Federal Legal Research

Primary Sources | Secondary Sources
 

Primary Sources

Statutes - The US Congress creates statues when it passes laws. Federal law statutes address legal protections in the workplace, consumer protection, antitrust and securities regulation, bankruptcy, environmental law, copyright, and immigration.

• United States Code   - The U.S. Code, a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States, is now available in a searchable online format.. Cornell University has created an easy-to-use interface for searching the US Code. For the Westlaw print edition with annotations please visit the Texas State Law Library or the UT Tarlton Law Library.
• US Code Congressional and Administrative News -  Print subscription includes the full text of Acts of Congress and their legislative histories in chronological order. Look up the name of the act in the USCA Popular Index Name Index to find the correct volume.
   

Regulations - Federal Agencies write regulations which individuals and organizations affected by the law must follow. Administrative agencies enforce the laws that govern workplace safety and consumer protection; for regulating companies marketing drugs or issuing securities; and for collecting taxes.

• Code of Federal Regulations -  Online federal regulations are codified and arranged by subject.. 
• Federal Register - Federal regulations are published daily under agency headings. The Federal Register updates the CFR.
   

Case Law - The third important source for legal information is from the court system which interprets the statutes and determines the scope of federal power. Courts create law when a judge issues an opinion. Most written opinions come from the appellate (appeals) court. Austin Public Library has no case reports from the federal court system, except for Supreme Court cases, which number only about one hundred per year. Visit the Texas State Law Library, UT Law Library, or the Travis County Law Library for federal court information. Supreme Court cases and recent federal court cases can be found online at Lexisone.

• Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court
   

Secondary Sources
 

Courts

• Federal Forms: Civil Trials
• Federal Rules: Civil Trials
• Federal State Court Directory
   

Criminal

• Federal Sentencing Guidelines
   

Employment

• FMLA - Family Medical  Leave Act
• OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Adminsitration
• ADA Compliance Manual for Employers
• The FMLA Guide
• Investigating Employee Conduct
• Texas and Federal Law Employment
   

Immigration

• Immigration Practice
• Work Permit and Visa Information for US (and other countries)