Basic Legal Research:Cases, Statutes, Regulations

and Constitutions

For Washington Undergraduate Law Review

Ann HemmensUniversity of Washington Law

LibraryApril 9, 2007

Primary & Secondary Authority Primary

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

Secondary 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 proposes new rule in

response to statute.

Legal Research Questions What type of law might govern

this issue? 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

Legal Citation

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (KF245 .U5 2005 18th ed. in Reference Area)

Cases Pate v. Threlkel, 661 So.2d 278 (Fla.

1995) Party 1 v. Party 2, [volume number]

[reporter name] [page number] ([jurisdiction sometimes] [year]).

How to Find Cases (Court Opinions)?1. Digests

a. Subject Index to federal and state casesb. Organized by Topic and Key Numbers (sub-topics).c. Examples: Federal Practice Digest, Pacific Digest.

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

a. In-depth articles analyzing unique legal topics & cases.b. Marjorie A. Shields, Annotation, Liability for Conversion

and Misappropriation of Genetic Material, 121 A.L.R.5th 315 (2004).

a. Citation Format: Vol. -- Series – Pagec. Law Review: Edward J. Janger, 3 Genetic Information,

Privacy and Insolvency, 33 J.L. Med. & Ethics 79 (2005).

3. LexisNexis Academic (from UW Libraries LAW webpage)

LexisNexis Academic Available from UW Libraries LAW

Subject webpage http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/L

aw/ Contains

Federal & State cases, statutes, regulations

Law review articles

Statutes Organized Organized

chronologicallychronologically Called: Called: Session Session

lawslaws U.S. Statutes at U.S. Statutes at

LargeLarge (Stat.) (Stat.) Laws of Laws of

WashingtonWashington

Organized by Organized by subjectsubject

Called: A Called: A CodeCode U.S. Code U.S. Code (USC)(USC) Revised Code of Revised Code of

Washington Washington (RCW)(RCW)

Legal Citation Formats 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)

RCW 46.20.308 (2006)Revised Code of WashingtonTitle – Chapter – Section

Image of Public Law Health Insurance Portability and

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

Annotated Codes Text of the law & history Annotations = citations to sources that

have applied or analyzed the law (i.e., cases, regulations, law review articles, & encyclopedias)

Updated promptly

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

* Available on LexisNexis Academic & LexisNexis Congressional

Finding Statutes Popular Names Table

Available from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute (http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/topn/) or in TABLES volumes of USCS and USCS.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-336, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 327 (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.)

USCS or USCA Index Cases Secondary sources (law review articles

etc.)

Finding Statutes - online LexisNexis Congressional and

Academic (http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/Law/)

Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov) Washington State Legislature RCW

Search webpage (http://

search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp)

Constitutions The fundamental law of a nation or

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

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

Constitutions in Annotated Codes

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

[on LexisNexis Academic & LexisNexis Congressional]

State Revised Code of Washington (RCW) All 50 state statutes on LexisNexis

Academic Cornell’s LII,

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

Administrative Law Rules, regulations, and decisions created

by administrative agencies (federal and state).

Agency is authorized by Statute Power to issue regulations & adjudicate disputes

delegated to executive agencies by Congress via an enabling statute.

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

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

Regulations Federal Register

Published daily Includes: proposed regs & new regs Presidential documents

Executive Orders & Proclamations

Code of Federal Regulations Current rules & regulations in force Published annually Index & finding tables

CFR Index (a volume in the USCS set)

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 42 CFR Part 121

Finding Regulations on Your Topic Code of Federal Regulations Index

(at end of CFR set & in a USCS volume) Federal Register Index & “Unified

Agenda” (Oct. & Nov.) West's Code of Federal Regulations:

General Index Annotated Codes

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

Secondary Sources (law review articles, ALR)

Regulations Online LexisNexis Academic and Congressional

(http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/Law/)

GPO Access, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/ E-CFR, http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/

Washington State Regulations Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Washington State Register (updates the WAC) Both available from WA Legislature (

http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp)

Secondary Sources Law Review Articles

Full-Text on LexisNexis Academic Index to find articles, LegalTrac

American Law Reports (ALR) KF 132 in Reference Area. Index at end of set.

Books Law Library Catalog UW Libraries Catalog SUMMIT (both of above plus more!)

Update Your Research Cases – use online citator (Keycite

available in Law Library) Statutes – check pocket parts &

supplements (print) Regulations – use List of Sections

Affected (LSA) & Federal Register (print)

Legal Citation The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (KF245 .U5 2005

18th ed. in Reference Area)

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2006 ed.), by Peter W. Martin (http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/)

Bluebook entry in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebook)

User’s Guide to the Bluebook, by Alan Dworsky (KF245 .D853 2006 Ref Area)

Cite Right, by Charles Lipson (PN171.F56 L5 2006 Ref Area) Doing Honest Work in College, by Charles Lipson (PN171 .F56 L56

2004 Ref Area) Citing & Typing the Law, by C.Edward Good (KF245 .G66 1997 Ref

Area).

Legal Writing and Research: A Selected Annotated Bibliography (http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/guides/legwritres/default.html)

Conclusion

Cases, Statutes, Regulations (federal and state) & law reviews available:

In PRINT at Gallagher Law Library ONLINE through UW Libraries “LAW”

subject webpage

Need Help? Reference Office 543-6794 lawrefst@u.washington.edu