Finding the Law:Cases, Statutes, Regulations

and Secondary Sources

Ann HemmensUniversity of Washington Gallagher Law Library

September 11, 2009

http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/legalresearch2009.ppt

Goals Basic introduction to U.S. legal

research and U.S. legal citation format

Tour of Gallagher Law Library

Primary & Secondary Authority Primary Authority

Statement of "the law" from bodies with law-making authority

Secondary Authority Explain, interpret, and help you locate the

primary law Includes: Treatises, Hornbooks, law review

articles, legal encyclopedias, Restatements, Nutshells etc.

Organization of Federal & State Governments

Constitution

Legislative Judicial Executive

Statutes

Stat., USCRCW

Cases

US, Fed 3dP3d, Wash.

RegulationsAdministrative Decisions

FR, CFRWAC

How do Sources of Law Interact?

Court interprets a statute An earlier court decision is overruled by same court

Statute held unconstitutional by a court

Legislature writes statute in response to a case

Agency proposed rules in response to statute.

Issues in Legal Research What type of law might govern

your question? statutes? regulations? cases?

Which jurisdiction? federal or state or both?

Did you update your research?

Court Structure – Federal & State

Federal StateCourt of Last

ResortU.S. Supreme

CourtWA Supreme

Court

Intermediate Appellate Court

↑

Ninth Circuit* Court of Appeals

* = Circuit map

WA Court of Appeals

Trial Court ↑

U.S. District Court for

Western District of WA

King County Superior Court

U.S. Legal Citation FormatThe Bluebook: A Uniform System

of Citation (KF245 .U5 2005 18th ed. in Reference Area)

Bluebook 101, http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/bluebook101.html (short presentations with examples of how to cite legal documents)

Legal Citation format for CASESPate v. Threlkel, 661 So.2d 278 (Fla.

1995)

Party 1 v. Party 2, [volume number] [reporter name] [page number] ([jurisdiction sometimes] [year]).

Tools for finding cases on particular subjects

1. Digestsa. Index to National Reporter System. Find federal and

state cases by legal issue or subject. Topic and Key Numbers. Examples: Federal Practice Digest, Pacific Digest.

2. American Law Reports (ALR) and law review articles (secondary sources)

a. Provide in-depth analysis of legal topic or case.b. Examples:

a. Marjorie A. Shields, Annotation, Liability for Conversion and Misappropriation of Genetic Material, 121 A.L.R.5th 315 (2004).

b. Edward J. Janger, 3 Genetic Information, Privacy and Insolvency, 3 J.L. Med. & Ethics 79 (2005).

3. LexisNexis Academic (http://lib.law.washington.edu/)

Lexis Nexis Academic Available from Law Library “Find

Legal Databases” list, http://lib.law.washington.edu/

INCLUDES: Cases, statutes, regulations and law review articles

Statutes Organized Organized

chronologicallychronologically Session lawsSession laws

U.S. Statutes at U.S. Statutes at LargeLarge (Stat.) (Stat.)

Laws of Laws of WashingtonWashington

Organized by Organized by subject (the subject (the current laws current laws in in force)force)

CodeCode U.S. CodeU.S. Code Revised Code of Revised Code of

WashingtonWashington

Legal Citation Format – U.S. laws Public Law

Pub.L. No. 107-56 Statutes at Large

115 Stat. 276 Codes

42 U.S.C. § § 9601-9675 (2004)Title – United States Code – Sections – (year)

Image of U.S. Public Law Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-191.

List of the 50 titles in U.S. Code, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/#TITLES

17 U.S.C. § 1101. Unauthorized fixation and trafficking in sound recordings and music videos

Annotated Codes Commercially published Includes the text of law & history Provides citations to cases,

regulations, law review articles, encyclopedias, forms which have applied that law.

Updated promptlyUnited States Code Annotated (USCA)United States Code Service (USCS)*

*on LexisNexis Academic

How to Find Statutes ? Popular Names Table

USA Patriot Act (Pub. L. 107-56, 115 Stat. 276)(Oct. 26, 2001)

Patent Law Amendments Act of 1984 (Pub. L. 98-622, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3383,Short title, see 35 U.S.C. 1 note)

Look up subject in Index volume of USCS or USCA

Statute cited in a case Secondary sources (law review

articles about that statute or topic)

Finding Statutes - online LexisNexis Academic (

http://lib.law.washington.edu/) Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov)

Washington State Laws = Revised Code of Washington (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/)

Constitutions The fundamental law of a nation or

state, establishing the organization of government and prescribing the extent of its’ sovereign power.

CITATION U.S. CONST. art. I, § 9. W.A. CONST. art. IV, § 4.

Finding Constitutions ?Federal Constitution United States Code Annotated (USCA) United States Code Service (USCS) [on LexisNexis

Academic] GPO Access,

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html Popular Names of Constitutional Provisions,

http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/consticlauses.html

State Constitutions Revised Code of Washington (RCW) All 50 state statutes on LexisNexis Academic Cornell’s Legal Information Institute,

http://www.law.cornell.edu/statutes.html

Administrative Law Rules, regulations, and decisions created by

administrative agencies (federal and state). Authorized by Statute

Power to issue regulations & adjudicate disputes delegated to executive agencies by Congress via an enabling statute.

Procedural Standards? YES = Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 USC §551 et seq.).

Notice of proposed rule Comment period Final rule & response to comments

U.S. Regulations Federal Register

Published daily Includes:

proposed regulations & new regulations Presidential documents: Executive Orders &

Proclamations Code of Federal Regulations

Published annually Includes: all current rules & regulations in force Index & finding tables

Citation Format: Regulations 65 Fed. Reg. 3415 (Jan. 21, 2000)

Volume – Federal Register – Page (date)

7 CFR § 319.76 (2003)Title–Code of Federal Regulations–Section (year)

Sample Regulation Title 37 of the CFR: Patents,

Trademarks and Copyrights http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/w

aisidx_08/37cfrv1_08.html#201

37 CFR § 202.1 Material not subject to copyright (2008)

Finding Regulations ? Index to the Code of Federal Regulations

CFR Index volume (KF70 at Ref Area) USCS Index to the CFR (KF 62 at Ref Area) West’s CFR Index (KF70 .A34 at Ref Area)

Federal Register Index “Unified Agenda” (published in April & October) Annotated Codes

United States Code Annotated (USCA) United States Code Service (USCS)

Secondary Sources (treatises, law review articles)

Regulations Online LexisNexis Academic

http://lib.law.washington.edu/

GPO Access, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/

Secondary Sources Law Reviews

(http://lib.law.washington.edu/) Full-Text on LexisNexis Academic Use an index to find articles, LegalTrac

Treatises and Books Law Library Catalog

Browser’s Guide to Reference Area (by subject)

UW Libraries Catalog

Update Your Research Cases – use online citator

(Shepard’s or Keycite) Statutes – check pocket parts &

supplements (print) Regulations – use List of Sections

Affected (LSA) & Federal Register (print)

Free Websites with U.S.Legal Information

Internet Legal Research http://lib.law.washington.edu/research/research.html

Cornell’s Legal Information Institute http://www.law.cornell.edu/

GPO Access http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov/ U.S. Supreme Court

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/index.html

Conclusion

Questions? Ask a Librarianlawrefst@uw.edu

http://lib.law.washington.edu/questions.html 206-543-6794