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Laws & Regulations by Year
U.S. Supreme Court
Federal Circuit & District Courts
State Courts
Foreign Courts Rules
of Court Start with legal encyclopedias
for explanations
about general principles of law and appropriate references to statutes and cases:
Am.Jur.2d American Jurisprudence, Second Edition REF KF154.A42 C.J.S. Corpus Juris Secundum REF KF65.L8 West's Encyclopedia of American Law REF KF154.W47 Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law Gale online Wex is a collaboratively-created, public-access law dictionary and encyclopedia Internet resource
For more comprehensive guides to legal research,
see various books in the UCF Library's Reference Collection at REF KF240,
including:
Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law by Stephen Elias REF KF240 .E35 Legal Information: How to Find It, How to Use It by Kent C. Olson REF KF240.O365 1999 West's Analysis of American Law REF KF240.W454
Definitions
Black's Law Dictionary REF KF156.B532 Words and Phrases provides judicial interpretations of terms. REF KF156.W6712 Collins Dictionary of Law xreferplus online Dictionary of Law xreferplus online Dictionary of Spanish Law (bilingual) xreferplus online Elsevier's Legal Dictionary: in English, German, French, Dutch, & Spanish REF K54.E45 2001 Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law REF KF156.M47 1996 Wiley's English-Spanish, Spanish-English Legal Dictionary REF K52.S6.K63 1997
Legal abbreviations - Consult this online abbreviations list or one of the following:
Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations REF KF246.B46 2001 Black's Law Dictionary - 6th edition (not the 7th edition) REF KF156.B532 1990 The Bluebook: a Uniform System of Citation Ask at the Reference Desk Introduction to Basic Legal Citation Internet resource
Laws currently in effect arranged by subject:
U.S.C.A. United States Code Annotated REF KF62.U6 U.S.C.S. United States Code Service REF KF62 1972.L38 Shepard's Federal Statute Citations provides a list of references to legal authorities for the U.S. Code, U.S. Constitution, Statutes at Large, U.S. treaties, and other federal documents REF KF78.S56 State Statutes Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest provides an overview of the laws of the states, Alabama-Wyoming. REF KF190.M32 LexisNexis Academic provides online access to the statutes of the states, Alabama-Wyoming. StateLaw (Washburn Law School) provides links to state legislative information, including state statutes. State Statutes on the Internet by Topic (Cornell Law School) International Laws Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest provides an overview of the laws of other countries. REF K526..M37 Guide to Law Online: Nations of the World (Library of Congress) Law by Source: Global (Cornell Law School)
Regulations currently in effect arranged by subject:
C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations READY REF US DOCS AE2.106/3: Internet Access to Administrative Rules provides links to the administrative regulations of the states, Alabama-Wyoming. Internet resource
Finding the citation for a popular act:
State & Federal Acts: If you don't know whether a named law is state or federal, consult Shepard's Acts and Cases By Popular Names, Federal & State... REF KF80.S5 Federal Acts: If you think the named law is federal, consult one of the following: U.S. Code - Popular Names of Acts (Cornell Law School) Internet resource Look up a Popular Name for a federal statute LexisNexis Congressional Major Acts of Congress Gale Virtual Reference Library
Public Laws or compiling a legislative history:
See the UCF Library's online guide to Legislative Histories for a more detailed list of resources, including Congressional Record, hearings, etc.
U.S.C.C.A.N. U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News
is arranged by Public Law number & includes some legislative history documents;
UCF holdings begin with P.L. 89-352 (1966- );
for earlier years, see U.S. Statutes at Large.REF KF62.A2.W4 Stat. United States Statutes at Large (1789- ) US DOCS AE2.111: &
US DOCS GS4.111:Slip Laws - Public Laws are initially published chronologically in pamphlet form.
Later compiled as United States Statutes at Large.US DOCS AE2.110:
Chronological announcements of proposed and adopted changes to rules and regulations:
F.R. Federal Register (1994- online; 1980- online; 1936- microfiche) US DOCS AE2.106: Internet Access to Administrative Rules provides links to the registers/bulletins/journals of the states, Alabama-Wyoming. Internet resource
Previous federal regulations arranged by year and subject:
C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations (1996- online; 1981- online; 1938- microfiche) US DOCS AE2.106/3:
Finding a Case
Famous Cases
U.S. Supreme Court
Federal Circuit & District Courts
Other Federal Courts
State Courts
Foreign Courts
Finding a Case by Name, Citation, or Subject
Already have the party names or citation for a case? Retrieve it using Legal Research: Get a Case in the LexisNexis Academic database. Need to find the citation for a popular case? To distinguish a commonly cited popular case from other cases with similar names, consult Shepard's Acts and Cases By Popular Names, Federal & State... REF KF80.S5 Reporters provide the published text of the reported decisions from specific courts. Digests are subject indexes with summaries of court cases. Explanations of topics are not given, but references to reporters are provided. Citators identify subsequent references to previous court cases and are used to help determine if a case's decision is still valid.
