U.S. Code
- Office of the Law Revision Counsel (House of Representatives)
- - Able to search and download the U.S. Code in pdf.
- GPO Access (Government Printing Office)
- - Able to search U.S. Code editions back as early as 1994. Can also browse the U.S. Code by title, chapter, and section.
U.S. Congress
- Senate
- - Official website of the United States Senate.
- House of Representatives
- - Official website of the United States House of Representatives.
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- - Searchable from 1774 to present by name, position, or state.
- THOMAS (Library of Congress)
- - Source for federal legislative information. Search bills, resolutions, public laws, and the Congressional Record back to the 101st Congress, among other things. THOMAS can be used to search for the status of legislation in the current Congress.
Other Legislative Offices
- General Accountability Office
- - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) studies the programs and expenditures of the federal government. Site contains legal decisions of the Comptroller General, the head of the GAO, as well as GAO reports and testimonies on various issues.
- GPO Access
- - A service of the U.S. Government Printing Office, GPO Access provides free electronic access to important information products produced by the Federal Government, including Congressional bills, the Congressional Record, Public and Private Laws, the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, and Presidential Materials.
- Library of Congress
- - The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 and serves as the research arm of Congress. Its vast resources include the Law Library of Congress and THOMAS, a source of legislative information.
Federal Regulations
- Code of Federal Regulations
- - Provided through GPO Access. The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. Browse and/or search the current CFR or previous editions back to 1996.
- List of Sections Affected
- - Provided through GPO Access. The List of CFR Sections Affected lists proposed, new, and amended Federal regulations that have been published in the Federal Register since the most recent revision date of a CFR title. Browse and/or search editions back to March 1997. Also contains an electronic version of the 1986-2000 List of Sections Affected Compilation published by the Government Printing Office.
- Federal Register
- - Provided through GPO Access. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
- Regulations.gov
- - Allows users to view and submit comments and documents concerning Federal regulations, adjudications, and other actions. Materials are viewable by agency, type of document (e.g., notice or proposed rule), and whether they remain open for public comment.
President
- White House
- - Official website of the White House. Contains, among other things, links to current news, press briefings, proclamations, and executive orders.
- Executive Orders
- - Provided through the White House web site. Executive orders of the current President listed in reverse chronological order.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
- - Provided through GPO Access. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published every Monday and is the official publication of presidential statements, messages, remarks, and other materials released by the White House Press Secretary. Search editions back to 1993 and/or browse editions back to 2001.
U.S. Supreme Court
- Supreme Court
- - Official website of the Supreme Court of the United States.
- Supreme Court Opinions
- - Provided through the Supreme Court website. Links to opinions from the latest slip opinions back to 2004 term opinions.
- Supreme Court Collection (Legal Information Institute, Cornell University)
- - Supreme Court decisions and orders available back to the 1990-1991 term together with other useful links. One of these links is to the Legal Information Institute’s Supreme Court Bulletin (the “Libulletin”) a Cornell Law School electronic journal which includes oral argument previews and the term prospectives.
- Findlaw Supreme Court Opinions
- - A searchable database of the Supreme Court decisions since 1893. Browsable by year and U.S. Reports volume number and searchable by citation, case title and full text.
- Supreme Court Argument Transcripts
- - Provided through the official Supreme Court website. Transcripts for cases argued during the October Term 2000 and subsequent Court Terms. Arguments are posted the same day they are heard.
- OYEZ: U.S. Supreme Court Media
- - The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. Recordings of arguments and decisions back to the 1976 term at the time of this posting – working back to 1955.
- American Bar Association – Supreme Court Merit Briefs
- - Provides many of the Merits and Amicus Briefs for Supreme Court cases heard by the Court back to the 2003-2004 Term.
- Rules of the Supreme Court
- - Available through the Supreme Court official website. Also available through the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.
- SCOTUS Blog
- - Keep up with the latest on the Supreme Court of the United States Blog. Sponsored by the Supreme Court practice of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal
- U.S. Courts website – Court Links
- - Interactive map of the United States with the 11 Circuits (other than the D.C. Circuit and Federal Circuit) clearly outlined. Search for federal courts by type (e.g., District Court, Court of Appeals, Bankruptcy Court) and location (e.g., zip code, city and state, circuit).
- Circuit Court Home Pages
- PACER
- - Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and from the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet. Users must set up an online account. Registration is free but there is a use charge per transaction based on the number of pages retrieved.
Federal Rules
A word of caution: whenever you are dealing with rules, be sure you have the most current version. These may not necessarily be the ones you find online!
- Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
- - Available through the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. These rules govern the conduct of all civil actions brought in Federal district courts.
- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- - Available through the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. These rules govern the conduct of all criminal proceedings brought in Federal courts.
- Federal Rules of Evidence
- - These rules govern the introduction of evidence in proceedings, both civil and criminal, in Federal courts.
- Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure
- - These rules govern procedure in the United States courts of appeals.
- Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure
- - These rules govern bankruptcy proceedings in Federal courts.
- Local Court Rules
- - Rules of Appeals Courts, District Courts, Bankruptcy Appellate Panels, Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and U.S. Court of International Trade.
- Downloadable Rules
- - PDF versions of Rules Appellate Procedure, Bankruptcy Procedure, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence available from the federal judiciary’s website.