Law: U.S. Federal Law

This guide outlines the differences and similarities between the federal and state court systems.

This tutorial provides you with an explanation of the legislative process, tracking the various stages a bill goes through to become law.

Many provisions of the U.S. Constitution are known by a popular name or nickname. This guide identifies many of these popular names and includes the text of the relevant provisions.

"Legislative history" refers to the progress of a bill through the legislative process and to the documents that are created during that process. It is often used a means of understanding why Congress enacted a particular law or to aid in the interpretation of a law.

This is a guide to administrative law, which is the body of law created by administrative agencies in the form of rules, regulations, procedures, orders, and decisions. Agencies are given the authority for these activities by laws enacted by Congress.

Current.

The U.S. Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. It is comprised of 50 titles arranged by subject. The U.S. Code is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives.

This website allows you to access the full text of legislation from the 101st Congress (1989) to date. The Bill Summary & Status includes information from the 93rd Congress (1973 - 1974) to date.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles arranged by subject. Each volume of the CFR is updated annually and is issued on a quarterly basis.

Includes links to judicial opinions from both federal and state courts.

This is the major online resource for information regarding members of Congress and their legislative activities. It is also the primary source for accessing Congressional publications, including federal statutes, legislative history documentation, and federal agency regulations. Together, the "CIS Index" and "Historical Indexes" provide citations to hearings, committee reports, prints and House and Senate documents from 1798 - to date.
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