This link opens in a new windowCase law, or common law, are opinions issued by the judicial branch at the federal and state levels. Learn more about how to read a legal opinion.
You can search for cases in Westlaw by citation or natural language. You can filter results by jurisdiction (Federal, States, or Territories), practice area (i.e. Environmental Law), courts (i.e. Supreme Court, district courts, appellate courts etc), or by circuit. See the Westlaw Campus Legal Research guide for more help.
You can search for case law in Google Scholar by citation or keywords by selecting "Case law" below the search bar. You can also chose to search for federal or state laws.
Statutes are bills that have been written and codified by the legislative branch (Congress). Only bills that are introduced in the current congress may be passed into law, but bills from previous congresses may be amended and reintroduced in the current congress.
You can access statutes in the U.S. Code Annotated or search for current and historic proposed bills and enacted legislation at the federal and state levels.
Congress.gov it the official website for United States federal legislation, where you can find proposed and approved legislation and committee activities.
Regulations or administrative laws are issued by the executive branch, for example by the President or an executive agency (i.e. Department of Agriculture, Department of State, etc).
You can find U.S. Federal, State, and Territory regulations or browse by topic (for example, immigration law).
Find regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register Library databases in HeinOnline. You can select individual databases in the upper navigation or next to the search bar.
