The law resources in Olson Library can help you to:
- Find the text of federal and state laws and regulations.
- Find interpretations of federal and state laws given in the courts.
- Trace the legislative history of bills.
- Keep up-to-date on legislation, court decisions, and administrative rulings in general and specific fields.
The law collection covers most federal law, but it is by no means complete. The library has state court decisions only for Michigan, but you may find more recent decisions for other states by consulting the general web resources. Many law books are updated annually with pocket-parts inserted in the back. Make sure to check the pocket-part updates, otherwise you may miss a crucial change in the law.
Use OneSearch to locate books on various legal topics. Also used to determine if the library owns a particular law journal.
We have two major resources for legal materials:
Westlaw Next. Our major legal database. Provides access to a variety of legal information, including federal and state case law, the United States Code Annotated, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, state statutes and administrative codes, and more. Also included are 900 law journals and reviews.
HeinOnline. This is a legal research database containing comprehensive coverage of U.S. statutory materials, U.S. Congressional Documents and more than 2,600 scholarly journals. Also includes databsaes on legal topics such as LGBTQ+ Rights, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law, Religion and the Law, and COVID-19: Pandemics Past and Present.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs | Online from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) |
Black's Law Dictionary | Online from WestlawNext and in print KF 156 B53 |
Burton, William C. Legal Thesaurus | KF 156 B856 |
Cohen, Morris. Legal Research in a Nutshell | KF 240 C54 |
Schlueter and Nisel. Legal research guide: patterns and practice | KF240 .R63 2019 |
Nolo's Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions | |
The Peoples Law Dictionary from Law.com | |
Garner's Dictionary of Legal Usage | KF 156 .G367 2011 |
Introduction to Legal Research on WestLaw Next | Link to .pdf guide |
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution | KF 4548 E53 1986 |
Oxford Companion to American Law | KF 154 .O96 2002 |
Michigan Law and Practice Encyclopedia The legal encyclopedia for Michigan law. | KFM 4265 M5 |
Gale Encyclopedia of American Law | Online |
Legal Periodicals. Westlaw provides access to over 800 full-text legal journals and law reviews. In Westlaw, click on "Secondary Sources". |
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American Law Reports. Attorney-written articles that cite, summarize, and analyze case law on a particular legal issue. In Westlaw, click on "Secondary Sources". |
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A. Statutes, Laws and Codes
United States Statutes at Large | KF 50 A2 |
v. 1,8,10-11,13-14,16-63,70-present ; 1789-present | |
The official publication of all laws passed during a session of Congress. Statutes are published complete and in the order they were passed. Available in the Olson Library book collection, 3rd floor: KF 50 .A2 (v.1, 8, 10-11, 13-14, 16-63, 70-present; 1789-present). Published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). Available online from constitution.org and from The Library of Congress. | |
United States Code Annotated (USCA) | |
In Westlaw, click on "Federal Materials". The entire body of federal law currently in force, organized into 50 subject divisions (titles). Includes references to court decisions and articles related to particular laws. The United States Code (U.S.C.) is freely available from the House of Representatives and from the Government Publishing Office, but neither contains the annotated information (court decisions, articles, etc.) found in the U.S.C.A. Cornell has an online U.S.C. that is generated from the House version. |
B. Federal Court Decisions
DECISIONS
Supreme Court Reporter | |
In addition to providing the complete decisions of the Supreme Court, including dissenting opinions, this resource contains the headnotes of the major points of law for each case. | |
United States Reports, v. 389- ; 1967- present | KF 101 A3 |
Complete decisions of the Supreme Court, including dissenting opinions. Does not contain headnotes. | |