Great American Trials - from Salem Witchcraft to Rodney King REF KF220.G74 2003 Great American Court Cases - v. 1, Individual Liberties; v. 2, Criminal Justice; v. 3, Equal Protection & Family Law; v. 4. Business & Government REF KF385.A4G68 1999 Historic U.S. Court Cases - pt.1, Crime & Criminal Law; pt. 2, Governmental Organization, Power, & Procedure; pt.3, Economics & Economic Regulation; pt. 4, Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, & Disability; pt.5, Civil Liberties REF KF385.A4.J64 2001 Encyclopedia of the American Constitution - identifies major cases REF KF4548.E53 2000 Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court REF KF4549.F56 2003
Reporters
L. Ed. United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition (1790-1955) REF KF.A2 L. Ed. 2d United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition, Second Series (1956- ) REF KF.A2 LexisNexis Academic provides a searchable database for reported cases of the U.S. Supreme Court. Supreme Court Collection (Legal Information Institute) - an open-access online database of U.S. Supreme Court cases. S. Ct. Supreme Court Reporter
is only available in the UCF Library via the Westlaw databaserestricted access; ask at the Reference Desk U.S. United States Supreme Court Reports
is available beginning with volume 479 (1986- ).US DOCS JU6.8: Need to cross-reference a citation from S. Ct. or U.S. to locate the case in L. Ed. 2d?
Use the Parallel Reference Tables in volume 4 of Shepard's United States Citations.REF KF101.2.S54 United States Law Week - summary & analysis of significant court opinions REF KF105.U5 Digest
Digest of United States Supreme Court Reports (Lawyers' Edition) REF KF.A22 Citator
Shepard's United States Citations: Cases REF KF101.2S54 LexisNexis Academic provides Shepard's Citations for U.S. Supreme Court cases. Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1980: An Index to Opinions Arranged by Justice REF KF101.6.B57 1984 United States Supreme Court Decisions: An Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions REF KF101.6.G83 1983
Reporters
LexisNexis Academic provides a searchable database for reported cases of the federal courts. F.Cas. Federal Cases (pre-1880 cases) LexisNexis online F. Federal Reporter (1880-1924, courts of appeal and district courts) LexisNexis online F.2d Federal Reporter, Second Series (1924-1993 courts of appeals; 1924-1932 district courts) REF KF105.F43 F.3d Federal Reporter, Third Series (1993- courts of appeals) REF KF105.F43 Fed.Appx. Federal Appendix (2001- courts of appeals cases not selected for publication in F.3rd) REF KF105.W47 F.Supp. Federal Supplement (1932-1998 district courts) REF KF.F42 F.Supp.2d Federal Supplement, Second Series (1998- district courts) REF KF.F42 2nd Series United States Law Week - summary & analysis of significant court opinions REF KF105.U5 Digests
Modern Federal Practice Digest (1939-1961) REF KF127.M6 West's Federal Practice Digest, 2d (1962-1975) REF KF127.M62 West's Federal Practice Digest, 3d (1975-1988) REF KF127.M63 West's Federal Practice Digest, 4th (1989- ) REF KF127.M64 Citator
Shepard's Federal Citations REF KF105.2S42 KeyCites are available via the Westlaw database. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk
Reporters & Digests
LexisNexis Academic provides a searchable database for reported cases of the federal courts, including Customs & Patent Appeals, Court of International Trade, Bankruptcy Courts, Tax Courts, Court of Veteran Appeals, Customs Courts, Commerce Court, and Military Courts.
Administrative Decisions & Other Actions - By Subject (University of Virginia) provides online links.
