Includes codes from approximately 50 California cities and counties. Browse by city/county or search by keyword. | |
| Governor's Executive Orders | |||
| SOURCE | PRINT/MICRO | FREE ON THE INTERNET | LN Academic/Proquest Congressional (Cal Poly Humboldt Users Only) |
| Definition: Gubernatorial directives issued to executive agencies and their employees based on authority derived from the Constitution or state statute. Governors are required to file executive orders with the Secretary of State. | • Recent Executive Orders (California Office of the Governor) Includes executive orders from 1999 to the present. • Governor's Proclamations and Executive Orders (California Secretary of State) In six volumes 1849-1920, 1920-1938, 1938-1955, 1955-1975, 1975-1984 and 1985-1990. |