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Legal Research on the Web
Boston College Law LibraryReality Legal Research Session
Mary Ann Neary Legal Information Librarian
April 7, 2006
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On Beyond LexisNexis and Westlaw LexisNexis and Westlaw- major commercial
database systems - accessed through the Worldwide Web.
But … many other excellent sources for legal research on the Web, and most of them are free. Today: some of the most useful ones.
First, we'll start with a few tips on what you can and can't find on the web.
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What are free websites good for? Primary materials: federal or state codes or
recent court opinions Always check: official or authentic?
Current items: cases or issues in the news
Government publications: state and federal, foreign and international
Background information from sources such as government agencies think tanks, or lobbying groups
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Free web sites What works well – General tips
Official government sources, See .gov
Public service sites, See .org and .edu
Finding discrete documents Findlaw, Google, Google Scholar
International legal materials, foreign government sites
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Concerns when using free sites Authentic? Official? How to cite? Concerns:
Confidentiality – electronic trail
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What are free websites not good for? Complete, concise overview of the law
Use books or encyclopedias in print
Sophisticated full-text searching Use LexisNexis or Westlaw
Complex case-finding tools such as annotated codes or citation databases Use LexisNexis or Westlaw
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What are free websites not good for?
Comparative research Search all states’ statutes on a topic
Historical materials Use print sources (LexisNexis or Westlaw)
Practice materials for a particular jurisdiction, e.g. legal forms
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Starting Point Boston College Law Library Research
Pages www.bc.edu/schools/law/library/research
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Find links to major sites
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Locating state cases Issues re citation
Ask: Has the state adopted a public domain citation format? Check Blue Book
Ex.: Wisconsin has adopted public domain cites for cases decided after 12/31/1999
www.courts.state.wi.us Sample cite:
Glaeske v. Shaw, 2003 WI App 71, 261 Wis. 2d 549, 661 N.W.2d 72
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Locating state statutes States post their statutory codes on the Internet;
not designated as official (and may not be designated as authentic)
www.state.ma.us/legis
Try a gateway site for links to each state, e.g. LII
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Legal Information Institute www.law.cornell.edu Serves as a gateway to federal, state and
international legal research web sites Good resource for state-level materials,
e.g. Nevada regulations
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Locating state regulations Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law
School – use as a starting point
Problem with regulation tracking: any proposed regulations? Default to checking that state agency’s website
for notices of pending regulations
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LII – Links to Nevada primary material
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Locating federal cases Note: No official public domain cite except for Supreme
Court
FindlawFind text of Newdow decision – case regarding Pledge of
Allegiance (Seeks to strike “under God”)
Need to know that it was decided in Fed. courts Findlaw – Must know which circuit to search Locate decision from 9th Cir.; text is in pdf format, but how to
cite it? http://news.findlaw.com/usatoday/docs/conlaw/
newdowus62602opn.pdf
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How to know the status of this case? No free citator on the web Can use Shepard’s or Westlaw with a
credit card; approximately $5.00 to check a cite …
BUT…
Need the Federal Reporter cite!
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Google Search Google for:
Newdow and pledgeYields a Washington Post article that supplies the Supreme Court’s docket number
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Supreme Court site – Docket info
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Supreme Court Docket No. 02-1624 Status: GRANTED
Title: Elk Grove Unified School District and David W. Gordon, Superintendent, Petitioners v. Michael A. Newdow, et al.
Docketed: May 9, 2003
Lower Ct: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Case Nos.:(00-16423) Decision Date: February 26, 2002 Rehearing Denied: February 28, 2003
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Find Newdow opinion on Supreme Court site, but still no cite – just slip opinion
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Federal Government Sites Executive Branch G.P.O. Access
Gateway to full-text U.S. government legal materials, esp. administrative law
www.gpoaccess.gov Includes: Federal Register, 1994-present;
Code of Federal Regulations, 1996- present; Public Laws
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Federal Government Sites Legislative Branch http://thomas.loc.gov Includes: Full-text access to bills, 101st
Congress to 109th (current); Congressional Record; Committee Reports, 104th Congress to present; Treaties.
N.B. Can search multiple Congresses now
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Federal Government Sites Judiciary Link to courts from www.uscourts.gov
Supplies links to all courts, including individual circuits’ websites
Current (last few years) opinions available; issue re citation
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Court Rules, Forms and Docket Info www.llrx.com/courtrules
Links to over 1,400 sources for state and federal court rules, forms and dockets
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International Legal Materials International law definition:
“Law that governs relations between nation-states. In modern times, international law has evolved to include the relations between states and international organizations and even individuals.”
E.g. Charter of the U.N.; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Geneva Convention
Web resource: http://www.asil.org/resource/ergintr1.htm
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International Legal Materials
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Foreign Law Materials Foreign Law definition:
“Law of another country” Ex: What are the inheritance laws of Germany?
Many foreign law metapages available: http://www.law.harvard.edu/library/services/research/
guides/international/web_resources/internet_foreign_law.php
World Law Institutehttp://www.worldlii.org/catalog/215.html
Library of Congress – Guide to Law Online http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/nations.html
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Summary – Free vs. Fee-Based Sites Free sites
Watch for authenticity Reliable
provider/creator of site? May find info re gun
laws on NRA site but what incentive to give a balanced view of subject?
Commercial sites, e.g. LexisNexis, Westlaw, etc. Incur costs but reap
benefit of reliable source
Official citation available for legal materials
Citator services invaluable