United States Documents Collection
US DOCS Federal Trade Commission Decisions (1990- ) FT 1.11: Court Decisions, Federal Trade Commission (1966-1981) FT 1.13: Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States (1967-1973) GA 1.5: Index Digest of the Published Decisions of the Comptroller General of the U.S. (1971-1994) GA 1.5/3: Interstate Commerce Commission Reports (1978-1993) IC 1.8: Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice (1977-1996) J 1.5/4: U.S. Court of Claims Reports (1967-1982) JU 3.9: United States Board of Tax Appeals Reports (1925-1942) JU 11.6: Tax Court of the United States Reports (1942- ) JU 11.7: Court Decisions Relating to the National Labor Relations Act (1965-1986) LR 1.14: Securities & Exchange Commission Decisions & Reports (1964- ) SE 1.11:
Reference Collection
REF Labor Arbitration and Dispute Settlements (1946-1981) HD5487.U5.L3 Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board (1965- ) HD5503.A7223 Classified Index of National Labor Relations Board Decisions and Related Court Decisions (1970- ) HD5503.A7223 Occupational Safety & Health Decisions (1973-1981) HD7273.C59 NLRB Decisions (1971- ) HD7833.C618 Labor Cases (1972- ) - federal and state HD7833.C68 Employment Practices Decisions (1937- ) - federal and state HD7833 .C683 Federal Securities Law Reporter (1974- ) HG4556.C67 U.S. Tax Cases (1913- ) HJ3251.A55.C6 Media Law Reporter (1931- ) - federal and state KF2750.A515 Labor Arbitration Awards (1982- ) KF3310.5.C619 Labor Relations Reference Manual (1970-1981) KF3319.A35 Yearbook of School Law / Yearbook of Education Law (1972- ) KF4102.5.Y4
General Collection
General Collection Federal Communications Commission Reports & FCC Record (1939- ) KF2763.3.A23 Decisions of the United States Courts Involving Copyright & Literary Property (1789-1980) KF2994.A1.C6 Decisions of the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (1970-2002) KF3626.A553 American Federal Tax Reports (1924- ) KF6280.A2.A5 Citator
KeyCites are available via the Westlaw database. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk
Reporters
LexisNexis Academic provides a searchable database for reported cases of the state courts. StateLaw (Washburn Law School) provides links to state information, including court cases. See also: Legal Research (Florida) American Decisions - "cases of general value and authority decided in the courts of the several states from the earliest issue of the state reports to the year 1869." REF KF133.A66 American Reports - "containing all decisions of general interest decided in the courts of last resort of the several states." (1868-1887) REF KF133.A66 American State Trials - "a collection of the important and interesting criminal trials which have taken place in the United States, from the beginning of our government to 1920." GenColl
KF220.L38Labor Cases (1972- ) - federal and state REF HD7833.C68 Employment Practices Decisions (1937- ) - federal and state REF HD7833 .C683 Blue Sky Law Reporter (1971-1996) - state securities decisions REF HG4556.C65 Media Law Reporter (1931- ) - federal and state KF2750.A515 Southern Reporter (1887-1941) - Supreme Courts & District Courts of Appeal in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi REF KFF51.A1 Digests
Decennial Digests briefly describe published decisions from all state and federal courts. The UCF Library only has: Eighth Decennial Digest (1966-1976) REF KF141 1966 Ninth Decennial Digest , Part 1 (1976-1981) REF KF141 1976 pt.1 Citator
KeyCites are available via the Westlaw database. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk
Reporters & Digests
Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) is a database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and other complementary legal sources contributed by governmental agencies and international organizations. These GLIN members contribute the official full texts of published documents to the database in their original language. Each document is accompanied by a summary in English and subject terms selected from the multilingual index to GLIN.
LexisNexis Academic provides searchable databases for:
CELEX European Union Cases (1954- ) - The Court of Justice is the Supreme Court for interpreting European Community (now European Union) law. The Court of First Instance was created by the Council on September 1, 1989, in order to improve the judicial protection of individual interests and to enable the Court of Justice to concentrate its activities on its fundamental task of ensuring uniform interpretation of Community law.
Commonwealth and Foreign Nations provides cases from GATT Panel, World Trade Organization, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei
International Legal Materials provides the full texts of important treaties and agreements, judicial and arbitral decisions, national legislation, international organizations resolutions and other documents.
