Research Guides: Law Library Access : Federal Resources

Welcome

Welcome
Table of Contents

The United States Constitution
The United States Code
Federal Case Law
- Supreme Court Opinions
- All Federal Court Opinions
Federal Administrative Law
- Federal Agency Documents
- Presidential Documents
Federal Legislative History
- Federal Session Laws
- Congressional Committee Reports
- Congressional Hearings
- Congressional Debates
Legal Forms
Legal Blogs
GPO Government Documents

United States Constitution

Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis & Interpretation
A comprehensive legal reference prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Analyzes and interprets the U.S. Constitution through summaries of Supreme Court decisions.
Cornell's Legal Information Institute: CRS Constitution Annotated
An enhanced, web-based version of the U.S. Constitution Annotated, originally prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Provides comprehensive, nonpartisan analysis of the Constitution, enriched with hyperlinks to Supreme Court decisions, federal statutes, and regulations.
National Archives: America's Founding Documents
High resolution images of the Constitution, as well as he Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights—collectively known as the Charters of Freedom
The Library of Congress, Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789
Comprehensive archive of primary sources detailing the legislative and constitutional development of the United States during its formative years.

Federal Statutes

The United States Code

The following links provide free access to the unannotated United States Code. Each source allows you to browse by title and section or search by keyword, making it easy to locate federal statutes online.

The Office of the Law Revision Counsel
One of the official sources for the United States Code, maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, and the most current version of the U.S. Code. It provides unannotated versions of the general and permanent federal laws, organized into subject titles. Includes only the official text of statutes without editorial commentary or case references. Researchers can use the Classification Tables to track where newly enacted laws or amendments will be codified, and the Popular Name Table to locate statutes by their commonly known names.
GovInfo: United States Code
Another source of the official, unannotated version of the United States Code, as published by the Government Publishing Office (GPO). Browse or search the Code by title, section, or keyword. Downloadable content in various formats, including PDF and XML
Cornell's Legal Information Institute
In the LII's version of U.S. Code, you can browse by title and section, search by keyword or citation, and access cross-references to related statutes. There are also provides links to relevant sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), helpful summaries of each title, and the Popular Name Table to locate laws by common names. LII's version is more current than GovInfo's but not as current as the Office of the Revision Counsel.

Supreme Court Opinions

These links provide access to U.S. Supreme Court opinions, including oral arguments.

Supreme Court of the United States Website
The official website of the U.S. Supreme Court offers docket information for cases filed since the 2001 Term, searchable by docket number, case name, or keywords. It also provides access to opinions, court filings, rules, oral arguments, and other case documents, with opinions posted shortly after release.
Cornell's Legal Information Institute Supreme Court Resources
The LII's collection contains Supreme Court opinions starting from 1990 with a selection of 600 historic opinions. Search cases or browse by topic, author, party name, or opinion, and find current awareness tools for new cases.
Oyez
Find summaries of facts, questions presented, and rulings from SCOTUS cases from 1972 to the present (links to full text opinions on Justia). Oyez also provides audio and full text, searchable transcripts of oral arguments since 1955.
FindLaw Supreme Court Opinions
FindLaw's database of Supreme Court opinions since 1760 is searchable by full text or by party/case name, docket number, citation, or date range.
Google Scholar Supreme Court Opinions
Google Scholar presents United States Supreme Court from 1791, Select the "Case Law" radio button underneath the search bar; select courts" in blue to bring up a list of all U.S. courts. Then select Supreme Court.

All Federal Court Opinions

These links provide access to federal court case information from district, appellate, and specialized courts. You can search dockets, opinions, and filings by party name, docket number, or keyword, depending on the court and coverage.

Google Scholar Federal Court Opinions
Google Scholar presents federal district, appellate, tax, and bankruptcy court opinions from 1923, Select the "Case Law" radio button underneath the search bar; select the "Federal Courts" button or "select courts" in blue to bring up a list of specific courts.
GovInfo: United States Courts Opinions Collection
The United States Courts Opinions collection on GovInfo provides free access to written opinions from selected federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Coverage generally begins around 2004, though availability varies by court. You can browse or search by court, case number, party name, or keyword.
Justia
Justia provides access to opinions from all levels of the U.S. federal court system, including Courts of Appeals, District Courts, Bankruptcy Courts, and select specialized courts, though coverage varies by jurisdiction and date. You can browse cases for a specific court by year or by reporter citation, with keyword searching in the main search bar. Results include the full text of opinions, with citation information and links to related cases when available.
FindLaw Federal Court Opinions
Offers case law and summaries from the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, with coverage varying by circuit. You must search circuit individually, but you can search by full text, party or case name, docket number, or within a specific date range.