Available from the Library of Congress; and from findlaw. | |
Findlaw's U.S. Supreme Court News | |
Daily updates on the actions of the court. An additional resource that lists cases per month is available from the Cornell's Legal Information Institute's Supreme Court Collection. | |
Federal Reporter | |
Contains the complete decisions of cases decided from the U.S. Courts of Appeal and Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals decisions for each circuit are also available online (date of coverage varies by circuit, but generally is around 1995 to the present). | |
Federal Supplement | |
Contains the complete decisions of selected cases decided in the U.S. District Courts and U.S. Customs Court. District Court information is available on the Web, but is highly variable from one court to another. Most courts will provide links to opinions, but some do not. |
C. Administrative Rulings
Federal Register | |
The daily compilation of executive and administrative rules and regulations which have the force of law. Indexed daily. The Federal Register is available on the Web from 1994 to the present. | |
Code of Federal Regulations | |
A cumulation of the Federal Register arranged in 50 subject divisions or titles updated in sections throughout the year. Volume 1 is a general index. The Code of Federal Regulations is available on the Web from 1996 to the present. |
D. Congress
Congressional Record | |
1873-1919 in microfilm [KF 35]; 1919-1980 cumulative editions in stacks [KF 35]. The transcripts of all debates held on the floor of Congress. Daily editions are indexed every two weeks. Cumulated for each session of Congress. Indexes by bill or resolution number, name and subject. Indexes also include a section entitled "History of Bills and Resolutions" which gives a legislative history of each bill introduced. The Congressional Record is available from Congress.gov from the 65th Congress (1917) to the present and 1994 onwards from the Government Publishing Office |
A. Statutes, Laws, and Codes
Public and Local Acts of the Legislature | KFM 4225 A2 |
The official publication of all laws passed by the Michigan Legislature. An annual publication with laws published complete and in the order in which they were passed. The Public and Local Acts of the Legislature is available online from 1997. | |
Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated | |
The entire current law of Michigan arranged into subject divisions. Contains references to relevant court decisions. | |
Michigan Compiled Laws | KFM 4230 1979 A23 |
Same as Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated but does not contain references to court decisions. The current Michigan Compiled Laws is available on the Web; older copies are in print on the 3rd floor. | |
Michigan Law & Practice Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. | KFM 4265 M52 |
A multi-volume quick reference for legal personnel. |
B. Court Decisions
DIGESTS
Digests are subject indexes to court decisions. A short summary or headnote is provided for the point of law discussed in each case listing.
Indexes Michigan court cases and Federal cases arising in or appealed from Michigan. Click on the "Go" button under their KeySearch, select your topic, then Michigan. | |
Michigan Appellate Digest | |
Summarizes and indexes all published Michigan Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions since 1992. Select the By Keyword tab for the most comprehensive search. |
DECISIONS
Michigan Reports | |
Official publication of all decisions of Michigan Supreme Court. Cases after 1980 are continued in North Western Reporter 2d. You can also search for Michigan Supreme Court cases on the Web from October 2001 to the present. | |
Michigan Appeals Reports | |
Official publication of all decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals. You can also search for Michigan Court of Appeals cases on the Web from August 1992 to the present. | |
North Western Reporter 2nd | |
Contains the complete decisions of the Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals. The decisions are the same as those that appear in the official editions. All three sets are indexed in the Michigan Digest. |
CITATORS
Citators provide access to the judicial history and interpretations of reported court cases, verify the current status of each case, and locate earlier cases that have been cited in later court cases.
