Getting Started Guide: U.S. Law: Internet Resources

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Printing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service.

This site from Cornell Law School features Introduction to Basic Legal Citation by Peter W. Martin. Provides information on how to cite a variety of legal resources.
This work first appeared in 1993. It was most recently revised in November of 2020 to take account of a new edition of The Bluebook (the 21st).

"... collection of original essays, trial transcripts and exhibits, maps, images, and other materials relating to the greatest trials in world history."

Created to provide teachers with access to resources to assist with the teaching of landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases. The site includes activities and resources about cases such as: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), U.S. v. Nixon (1974) among others.

This site provides action to the Law Library of Congress - a division of the Library of Congress. It includes information on services available, scholarly opportunities including internships, digital resources, and a Guide to the law online.

Provides access to Code of Virginia; Virginia Administrative Code and the Constitution of Virginia as well as other information.

For those considering going to law school the ABA site provides information about law school accreditation, careers in the legal profession, in addition to other information available to the public. This voluntary member organization is "the largest voluntary professional association in the world." Note: Some areas of the site may only be accessible to members.

Provides information on obtaining a law degree including: ABA approved schools, distance education, and preparation.

The ACLU works "to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor." The website provides information on a number of issues such as: criminal justice, immigrant rights, free speech, racial equality, students rights, voting rights, etc. See also the Virginia ACLU affiliate site: http://www.acluva.org/ .

"Beginning with the Continental Congress in 1774, America's national legislative bodies have kept records of their proceedings. The records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Congress make up a rich documentary history of the construction of the nation and the development of the federal government and its role in the national life. These documents record American history in the words of those who built our government.

Books on the law formed a major part of the holdings of the Library of Congress from its beginning. In 1832, Congress established the Law Library of Congress as a separate department of the Library. It houses one of the most complete collections of U.S. Congressional documents in their original format. In order to make these records more easily accessible to students, scholars, and interested citizens, A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation brings together online the records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress, including the first three volumes of the Congressional Record, 1873-75. "

"Through our detailed research and determined campaigning, we help fight abuses of human rights worldwide. We bring torturers to justice. Change oppressive laws. And free people jailed just for voicing their opinion." Try looking through the items on the Research section of the site to find primary snf secondary source materials.

This Yale Law School project was designed to provide digital access to documents in the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. The project's site can be searched or browsed. Browsing can be done by Authors, Subjects, Titles, or by a specific collection of documents such as American Diplomacy: Bilateral Treaties 1778-1999. Documents are also available to browse by time period beginning with the Ancient Documents : 4000bce - 399 and continuing to the 21st Century.

"The BJS Mission: To collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded."

A site from the C-Span television station. Find information on C-Span series, featured topics of interest, etc. In addition users can access a number of other related C-Span sites such as the American Political Archive, American Presidents, and Capitol Hearings. In addition the C-Span video library includes over 20 years of video available for online viewing.

This site from the National Archives provides access to and information about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the U.S., and the Bill of Rights.

Assists States in the area of child welfare services. Provides grants to States, Tribes and communities for a variety of child services including child protective services (child abuse and neglect), family preservation and support, foster care, adoption and independent living. The website provides information on programs, issues, laws and funding.

Juvenile justice research data and publications provided by the Children's Defense Fund

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Printing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service.

This site from Cornell Law School features Introduction to Basic Legal Citation by Peter W. Martin. Provides information on how to cite a variety of legal resources.
This work first appeared in 1993. It was most recently revised in November of 2020 to take account of a new edition of The Bluebook (the 21st).

"... collection of original essays, trial transcripts and exhibits, maps, images, and other materials relating to the greatest trials in world history."

"The Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) provides comprehensive and detailed information about the federal justice system's processing of criminal cases. It includes annual data on the workload, activities, and outcomes associated with federal criminal cases. "

FindLaw is a web search engine designed for locating legal information on the internet. The site can be used to locate lawyers, code information, cases, etc. In addition to the search feature, users can browse sections of the site designed for specific legal topics. It also provides several online books through the FindLaw Bookshelf.

This research site was created by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the NYU School of Law. It publishes information to aid researchers studying international, foreign and comparative law.

GovInfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

A site at the Thurgood Marshall Law Library which provides access to the historical record of this Federal Agency. Documents can be accessed by title, date, subject, or sudoc number. Coverage begins with the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Additional information may also be found at U.S. Commission on Civil Rights web page (http://www.usccr.gov/).

The site was designed assist reporters in providing action information about the Federal Courts. The guide covers the Federal District Courts, Bankruptcy Court, and the Federal Appellate Courts. It can also be of use to others interested in an overview of the system.

Created to provide teachers with access to resources to assist with the teaching of landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases. The site includes activities and resources about cases such as: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), U.S. v. Nixon (1974) among others.

