Transcript Document

Finding the Law:
Cases, Statutes, Regulations and
Constitutions
Ann Hemmens
University of Washington Law Library
Legal, Ethical and Social Issues in Public Health
(Professor Mastroianni, PHG 512)
October 24, 2005
Primary & Secondary Authority

Primary


Statement of "the law" from bodies with
law-making authority
Secondary


Explain, interpret, and help you locate the
primary law
Includes: Treatises, Hornbooks, law review
articles, legal encyclopedias, Restatements,
Nutshells etc.
Organization of Federal & State
Governments
Constitution
Legislative
Judicial
Executive
Statutes
Cases
Regulations
Administrative Decisions
Stat., USC
RCW
US, Fed 3d
P3d, Wash.
FR, CFR
WAC
How do Sources of Law Interact?





Court interprets a statute
An earlier court decision is overruled by
same court
Statute held unconstitutional by a court
Legislature writes statute in response to
a case
Agency proposed rules in response to
statute.
Legal Research Questions

What type of law might govern this
issue?


Which jurisdiction?


statutes? regulations? cases?
federal or state or both?
Did you update your research?
Court Structure – Federal & State
Court of Last
Resort
Intermediate
Appellate Court
↑
Trial Court
↑
Federal
State
U.S. Supreme
Court
WA Supreme
Court
Ninth Circuit*
Court of Appeals
WA Court of
Appeals
* = Circuit map
U.S. District
Court for Western
District of WA
King County
Superior Court
Legal Citation
(The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation)

Cases


Pate v. Threlkel, 661 So.2d 278 (Fla. 1995)
Party 1 v. Party 2, [volume number]
[reporter name] [page number]
([jurisdiction sometimes] [year]).
Finding Cases
Digests
1.
a.
b.
c.
American Law Reports (ALR) and secondary
2.
sources (law review articles)
a.
b.
c.
3.
Subject Index to federal and state cases
Organized by Topic and Key Numbers (sub-topics).
Examples: Federal Practice Digest, Pacific Digest.
In-depth articles analyzing unique legal topics & cases.
Marjorie A. Shields, Annotation, Liability for Conversion and
Misappropriation of Genetic Material, 121 A.L.R.5th 315 (2004).
a.
Citation Format: Vol. -- Series – Page
Law Review: Edward J. Janger, 3Genetic Information, Privacy
and Insolvency, 33 J.L. Med. & Ethics 79 (2005).
LexisNexis Academic (from UW Libraries LAW
webpage)
LexisNexis Academic

Available from UW Libraries LAW
Subject webpage

http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/Law/

Cases, statutes, regulations
Statutes


Chronological
Session laws


U.S. Statutes at
Large (Stat.)
Laws of
Washington


By subject
Code


U.S. Code (USC)
Revised Code of
Washington
(RCW)
Legal Citation

Public Law


Statutes at Large


Pub.L. No. 107-56
115 Stat. 276
Codes

42 U.S.C. § § 9601-9675 (2004)
Title – United States Code – Sections – (year)

RCW 46.20.308
Revised Code of Washington
Title – Chapter – Section
Image of Public Law

Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996, Pub. L. No.
104-191.
Annotated Codes




Commercially-published
Text of the law & history
Citations to cases, regulations, law review
articles, encyclopedias, forms
Updated promptly
United States Code Annotated (USCA)
United States Code Service (USCS)*
*on LexisNexis Academic & Congressional
Finding Statutes

Popular Names Table





Available from Cornell’s LII
(http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/topn/) or in
TABLES volumes of USCS and USCS.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L.
101-336, July 26, 1990, 104 Stat. 327 (42 U.S.C.
12101 et seq.)
USCS or USCA Index
Cases
Secondary sources (law review articles etc.)
§
Finding Statutes - online



LexisNexis Congressional and
Academic
Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov)
Washington State Legislature RCW
Search webpage
(http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp)
Constitutions


The fundamental law of a nation or
state, establishing the organization of
government and prescribing the extent
of its’ sovereign power.
Citation Format


U.S. CONST. art. I, § 9.
W.A. CONST. art. IV, § 4.
Constitutions in Annotated Codes

Federal


United States Code Annotated (USCA)
United States Code Service (USCS)


[on LexisNexis Academic & Congressional]
State



Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
All 50 state statutes on LexisNexis Academic
Cornell’s LII, http://www.law.cornell.edu/statutes.html
Administrative Law


Rules, regulations, and decisions created by
administrative agencies (federal and state).
Authorization by Statute


Power to issue regulations & adjudicate disputes delegated
to executive agencies by Congress via an enabling statute.
Procedural Standards? Administrative
Procedure Act (APA) (5 USC §551 et seq.).



Notice of proposed rule
Comment period
Final rule & response to comments
Regulations

Federal Register




Published daily
Includes: proposed regs & new regs
Presidential documents
 Executive Orders & Proclamations
Code of Federal Regulations



Current rules & regulations in force
Published annually
Index & finding tables

CFR Index (a volume in the USCS set)
Citation Format: Regulations

65 Fed. Reg. 3415 (Jan. 21, 2000)
Volume – Federal Register – Page (date)

7 CFR § 319.76 (2003)
Title–Code of Federal Regulations–Section (year)
Sample Regulation

42 CFR Part 121
How to Find Regulations?

Code of Federal Regulations Index

(CFR & USCS volume)
Federal Register Index & “Unified
Agenda” (Oct. & Nov.)
Annotated Codes

United States Code Annotated (USCA)
 United States Code Service (USCS)
Secondary Sources


Regulations Online



LexisNexis Academic and Congressional
GPO Access, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/
Washington State Regulations

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)
Washington State Register (updates the WAC)

Both available from WA Legislature

(http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp)
Secondary Sources

Law Reviews


Full-Text on LexisNexis Academic
Index to find articles, LegalTrac

American Law Reports (ALR) KF 132 in

Books
Reference Area. Index at end of set.


Law Library Catalog
UW Libraries Catalog
Update Your Research



Cases – use online citator (Keycite
available in Law Library)
Statutes – check pocket parts &
supplements (print)
Regulations – use List of Sections
Affected (LSA) & Federal Register
(print)
Conclusion
Cases, Statutes, Regulations (federal and
state) & law reviews available:
 PRINT: Gallagher Law Library
 ONLINE: UW Libraries “LAW” subject
webpage


Email Reference
Need Help? Reference Office 543-6794