American Decisions - "cases of general value and authority decided in the courts of the several states from the earliest issue of the state reports to the year 1869." REF KF133.A66 American Reports - "containing all decisions of general interest decided in the courts of last resort of the several states." (1868-1887) REF KF133.A66 American Law Reports provide detailed discussions concerning legal issues with extensive summaries of relevant court cases. Indexes: ALR Permanent Digest of American Law Reports Annotated - for ALR (1919-1948) REF KF132.A518 ALR Index - for ALR 2nd, ALR 3rd, ALR 4th, ALR 5th, and ALR Fed (1948- ) REF KF132.A58 Reports: ALR American Law Reports Annotated (1919-1948) REF KF132.A5216 ALR2d American Law Reports Annotated, Second Series (1948-1965) REF KF132.A52166 ALR3d American Law Reports, ALR3d, Cases and Annotations (1965-1980) REF KF132.A53 ALR4th American Law Reports, ALR4th, Cases and Annotations (1980-1992) REF KF132.A54 ALR5th American Law Reports, ALR5th, Annotations and Cases (1992-2005) REF KF132.A55 ALR6th American Law Reports, ALR6th, Annotations and Cases (2005- ) REF KF132.A56 ALR Fed. American Law Reports, Federal are available via the Westlaw database. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk American International Law Cases discusses published federal and state decisions involving questions of public international law from 1783 forward. REF JX238.A2.D4
Moore's Federal Rules Pamphlet
includes Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules of Evidence, & Rules of Criminal ProcedureREF KF8816.A198 Citator
Shepard's Federal Rules Citations REF KF8816.A23.S54 KeyCites are available via the Westlaw database. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk
American Jurisprudence Pleading & Practice Forms Annotated REF KF8836.A45 101 Law Forms for Personal Use by Robin Leonard & Ralph Warner netlibrary online Business and Legal Forms for Fine Artists by Tad Crawford REF KF390.A7.C68 1999 Complete Book of Equipment Leasing Agreements, Forms, Worksheets & Checklists REF KF946.A65.C66 1997 How to File Your Own Divorce with Forms by Edward A. Haman netlibrary online How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation by Mark Warda netlibrary online 'Lectric Law Library Forms Room Internet resource Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business by Fred Steingold netlibrary online Nolo's Simple Will Book by Denis Clifford netlibrary online Power of Attorney Handbook by Edward A. Haman netlibrary online U.S. Immigration Made Easy by Laurence A. Canter netlibrary online Warren's Forms of Agreement: Business Forms REF KF886.W36
UCF's subscriptions to online databases can be accessed at
http://library.ucf.edu/Databases/Subjects/PublicAffairsLaw.aspIndex to Foreign Legal Periodicals (1985- ) contains citations from legal journals and other publications covering international law other than the United States, British Isles and British Commonwealth online database Index to Legal Periodicals & Books (print 1926- ; online 1981- ) contains citations from legal journals, yearbooks, institutes, bar association organs, law reviews, and government publications originating in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Index K9.N75
online databaseLegalTrac (1980- ) provides articles from major law reviews, law journals, specialty law and bar association journals, and legal newspapers on Federal and State Cases, Laws and Government Regulations, Legal Practice, and legal subjects such as Taxation and International Law. British Commonwealth and European Union cases and law are also included. online database LexisNexis Academic (1970- ) provides full text access to over 450 law reviews & law journals. Also includes federal & state case law (1789+), federal statutory & administrative codes, state statutes, plus laws & cases from Canada, the British Commonwealth, and the European Union. online database Westlaw provides full text of legal sources integrated with legal research tools. restricted access; ask at the Reference Desk University Law Review Project provides full text searching of some law journals. Internet resource
Earlier Issues of Journals & Law Reviews - The JSTOR database provides online access to the full text of some titles as early as 1887. In addition to JSTOR and the online access available through LexisNexis Academic to articles published after 1970, the UCF Library has earlier volumes for some legal periodicals, with print and microfilm holdings identified through the UCF library catalog. Some of the titles include: Administrative Law Review 1949- Int'l & Comparative Law Quarterly 1896- Stanford Law Review 1948- Amer. Bar Assn. Journal 1915- JAG J. & Naval Law Review 1947-2001 Univ. of Chicago Law Review 1933- Amer. J. of International Law 1907- J. of Criminal Law & Criminology 1910- Univ. of Detroit Law Review 1931- Business Lawyer 1946- J. of Legal Education 1948- Univ. of Illinois Law Review 1949- Cambridge Law J. 1921-82; 1998- Law & Contemporary Problems 1933- Univ. of Pennsylvania Law Review 1852- Columbia Law Review 1901- Michigan Law Review 1902- Univ. of Toronto Law Journal 1935- Duke Law Journal 1951- Modern Law Review 1937- Virginia Law Review 1913- Florida Law Review 1948- North Carolina Law Review 1922- Yale Law Journal 1890- Harvard Law Review 1887-
Other UCF guides are available near the Reference Desk for "Legal Research (Florida)" and "Legislative Histories". GODORT Handout Exchange includes online guides to conducting research about laws and legislation/legislative histories. How do I translate the numbers and letters to find a case?
