This guide provides support for those doing legal research. In terms of law. There are two general types case law and statutory law. Case law is based on judicial decisions. Case law concerns unique disputes resolved by courts using the concrete facts of a case. Statutory law is based on constitutions, statutes, or regulation.
The court system in the United States consists of 51 jurisdictions (fifty states, plus the federal system). Each of the fifty states has courts at three levels:
While every state has courts at these 3 levels: trial, appellate and court of last resort, the actual names of the courts may be different in different states.
In Colorado:
The trial court is the first level in the court system. In actual operation, the trial court may have numerous subdivisions and special branches (e.g., probate, family court, small claims court, etc.) but every jurisdiction has a trail court of general jurisdiction at which most disputes are initially adjudicated. A trial judge's ruling on an issue of law can be appealed to the court at the intermediate level. In some cases, after the determination of an appeal in the intermediate appeal court, a second appeal may be taken, this time to the court of last resort.
The federal system has courts which are parallel to those in the fifty states.
While secondary sources can be found in Start My Research, which is the broadest library search tool linked below, the best bets box lists several specific law databases that can provide caselaw and can be searched by legal citation.
WestLaw is a collection of law-related resources. It includes important analytical sources, such as Am Jur 2d and the ALR's, as well as law reviews and journals. Primary Law Sources are also included, such as the United States Code Annotated (USCA or US Code), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and the Federal Register, as well as state statutes and regulations, and all federal and state cases.
HeinOnline Academic is a government document and legal research database. It contains comprehensive coverage from inception of U.S. statutory materials, U.S. Congressional Documents and the US Congressional Serial Set, and 2600+ scholarly journals. It also includes all of the world's constitutions, all U.S. treaties, collections of classic treatises and presidential documents, and access to the full text of state and federal case law, and U.S. Supreme Court cases.
ProQuest Congressional is a database for congressional publications and legislative research that offers access to U.S. congressional documents from 1789 to the present. It supports research in public policy, historical, and legal areas, with insights into U.S. history and policy development.
