SPRING 2012SHIKHA GUPTA JOSEPH:

SHIKHA.JOSEPH@HOFSTRA.EDU

Advanced Immigration Law and Citizenship Research

Preemption Literature Check

A preemption check is a thorough process for determining whether there is another article that has already been published on your topic.

Purpose of preemption check: Saving time and resources to confirm that your topic

will cover new ground.  Provides alerts to any impending statutes or case law

that would render your topic meaningless.

How to conduct a preemption check?

Conduct a check following these steps: Construct a list of keywords and subject headings on

the topic Maintain a record of all databases searched with

found journal citations, articles etc. Search law review databases Run queries in periodical indices Examine works in progress, working papers, and

preprints Books and book chapters Current awareness tools Analyze and conform the results with your topic

Law Review Databases

Westlaw (TP-ALL, JLR) Example: TP-ALL keyword search: (transsex!

transgend! transvest!) /10 immig! /10 detention Lexis (Law Reviews, CLE, Legal Journals &

Periodicals, Combined)HeinOnlineNon-law databases: Academic Search

Premier, JSTOR, and other multidisciplinary from Axinn databases

Periodical Indices

Index to Legal Periodicals (current and retro) Example: same sex and sponsor

LegalTracCurrent Index to Legal PeriodicalsIndex to Foreign Legal Periodicals

Works in Progress, Working Papers and Preprints

For scholarly working papers, forthcoming law review articles, think tank articles (new and very recent research):Legal Scholarship Network (SSRN)

Example: sexual orientation asylumGoogle Scholar

Example: surrogacy and citizenshipBerkeley Electronic Press (Bepress)

Books and Books Chapters

Lexicat Hofstra University Libraries Catalog Example: immigration detention

WorldCat

Current Awareness Tools and Blogs

Lexis-alerts, Sherpardize, CourtLinkWestlaw-various alerts at “Alert Center”, KeyciteU.S. Law Week (BNA)-status of Supreme Court

casesBNA Alerts-also latest news, expert insight articlesSSRNImmigration Prof Blog:

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/Bender's Immigration Bulletin: Lexis; Law

Classified KF4815 .I465 Daily Edition, Bulletin Board: http://bibdebb.blogspot.com/

Immigration Law Research Sources

Primary Sources Statutes Federal Regulations

Federal Register Code of Federal Regulations

Agency Decisions Judicial Decisions

Secondary Sources Treatises and casebooks Journal & law review articles

Statutes

Which statutes are applicable? Treatises Immigration Law Research Guides (for example, NYU

Law Library's guide) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS) Index to USCA or USCS

Relevant governing laws: Title 8: Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); Aliens

& Nationality Title 18: Criminal Law and Procedure

Where can I locate the relevant statutes?

Federal Immigration Laws and Regulations, Law Classified, KF4805.99 .U54 2011

United State Code - available in print or on Fdsys (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/)

United States Code Annotated (USCA) – available in print or in Westlaw

United States Code Service (USCS) – available in print or in Lexis

Legislative History

U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative New Service-print (Reading Room KF48 .U5) and Westlaw (USCCAN)

HeinOnline-U.S. Federal Legislative History Library

ProQuest CongressionalThomas.gov-recent bills/legislation only

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php Lexis: US-CIS Legislative Histories databaseWestlaw: FED-LH database

Proposed Legislation

ProQuest CongressionalThomas.govLexis: Congressional Full Text Bills - Current

Congress; Bill Tracking Report - Current Congress

Westlaw: CONG-BILLTXT; US-BILLTRK; FIM-BILLTXT

Role of Federal Agencies

Rulemaking (regulations published in the Code of Federal Regulations)

Adjudication (administrative decisions)

Which Agencies?

Department of Homeland Security-in charge of Citizenship & Immigration Services; Immigration & Customs Enforcement is responsible for enforcing immigration and customs law (http://www.ice.gov/index.htm)

Department of State-authority of visa issuance, country information, various reports

Department of Justice-Executive Office for Immigration Review (immigration court system), employment discrimination matters

Department of Labor-alien labor certification process and appeals

Federal Regulations

Federal RegisterCode of Federal Regulations

Locating Federal Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations – print and online at Lexis, Westlaw, HeinOnline, FedSys

Relevant volumes might include: Aliens and Nationality Regs: Title 8 Justice Dept Regs: Title 28 Labor Dept Regs: Title 20, 29 Health & Human Serv Regs: Title 42

