Introduction
This guide will get you started with many different aspects of legal research and will introduce you to some of the most important resources.
"But to live outside the law you must be honest"
- Bob Dylan, "Absolutely Sweet Marie"
Selected Reference Sources
Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and LibertiesCall Number: Ref KF 4748 .E53 2006ISBN: 0313327580
Guide to the U. S. Supreme CourtCall Number: Ref KF 8742 .W567 2011ISBN: 9780872894235also available as an ebook
Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society by Call Number: Ref. HF 5387 .E53 2008ISBN: 9781452265698Publication Date: 2008Also available as an ebook.
Encyclopedia of White-Collar and Corporate Crime, Second Ed. - 2 vols. by Call Number: Ref. HV 6768 .E63 2013ISBN: 9781452276168Publication Date: 2013also available as an ebook
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law 2 vols. by Call Number: Ref. KF 387 .G27 2013ISBN: 9781414498966Publication Date: 2013also available as an ebook
Indexes and Databases
- Westlaw Next This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive database of legal materials, including state and federal court cases, statutes and regulations, plus the legal encyclopedia American Jurisprudence (2nd edition) and the publication American Law Reports.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowNexis Uni features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790—with an intuitive interface that offers quick discovery across all content types, personalization features such as Alerts and saved searches and a collaborative workspace with shared folders and annotated documents.
- Legal Research through Nexis UniThis link takes you directly to the Law Reviews & Journals search screen. Find an array of legal resources, including state and federal case law, patent law, and law school directories.
- Supreme Court of the United StatesThe official web site of the Supreme Court, with current and historic court opinions and other information about the workings of the Court.
- Cornell's Legal Information InstituteThis link takes you to the Supreme Court section of Cornell's site. This is a good current awareness tool, with an archive of cases going back to 1990. Links to related resources, like court briefs and oral arguments, are included.
- Law Library of CongressProvides access to court cases, legal information, and legislative resources - from the Library of Congress.
- Social Sciences Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndexes over 300 English-language periodicals covering anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and related fields. Covers 1983 to the present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowCovers the international literature of sociology, social work, and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Publications from 1952 - present.
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Research Help
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How to Find Court Cases
The fastest method is to use Westlaw Next
From the Browse menu, select Cases. Then select All Federal Cases.
In the menu box on the top of the page, type in the name or the citation for the case you want
(a citation looks like 588 U. S. 310)
Here are the citations for the cases you will need to find:
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 558 U.S. 310
The citation will lead you directly to the case. It was decided on January 21, 2010..
. After a brief synopsis and a list of head notes pertaining to aspects of the law, you'll see a lengthy syllabus (or summary) for the case, Justice Kennedy's opinion follows that, along with concurring and dissenting opinions.
Grutter v. Bollinger 539 U.S. 306
The citation will lead you directly to the case. It was decided on June 23, 2003.
Justice O'Connor wrote the opinion for this case and there were concurring and dissenting opinions.
John Doe I v. Unocal 395 F.3d 932
The citation will lead you directly to the case. It was decided on September 18, 2002.
This is NOT a U. S. Supreme Court case. Rather, it was argued and decided by the U. S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Judge Pregerson wrote the opinion.
United States Reports (581 vols., so far)
- Ref. JK 1561 .U5 (these volumes are in the compact shelving on the Ground Floor)
The official compilation of U. S. Supreme Court opinions. Recent opinions are available on the Supreme Court's web page.