LEGAL 450 : Legal Research and Writing
Federal legislation and bills
United States federal law is codified in the United States Code. The Code is arranged as 54 titles of various subject matters of federal jurisdiction (e.g. Title 12: Banks and banking; Title 17: Copyrights; Title 47: Telecommunications).
The titles are then split up into chapters, which are further divided into sections (e.g. Title 17: Copyrights -- Chapter 1: Subject matter and scope of copyright -- Section 106: Exclusive rights in copyrighted works).
Federal laws might be cited as follows: TITLE U.S.C. § SECTION. For example, 47 U.S.C. § 21 refers to Telecommunications (Title 47), Submarine cables; willful injury to; punishment (section 21).
- U.S. CodeLegal Information Institute.
- ProQuest Legislative and Executive Publications This link opens in a new window
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Hearings, bills, laws and legislative histories, committee prints, Congressional Research Service reports, Congressional Record and predecessors, Executive Branch docs to 1939, and the Serial Set.
- Congress.govHere you can access legislation, bills, committee reports, and find representatives.
State legislation and bills
Each U.S. state has its own constitution and legal code that covers subject matter under their jurisdiction. The text of these statutes can usually be found at the web page of the state's legislature.
- Massachusetts General LawsMassachusetts laws are available at the web site of the General Court (the state legislature).
- Subject Compilations of State Laws This link opens in a new window
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Provided by HeinOnline. An index of articles, books, court opinions, and other publications that compare state laws, with many links to full text. 1925-current with a two year lag. Users can search, or browse by subject. - Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
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Choose "State Materials" and a state. It is also possible to search all state materials in the search bar by choosing "All States" on the right side.
- DSpace: State Library of MassachusettsThe electronic repository of the State Library of Massachusetts includes current and historical materials from state agencies and the legislature.
Massachusetts General Laws AnnotatedCall Number: KFM2430 1958 W4Publication Date: ongoingIncludes popular name table.