Federal Register

Code of Federal Regulations – print LexisWestlawHeinOnlineFedSys

Agency and Judicial Decisions Search

First, choose a database. (Click on Search tab on Lexis; click on Directory on Westlaw)

Select jurisdiction (if applicable)Construct terms and connectors search

Use thesaurus, key terms suggested by database or other sources, headnotes

Limit by dates if helpful

Agency Decisions

Board of Immigration Appeals Decisions Administrative decisions under immigration and nationality

laws, Law Classified KF4812 .A2 Bender’s Immigration Case Reporter KF 4815 .I46 Hein’s Cumulative Index to Interim Precedent Decisions of the

Board of Immigration Appeals, Law Classified KF4812.7 .H45HeinOnline: U.S. Federal Agency Documents,

Decisions, and AppealsAdministrative Decisions under Immigration and Nationality Laws

LexisNexis: Federal Immigration Agency Decisions; Immigration Precedent Decisions

Westlaw: FIM-BIA

Administrative Appeals Office

Bender’s Immigration Case Reporter KF 4815 .I46

LexisNexis: Federal immigration agency decisions; Immigration Non-Precedent Decisions: BIA, AAO/AAU

Westlaw: FIM-AAU

Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer

Bender’s Immigration Case Reporter KF 4815 .I46

Lexis: Office of Chief Administrative Hearing Officer Immigration Review Decisions

Westlaw: FIM-OCAHO

Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals Decisions

Immigration Law and Procedure: BALCA Deskbook Summaries of decisions in Volume 13, Law Classified KF

4819 .G6 Lexis: Immigration Law & Procedure - BALCA Deskbook

Interpreter Releases includes BALCA summaries, Law Classified KF4802 .I58 Westlaw INTERREL database

Bender’s Immigration Case Reporter KF 4815 .I46 Lexis: Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals

DecisionsWestlaw: FIM-BALCA

Judicial Decisions

Bender’s Immigration Case Reporter KF 4815 .I46

Federal Reporter, Federal Supplement, Supreme Court Reporter: Law Reading Room

Lexis: USAPP; databases for individual circuits; IMMIG; Federal Immigration Cases and Federal Immigration Cases & Agency Decisions

Westlaw: CTA; databases for individual circuits; FIM-CS and IM-CS Example: “j-1 visa” and stay

Secondary Sources

Treatises and casebooks-for background information• Immigration and Citizenship Process and Policy/ Thomas

Alexander Aleinikoff et al., Law Reserve KF4818 .A43 2012• Immigration Law and Procedure in a Nutshell / by David

Weissbrodt et al., Law Reserve KF4819.3 .W4 2011 • Essentials of Immigration Law/Richard A. Boswell, Law

Classified KF4819 .B67 2006 • Immigration Fundamentals : a guide to law and

practice/Austin T. Fragomen et al., Law Classified KF4819 .F72

• Kurzban's immigration law sourcebook : a comprehensive outline and reference tool / Ira J. Kurzban, Law Classified KF4819.3 .K87 2010

To Find a Treatise Online

Westlaw: click on Directory and enter the title or words in the title, or immigration law in search box; go to DirectoryTopical Practice AreasImmigrationForms, Treatises, CLEs and Other Practice Material (use “I” link to check description, author, title, updating)

Lexis: click on “Find a Source” tab; same process; go to Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Immigration > Search Analysis, Law Reviews & Journals (use “I” link to check description, author, title, updating.)

Journals and Law Reviews

Index to Legal PeriodicalsIndex to Foreign Legal Periodicals LegalTracHeinOnline: Law Journal LibraryLexis: Law Reviews, CLE, Legal Journals &

Periodicals, Combined; Immigration Law Review Articles, Combined

Westlaw: TP-ALL; JLR; IM-TP

Statistics, Reports and other Data

TRAC DHS-provides latest information on DHS convictions, immigration and customs enforcement data, numerous DHS tables and reports. http://trac.syr.edu/tracdhs/

Immigration statistics http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/immigration.shtm

Organizations

ABA Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice and Pro Bono: http://www.abanet.org/immigration/

American Immigration Lawyers Association: http://www.aila.org

Center for Immigration Studies: http://www.cis.org

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR): http://www.fairus.org/

National Immigration Law Center: http://www.nilc.org/

Questions?

Help using databases, locating sources, using microforms: Ask Shikha or another Reference Librarian for help

Appointments: shikha.joseph@hofstra.edu or tel. 516-463-5851