LibGuides: Legal Research (Advanced): Federal Law

U.S. Federal Courts

**Image via First Year Seminar- Basic Legal Research: Case Law libguide, Marshall University Libraries

Finding Federal Case Law

Most case law can be accessed electronically through the Courts, Lexis, Westlaw and many free websites. The sources below are from a combination of providers.

U.S. Reports
This is the official reporter for decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Federal Reporter (F., F.2d & F.3d)
This is the official reporter for decisions of the Federal Appellate Courts.
Federal Supplement (F.Supp., F. Supp. 2d)
This is official reporter for decisions of the Federal trial courts.
American Law Reports
A.L.R.'s include both the full text of actual court decisions and "annotations" that analyze the point of law found in the reported case. There are eight ALR series: American Law Reports, 1st; American Law Reports, 2d, American Law Reports, 3d, American Law Reports, 4th, American Law Reports, 5th, American Law Reports, 6th,American Law Reports, Federal, American Law Reports, Federal 2d. The first and second series are now used mostly for historical perspective, while current useful information is found in the remaining series.

The American Law Reports can also be found in the LIU Brooklyn Paralegal Studies Room on the 3rd Floor.

Federal Laws

STATUTES are the laws passed by Congress (the legislative branch).

REGULATIONS are the rules passed by the various federal departments and agencies (the executive branch) to enforce the statutes.

CASE LAW refers to the opinions or decisions by judges (the judicial branch) interpreting the constitution, statutes, regulations and prior case law.

Federal laws are published in different places. See the links below for selected sources.

Slip Laws	Public and private laws are also known as slip laws. Public laws affect society as a whole, while private laws affect an individual, family, or small group.
U.S. Statutes at Large	The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress.
United States Code	The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 51 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Code of Federal Regulations	The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation.
Federal Register	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.
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure	The FRCP govern court procedure for civil cases in United States Federal District Courts. While the rules apply to practice in all US District Courts, many courts also issue their own rules that relate to specific procedural requirements when practicing before those courts. See full Rules on official US Courts website

Tips on Searching for Cases

You can search for cases a number of different ways. Some suggestions:

Name: In the text bar type one or more parties' names, or the case title (Roe v. Wade).
Citation: If you have the exact citation for a case you may use this for your search. For example, the citation for Plessy v. Ferguson is 163 US 537. During the search you would use 163 US 537. The citatation must be correct to see results using Lexis or Westlaw. Google Scholar may be friendlier if a citation is incomplete.
Terms: In the text bar type terms describing the case or the legal issue.
Select a Content Tab: In the Browse box. Find Cases within those categories.
View Negative Treatment: The Negative Treatment tab provides you with negative history and negative citing references for a case.