Federal Administrative Law

Federal Agency Documents
Presidential Documents

Code of Federal Regulations (Official)
GovInfo official PDF versions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), including current and archived editions back to 1996. It contains the general and permanent rules of federal agencies, organized into 50 subject titles. Users can browse by title or search by keyword using the advanced search feature on the main GovInfo search page.
e-CFR
The e-CFR is a regularly updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations, maintained by the Office of the Federal Register and the Government Publishing Office, with daily updates to reflect recent changes.
Cornell's Legal Information Institute: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
The LII's unofficial version of the CFR allows you to browse by table of contents or search by keyword. It includes hyperlinks to defined terms and cited primary sources for easier reference and navigation.
GovInfo: Federal Register
The Federal Register is the official daily publication for federal agency rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents. GovInfo provides PDF access to all issues from 1936 to the present, with individual section PDFs available from 1994 onward. Users can browse by issue or search by keyword using the advanced search feature.
FederalRegister.gov
This unofficial version of the Federal Register, maintained by the Office of the Federal Register and the Government Publishing Office, offers a more user-friendly format than GovInfo. It includes enhanced navigation, links to related materials like the CFR and U.S. Code, and additional browsing and search features.
Regulations.gov
This federal website helps you find and comment on proposed regulations and related documents from U.S. government agencies. It includes proposed and final rules, public comments, notices, agency adjudications, guidance documents, and scientific or technical findings.

GovInfo: Compilation of Presidential Documents
This is the official record of presidential materials released by the White House Press Secretary. The collection features speeches, executive orders, proclamations, communications with Congress, and other official documents, along with supplementary materials like press release checklists and nominations.
GovInfo: Federal Register Executive Documents
Using GovInfo to search for presidential material involves using the Advanced Search feature and selecting "Branch" from the "Search In" box, then selecting "Executive" from the box that appears under it. Here it is helpful to know the citation of the document.
FederalRegister.gov
You can use the Advanced Search function to search presidential documents by type and president.

Federal Legislative History

GovInfo: Congressional Bills
Find access to all published versions of congressional bills from the 103rd Congress (1993–1994) to the present. It tracks legislative proposals through their various stages and updates daily to include newly released bills.
Congress.gov: Bills
Find full text bills from 1799-1873 and from 1952 to the present with various search and limiting options (coverage from some years can be selective).
GovTrack.US: Advanced Search for Legislation
NGO GovTrack.US bill allows you to browse legislation by Congressional session, bill type, status, subject, and sponsor. It also provides summaries, voting records, and the option to follow bills or lawmakers for updates.

GovInfo: Committee Reports
GovInfo offers public access to congressional committee reports from the 104th Congress (1995–1996) onward. These reports, issued by House and Senate committees, provide insights into proposed legislation and investigative findings. Users can browse or search reports by committee, date, or keyword, and documents are available in both text and PDF formats.
Congress.gov: Committee Reports
Congress.gov provides comprehensive access to congressional committee reports from both the House and Senate. Users can search reports by report number, bill number, keyword, or phrase using the main search box or the dedicated Committee Reports search form. Each report includes detailed information such as the report title, associated legislation, and committee actions.

GovInfo: Congressional Hearings
Access congressional committee reports from the 104th Congress (1995–1996) onward. You can browse or search reports by committee, date, or keyword, and documents are available in both text and PDF.

GovInfo: Congressional Record Bound Edition
GovInfo provides access to the Congressional Record, the official record of debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress beginning in 1873. It includes both the daily and bound editions, with searchable content dating back to 1999 for the bound version and earlier volumes available through digitized archives. Users can search proceedings from the House, Senate, and Extensions of Remarks, though some supplemental sections are excluded from searchable content post-1998.
GovInfo: Congressional Record Daily Edition
This GovInfo site provides access to the Congressional Record daily edition, the official record of congressional proceedings and debates, from Volume 140 (1994) to the present. It includes daily publications issued when Congress is in session, along with the “Daily Digest” summarizing floor and committee activities.

Legal Forms

Legal Forms

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Forms
Find a range of forms, including those specifically for practitioners.
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Practitioner's Guide
This guide is designed to help you understand court rules and procedures. It also includes guidance on filings, information on judges, and information on the structure of the court.
United States District Court District of CO
Find a range of forms here, including those specifically for practitioners.
USCourts.gov Attorney Forms
United States Federal Courts attorney forms.

Legal Blogs

Legal Blogs

These share commentary, analysis, and updates on legal topics written by legal professionals, scholars, and institutions. They cover a wide range of subjects, from recent court decisions and legislative developments to practice tips and emerging issues in specific areas of law. There are several legal blog directories that provide a helpful place to get started with identifying useful legal blogs.

ABA Journal Legal Blawg Directory
Legal blogs from 2007 to 2019.
Justia Blawg Search
Includes most popular and blog categories.
Law Professor Blogs Network
Legal blogs edited by over 100 law professors.

GPO Government Documents

Government Documents Available Online

Below are links to the free online versions of the GPO government documents print titles we maintain in our law library.

Budget of the United States Government
Provides access to the Budget of the United States Government, along with the Appendix, the Analytical Perspectives, and the Major Savings and Reforms
Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations: CFR Index & Finding Aids
Congressional Directory
Constitution of the United States, Analysis and Interpretation
Decisions and Orders (of the National Labor Relations Board)
Economic Report of the President
FCC Record
Foreign Relations of the United States
House Journal
Journal of Executive Proceedings of United States Senate
Minerals Yearbook
Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice
Senate Journal
United States Code
United States Reports
United States Statutes at Large