The first number is the volume and the last number is the beginning page of the case in that volume. The abbreviation in the middle identifies the name of the publication. Examples:
47 U.S. 483; 74 S. Ct. 686; 98 L. Ed. 873
All three citations refer to the same case, Brown v. Board of Education, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954. The case begins on page 483 in volume 347 of United States Supreme Court Reports and is also available beginning on page 686 of volume 74 of Supreme Court Reporter and on page 873 in volume 98 of United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition. NOTE: The UCF Library does not have print versions of the first two reporters for 1954.
773 So. 2d 524
The report of Gore v. Harris, decided by the Florida Supreme Court in 2000, begins on page 524 in volume 773 of the Southern Reporter, Second Series.
What's the difference between the circuit and district courts?
In Florida, the circuit courts are the trial courts at the county level, and the district courts (e.g., 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach) are the appellate courts between the circuit courts and the Florida Supreme Court. In the federal court system, the names are reversed; the district courts are the trial courts within each state (e.g., U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division) and the circuit courts (e.g., U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit in Atlanta) are the appellate courts between the district courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Where else in Orlando can I find legal materials?
Be sure to ask at the UCF Library's Reference Desk, just in case the title you're seeking is available in the UCF Library as part of some other material, but is not listed individually in the catalog. Two local law schools have some materials not found at UCF:
The Barry Law Library (6441 East Colonial Drive; 321-206-5600) is located on the north side of Highway 50/Colonial Drive between Forsyth Road and Highway 436/Semoran Boulevard.
The Florida A&M University College of Law Library (201 Beggs Avenue; 407-254-3289) in downtown Orlando is just off Interstate 4 near the corner of Robinson Street and Hughey Avenue.
Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference series
provides answers to thousands of frequently asked questions.Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Courts REF KF8720.B37 2000 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Criminal Justice REF HV9950.B364 2001 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Government REF JK274.W449 2000 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on the Economy REF HC106.82.C37 2000 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on the Federal Budget REF HJ2051.W43 1998 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on the Presidency REF JK516.W44 2000 Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on the States REF JK2048.W48 1999 Treatises, Hornbooks, Casebooks, In a Nutshell, etc. Various published series exist providing single-volume overviews of specific areas of the law. Although the UCF Library does not have a comprehensive collection of these texts, some of them can be located through the UCF library catalog by searching for the legal topic by keyword, e.g. "torts" and the keyword "series" and the Call Numbers, LC for "KF". Keywords from the names of some of the series include: "hornbook", "casebook", "nutshell", "treatise", "black letter", "turning point", and "concepts and insights". Some other tips for legal research are available online.
Lawyers: Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory - also available in LexisNexis Academic REF KF190.M3 Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory - also available in LexisNexis Academic REF KF190.M314 FindLaw Lawyer Directory Internet resource Law Schools: Complete Book of Law Schools REF KF266.O93 Official American Bar Association Guide to Approved Law Schools REF KF266.O39 Law School Directories LexisNexis online
Study Guide for LSAT - Law School Admission Test
Nova's Master the LSAT by Jeff Kolby, Scott Thornburg netlibrary online
Legal Briefs
Archives of Florida Supreme Court Briefs (1998- ) Internet resource Florida Supreme Court Briefs & Opinions (FSU unofficial archive, 1989- ) Internet resource U.S. Supreme Court Briefs (1979- ) LexisNexis online Finding Briefs on the Web Internet resource Briefs & Oral Arguments is a useful guide, but it lists many resources unavailable at UCF. Internet resource
Other online resources and databases include:
United States Government Information GPO Access Online Databases Thomas: U.S. Congress on the Internet (Library of Congress) Federal Government Resources on the Web (Univ of Michigan) Online Guides to Legal Resources on the Web AllLaw.com American Law Sources On-line FindLaw Legal Web Site Directory - lexisONE
Last update:06/15/06 03:44:09 PM
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