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Hilton M. Briggs Library holds many sources for law and law-related information. These include primary law, such as federal and state constitutions, federal and South Dakota laws and codes, and the decisions of court cases from United States, federal, and state supreme courts. The library also has major secondary sources such as legal encyclopedias, indexes to legal periodicals, and treatises. The library is a depository for United States and South Dakota government documents, and holds many federal and state documents related to the law.
All three branches of the federal government produce law. The
Legislative branch (Congress) produces statutory law; the Executive branch
produces administrative law, or rules and regulations; and the Judiciary
produces case law, which often interprets statutory law.
Legal Citations:
American Bar Association: Universal Citation Guide (Draft)
Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Reference KF245 .B58
LexisNexis Academic: Legal: Citation Help
Martin, P. Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2007 ed.).
Cornell University Law School.
CQ Weekly - Newsletter that reports congressional action. Includes a listing of public laws and a brief history of each law.
Information Desk 328.73 C764 Latest edition
LexisNexis Congressional - A subscription-based resources that provides indexing and abstracting of publications of the U.S. Congress from 1970 to the present. Includes hearing transcripts and submitted testimony, committee reports, bills and bill tracking, congressional documents, and electronic access to the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Code, and public laws.
United States Statutes at Large - This is the official permanent publication of all laws. This is the source to consult when you want to see the law exactly as it was passed. The library also receives Slip Laws, or advance sheets, until receipt of the bound volume.
Government Documents AE 2.111: (1985-)
Government Documents GS 4.111: (1949-85)
Government Documents S 7.9: (1789-1948)
United States Code - The official compilation by the government of all the laws as they are in force/effect. Organized in a subject arrangement.
Government Documents Index Table Y 1.2/5:
Code of Federal Regulations - All regulations in force are compiled and arranged in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Government Documents AE 2.106/3:
Federal Register - Federal agencies are required to publish all new and proposed regulations in the Federal Register (FR).
Government Documents/Microfilm GS 4.107: (v. 38-50)
Government Documents AE 2.106: (v. 51-)
Public papers of the presidents of the United States
Books/Upper Level J 80 .A283
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents - The publication which includes proclamations, statements, regulations, messages, etc., issued by the President. Replaced by bound volumes of the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.
Government Documents AE 2.109:
Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia - Listen to recordings of all Supreme Court oral arguments from 1995 to the present. Case abstracts, information about Supreme Court justices, Court news, and other features are all available on the site. Sponsored by Northwestern University.
Government Documents Ju 6.8:
Administrative Rules of South Dakota
Legal/Main Level KFS3036 1978 A26
(current session linked from Legislative Research Council main page)
Agricultural law manual [CD-ROM]Reserve KF1682 .H382American dictionary of criminal justiceReference HV7411 .C48 2005The American Law DictionaryReference KF156 .R46 1991American law yearbook. Reference KF154 .W472 Black's law dictionary. Reference KF156 .B53 1999The bluebook : a uniform system of citation. Reference KF245 .B58 Latest ed.Congress and law-making : researching the legislative processReference KF240 .G63 1989 The constitutional law dictionary Reference KF4548.5 .C47 1985 Consumer's guide to South Dakota law. Reference KFS3081 .C66 1996Copyright law on campusKF3030.1 .L56 2003 Deskbook encyclopedia of American school law. Reference KF4114 .D46 Latest ed.A dictionary of modern legal usage Reference KF156 .G367 1995Dictionary of environmental legal terms Reference KF3775.A68 L44 1997Dictionary of American criminal justice : key terms and major Supreme Court casesReference HV7411 .C53 1998 Digest of motor laws. Reference HE5623.A5 A5d Latest ed. Documents of American constitutional & legal history Reference KF4502 .D635 1989Education lawReference KF4115 .R36 Historic U.S. court cases, 1690-1990 : an encyclopedia Reference KF385.A4 J64 1992 The international law dictionaryReference JX1226 .B57 1987 Landmark decisions of the United States Supreme Court Reference KF4549 .L37Law dictionary for non-lawyers Reference KF156 .O7 1985 Legal information : how to find it, how to use it Reference KF240 .O365 1999South Dakota rules of evidence : a trial book for attorneysReference KFS3540 .S68
Legal Databases & Internet Sources:
FindLaw.comLaw Library of Congress LexisNexis Academic Legal ResearchLexisNexis CongressionalUSA.gov
Return to Guide to Government Information
This guide is only an
introduction to locating government materials.
For more in-depth information or for assistance in using these sources, contact
Vickie Mix, Documents Librarian.
This page was last edited 26 November 2007
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