This site provides action to the Law Library of Congress - a division of the Library of Congress. It includes information on services available, scholarly opportunities including internships, digital resources, and a Guide to the law online.

"The Law Library continues to digitize legal and legislative materials to help users gain access to important historical documents. The Law Library regularly adds digitized content, as noted in the About the Collection section for each collection."

"Research guides provide a starting point for researching legal topics and recommend relevant materials in the Law Library's collections and online. The Law Library creates research guides that range from animal and landlord-tenant law to instructions for compiling a federal legislative history."

"We are a small not-for-profit group that believes everyone should be able to read and understand the laws that govern them, without cost. We value accuracy and objectivity. "

Compiled by members of the Legislative Research Special Interest Section of the Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C. It contains web sites with useful legislative information, questions and answers about legislative research, and more.

This site provides online access to the code (laws) of local governments. Choose a state to see a list of available local codes.

"… is an independent, non-partisan organization chartered by Congress to assist federal, state, and local governments in improving their effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability." The website provides information about the Academy's projects, initiatives and Centers. It also provides access to resources such as news releases, congressional testimony, transcripts from lectures, and links to other related sites.

"... is a private, non-profit organization. Since its inception in 1973, the Center has been a resource for independent and original research on topics related directly and indirectly to the field of juvenile justice. Although the Center is the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, it has its own budget and is responsible for generating its own operating funds." Provides access to publications containing statistical information. Publications can be accessed alphabetically or by topic.

"The National Constitution Center is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history, and its contemporary relevance, through an interactive, interpretive facility within Independence National Historic Park and a program of national outreach, so that "We the People" may better secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." It includes access to the Interactive Constitution Interactive Constitution which allows users to search by keyword, explore by topic, and search by Supreme Court decisions.

"Established in 1972, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded resource offering justice and drug-related information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide."

The NCJRS Virtual Library contains bibliographic information and abstracts of more than 230,000 collection resources and over 80,000 online materials, including all known OJP works.

"NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues." Publications can be searched, many of the publications include statistical information.

The National Opinion Research Center, NORC, is a private, non-commercial social science research organization. Some citations for NORC publications include links to downloadable PDF documents or to external websites, which may require registration, subscription, or payment to view the document. See the publications area of the site for more information.

The U.S. Patents and Trademarks office website is the place to go to find answers to your questions about patents and trademarks. Includes searchable databases, FAQs, resources, and important information. First time users of the site should consult the First Time User area which includes a tutorial. The site also includes a special section designed for kids.

enables users to access online information via OJJDP's Web site to learn more about juvenile crime and victimization and about youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Developed for OJJDP by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, SBB provides timely and reliable statistical answers to the most frequently asked questions from policymakers, the media, and the general public. In addition, the data analysis and dissemination tools available through SBB give users quick and easy access to detailed statistics on a variety of juvenile justice topics.

"The Student Press Law Center is an advocate for student free press rights and provides free legal help and information to students and the educators who work with them" The site provides a Resource Center with a variety of helpful sources of information and FAQs. It also provides news articles regarding students and free press in school newspapers.

The Supreme Court is the main body of the Judiciary Branch of the Federal Government. This site gives users information about the Court, its rules, some opinions, etc. The Public Information area of the site provides access to the text of some speeches by Justices, press releases, helpful telephone numbers and more. Also available on the site is information for those who wish to plan a visit to the Court, find a job, etc.

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth. This site provides information about cases and opinions of the court.

This site from the Library of Congress is the place to find answers to questions about copyright. The site can be searched or users can browse by categories, see the Hot Topics section, or check out the What's New area.

"The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin."

The House is one part of the U.S. Congress, the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government. On this website users can find and access a variety of information related to the legislature. It includes a search to assist users in finding their representatives. Information about the legislative process, access to the U.S. Code, the schedule, and much more.

The Senate is on part of the U.S. Congress, the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government. The website provides access to information related to the operation of the Senate and the legislative process. It includes a Virtual Reference Desk section. Information is available on Senators, committees, bills and more.

The website provides information about the court including rules, contact information, fees, and an FAQ. Information is available for those interested in becoming a law clerk. Some online forms are available for download in .pdf format. An Opinions Search is available for TC and Memorandum Opinions starting 9/25/1995 and for Summary Opinions starting 1/01/2001.

statistical data collected by the FBI from U.S. law enforcement agencies; includes access to the annual publications: Crime in the United States, Hate Crime Statistics, and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted

Provides access to Code of Virginia; Virginia Administrative Code and the Constitution of Virginia as well as other information.

"Wex is an ambitious effort to construct a collaboratively-created, public-access law dictionary and encyclopedia. It is sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School (http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/). " Contributions are made by a group of invited authors. Those who wish to contribute may apply for access.