Statutes & Constitutions
What does Public Law No. 82-524 mean?
Congress has two years sessions. The first number indicates which congress session passed it. In this case it was the 82nd Congress. The second number indicates the sequence of laws. It was the 524th law passed by the 82nd congress
What is legislative history? What does it help researchers find?
Legislative history, is record of information Congress considered before they passed the law. Researchers use legislative history to try and find Congress intent they had when they passed the law. It's really useful when trying to interpret what a statute or law means. However some Justices do not like using Legislative Intent when deterring the meaning of a statute (food for thought).
Where are Federal Rules and Regulations found???
Like Statutes they are first published in one source ins chronological order then codified in another
1). Federal Register (gov.info.gov and FederalRegister.gov)
2). Code of Federal (gov.info.gov and ecfr.gov) . Regulations (The C.F.R.) -> 50 titles like the USC but not the SAME. Updated every year but on a quarterly basis. For example Titles 28--41 will be updated on July 1, 2026.
Can you use Bloomberg to do docket research in Iowa?
Yep
The unenacted Four Day Work Week Act, which was proposed by the 3rd Congress in the House's 127 bill in the first section. In the year 2003.
Four Day Work Week Act, H.R. 127, 3d Cong. § 1 (2003).
Where do laws fist appear? what happens after they are published? Where is the last place they appear?
1). Slip laws
2). Statutes at Large
3). US Code
They first appear as Slip laws on Congress.gov and then are published at govino.gov with the Statute at Large Citation Statutes at large = chronological order. Finally the law will be codified in the United States Code, sorted by topic. The US code is the USCA on Westlaw and the USCS on Lexis.
What are the best sources (like websites or print for researching Legislative History?
Proquest is the best online source (since 1970) and the CIS index is the best print source. You can use the law library website to gain access to Proquest! :)
HeinOnline can also be used
Where are proposed rules and regs published? Why are they published???? When are they published???
The Federal Register, they are published to give public the opportunity to comment on them. They are published daily every week since 1936 (not on weekends).
You can find the Federal Register on Regulations.gov (comment here), govinfo.gov (since 1936), Westlaw, Lexis. Bloomberg, and HeinOnline (since 1936).
What is a docket?
A timeline of what has been filed on the case. For example the complaint and answer. Depending of the court, you can gain access to the documents in the docket (on Bloomberg (best) Westlaw or various other sources).
Advisory opinion given by the attorney general. Called "ALR is not ARL". It was published in the 31 volume on page 56, in 2013.
ALR is not ARL, 31 Op. Att'y Gen. 56 (2013).
How do is the code organized? How often is it published? How would you cite to the US code for Diversity Jurisdiction?
The US Code is organized by topic (there are 54 titles). The code is published every 6 years. 28 U.S.C. § 1332 (2024). Year is optional.
What are the four key documents used to find legislative history? What is the weight of their authority?
1). Congressional Bills -> Compare first version with the final version, found in congress.gov. gov.info
2). Committee reports -> These explain the reasoning, found in congress.gov (only from 1995), U.S.S.C.A.N. & Westlaw),
3). Congressional Debates -> the record reports what each person said word for word, the bill's sponsor's statements are the most important, found on congress.gov, gov.info.gov
4). Committee hearings -> experts testify on information the may be helpful for the bill, found on congress.gov (1995-present) and proquest, gov.info
1) Committee reports 2). Floor debates 3). Hearings 4). Bills
How are codified Federal Regs and Rules organized???
Tiles -> Parts -> Subparts -> Sections
1 CFR § 2
1=title
2 = part
Why do docket research???
There are several reasons
1). to see how a case has developed
2). to understand an appeal
3). to find more info about the parties and issues
4). to learn about the people involved (for example how a judge tends to rule)
5). to track a current case (Remember we look at the Hollywood case in class)
Security and Parole, in the Corpus Juris Secundum. Published in the 78A volume in the 78th section. It was both published in the main volume in 2002 and as will as the supplement in 2003.
78A C.J.S. Security & Parole § 78 (2002 & Supp. 2003).
In what source are US treaties found in? What source is the easiest to access treaties? Where can you find the treaties from the 94th Congress to the present?
The U.S. Treaties & Other International Agreements (U.S.T.). Treaties are the easiest to find in HeinOnline. However you can also find treaties from 1975 to present at congress.gvo/treaties/about.
How can you track legislation? Bills?
1). You can use U.S.C.C.A.N. (US Code Congressional & Administrative News). It has the Statutes at Large (law) and House/Senate reports (LH).
2). You can use Congress.gov (Bills). All the bills in Congress and the chronological history of the bills.
3). Gov.info.gov (Bills)
4). Westlaw, Lexis and Bloomberg can tell you about pending legislation. However if it will depends.
Where do you find Iowa Adminstrative Law???? What do you not cite?
1). Iowa Administrative Bulletin (also contains proposed rules and regs)
2). Iowa Administrative Code
Both are updated bi-weekly and both are found on the Iowa Legislature website. The index is pretty bad.
Do not cite the bold faced words in parenthesis in the Iowa Adminstrative Code
What are forms? Where can you find them?
Forms are model filings you can use. There is a wide variety of forms and a wide source. Iowa has specific forms. You can find them on West Law, Lexis, law depot (free), ilrg (free), ISBA, and more places but beware.
Foritano's Glow in the Dark Golf Corporation v. the Federal Communications Commission. Reporter volume 121. In the federal supplement, starting on page 343. Heard in the Southern District Court of Iowa in 1919.
Foritano's Glow in the Dark Golf Corp. v. FCC., 121 F. Supp. 343 (S.D. Iowa 1919).
Where were treaties originally recorded, what year did that change?
How would you cite to the Agreement between President Gaughan of Donutland and President Edwards of the US about the Great Donut exchange. Signed on Jan 1st 2026. 1 U.S.T. 234?
Treaties before 1950 were recorded in the Statutes at Large.
Treaty Relating to the Great Donut Exchange, Donut-U.S., Jan. 1, 2026, 1 U.S.T. 234.
How do you find legislative history???
1). Get the Public Law Number
2). Use U.S.C.C.A.N. on West, to find the ...... that's right the most import document for legislative history COMMITTEE REPORTS
3). You can use Congress.gov to find .... Congressional debates, or hearings or Bills
OR .....
You could use Westlaw, or Lexis to compare versions of the bills
How do you update the Code of Federal Regulations???
There are two ways the bad way and the easy way. We have only practiced the good way.
Bad way: look at the list of sections affected and then the CFR parts affected on govinfo.gov (since 1997). If it is one of the parts affected go to the federal register.
Good way: Use the eCFR to compare dates to see if there have been any changes recently.
What should you never do with forms?
Just copy and paste. You should always Taylor them to your needs and make sure that they comply with the rules.
Congressional Debate. Senator Kidd v. Senator Schor, debating whether apples or oranges are the best fruit. It was reported in volume 256, in a bound edition on page 375. This debate occurred in 1888.
256 Cong. Rec. 375 (1888).