American Sources
Welcome to our listing of American legal resources. US Federal and State law (as well as jurisprudence) can be searched through the electronic sources available to all Carleton University legal studies students (ex. LexisNexis QuickLaw, Westlaw etc.) however this listing provides you with some additional resources. Please report any missing or out-of-date links to HelpDesk. If you are unable to find any materials through these sources or if you need assistance accessing or using electronic services, HelpDesk volunteers will be more than happy to assist you.
| Jurisdiction | Sources |
| Federal | Constitution of the United States of America Indexed full text version at Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute
Scanned versions of original document at the Library of Congress United States Code Once a federal law is passed in the United States, it is forwarded to the Federal Register and becomes part of the United States Statutes at Large. These are the official versions and “evidence” of the existence of the laws and are organized chronologically. In order to make legal research more efficient the Office of the Law Revision Counsel sorts and codifies many of these laws into the Code of Laws of the United States of America (more commonly known as the United States Code or US Code) which is republished every six years. Indexed full text version at Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute Bills Executive Orders and Actions Current Administration Presidential Actions Presidential Actions from the National Archives Codification of Historical Presidential Actions (lists by topic for pre-1989 orders) Courts Supreme Court of the United States An explanation of the American judicial system Use electronic databases to find case law. Miscellaneous 2010 Federal Sentencing Guidelines National Criminal Justice Reference Service “Established in 1972, NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide” |
| States | Click here to visit Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute listing of American legal resources by state |
Remember to follow the McGill Guide when citing international sources of law. Section 5 (International Materials) will help you with treaties, cases held before multi-jurisdictional international bodies etc. The 7th Edition has added a new section (Section 7 – Foreign Sources) which gives information on the citation of legislation, jurisprudence and government documents for the UK, USA, France, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.
If you require assistance with with proper McGill Guide citation, please contact HelpDesk.
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