Please refer to the citators explained under the Federal Court Decisions for a brief introduction to the KeyCite System. |
C. Administrative Rulings
Michigan Register | |
The state version of the Federal Register issued monthly. Contains new and proposed rules issued by state agencies. Approved rules and regulations are compiled in the online version of the Michigan Administrative Code. The Michigan Register is available on the Web from 2000 to the present. | |
Michigan Administrative Code | KFM 4235 1979 A2 |
A compilation of administrative rules and regulations issued by various state agencies and departments. The Michigan Administrative Code, updated daily, is available on the Web. |
American Federal Tax Reports — series 1, v. 1-52 ; series 2, v. 1-83 | KF 6280 A27 |
Reports of the Tax Court of the United States (from the Court itself) | |
Reports of the United States Board of Tax Appeals | |
Tax Court Memorandum Decisions — v.1-31, 1942-1972 | KF 6280 A226, |
U.S. Tax Cases — v. 1-73, 1913-1973 | KF 6280 A232 |
United States Tax Reporter | |
Internal revenue code v. 1-2 (loose-leaf) | KF 6277 U5 |
Income taxes v. 1-18 (loose-leaf) | KF 6365 U5 |
The following mega-sites will be of most useful in locating legislative and case law for states other than Michigan. Note, however, the dates of coverage for these resources are limited. These sites also provide links to law schools, legal organizations or associations, international law, news, law journals, etc.
Findlaw | http://www.findlaw.com/ |
Legal Information Institute | http://www.law.cornell.edu/ |
Internet Legal Resource Guide | http://www.ilrg.com/ |
Guide to Law Online from the Library of Congress | http://loc.gov/law/help/guide.php |
General Legal Research Sites - Free and Commercial from the Law Librarian's Society of Washington, D.C. | http://www.llsdc.org/general-legal-research-sites-free-and-commercial |
Google Scholar (select "Case Law") | http://scholar.google.com/ |
Locating the Law, 5th edition, revised (2011) | http://scallnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/complete_5th_edition.pdf |
Michigan Legal Help | http://www.michiganlegalhelp.org/ also the Law Library of Michigan. |
Gale Legal Information Reference Center | Resource provided by MeL |
The basic citation form for any legal reference you may find is:
48 | U.S. | 661 |
volume number | source | page number |
Holdings vary for each source listed below. Consult the links for detailed holdings information.
Law abbreviations are not consistent, but in general the law materials in Olson Library are abbreviated as follows:
A.F.T.R. (RIA) | American Federal Tax Reports (Research Institute of America) | KF 6280 A27 |
A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) | American Federal Tax Reports, second series (Research Institute of America) | KF 6280 A27 |
B.T.A | Reports of the United States Board of Tax Appeals | |
C.F.R. | Code of Federal Regulations | Online at the Government Publishing Office |
Am. Jur. 2d | American Jurisprudence | |
E.R.C. | Environment Reporter - Cases (Bureau of National Affairs) | See |
F.R. | Federal Register | Online |
F.2d | Federal Reporter, Second Series | |
F.3d | Federal Reporter, Third Series | |
F.Supp. | Federal Supplement | |
F.Supp 2d | Federal Supplement, Second Series | |
M.C.L. | Michigan Compiled Laws | KFM 4230 1979 A23 |
M.C.L.A. | Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated | |
Mich. | Michigan Reports | State of Michigan |
Mich. App. | Michigan Appeals Reports | State of Michigan |
N.W.2d | North Western Reporter, Second Series | |
S. Ct. | Supreme Court Reporter | |
Stat. | U.S. Statutes at Large | KF 50 A2 & |
T.C. | Reports of the Tax Court of the United States | United States Tax Court |
T.C.M. (CCH) | Tax Court Memorandum Decisions (Commerce Clearing House) | KF 6280 A226 |
U.S. | U.S. Reports | KF 101 A3 & |
U.S.C. | U.S. Code | Online only |
U.S.C.A. | U.S. Code Annotated | |
U.S.T.C. U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) |
U.S. Tax Cases (Commerce Clearing House) | KF 6280 A23 |
For abbreviations not listed above consult some of the following sources:
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation | KF 245 B58 |
Understanding and mastering The bluebook: a guide for students and practitioners | KF 245 .B37 2007 |
Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual (for Michigan, sets forth the Court's current standards for citation of authority, quotation, and style in opinions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals) | Online |
Common Legal Citations and Where to Find Them | Online |
Common Abbreviations and Legal Citation Examples for Selected Federal Government Documents: Legislative, Regulatory and Statutory | Online |