Research Finding Tools: Law & Government
Databases
| Congressional Documents | |
| Full-text US Congressional documents, bills, and hearings; public laws and legislative histories; and information on committees and members of Congress. Coverage extends back to the Ninety-First Congress, 1969-present. | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| CQ Weekly | |
| Full-text reports on acts of the US Congress. Searchable by topic, date, committee, bill number, or keyword. Covers materials published 1983-present. | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| FDsys | |
| Full-text information from the three branches of the US Federal Government. Includes the federal budget, the Congressional Record, Congressional bills, History of Bills, the Federal Register, and the US Code. Dates of coverage vary by collection. | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| Government Periodicals Index | |
| Full-text articles from magazines, newsletters, and research journals published by the US federal government. Covers materials published 1988-present. | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| LexisNexis Academic | |
| Full-text news, business, legal, and reference information. Includes articles from US and international newspapers, country profiles, company information and financial performance measures, and US federal and state court decisions. Dates of coverage vary by publication, with coverage of court decisions reaching into the eighteenth century. | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| Westlaw Campus Research | |
| Full-text business and law information. Business coverage includes articles from newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, plus company information and other materials. Law coverage includes encyclopedia articles, law reviews and journals, and primary sources (an annotated version of the US Code, federal and state court cases, and other materials). | |
| EndNote
Instructions (PC) EndNote Instructions (Mac) |
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| Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 | |
| Full-text primary and secondary sources in US women’s history, 1600-2000. Includes primary documents in many genres, images, a biographical dictionary, a dictionary of social movements/organizations, a timeline, and teaching resources. | |
Websites
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-Present
- Offers biographical information for all U.S. Congressmen and women and members of the Continental Congress.
- Constitution Finder
- "This database offers constitutions, charters, amendments, and other related documents. Nations of the world are linked to their constitutional text posted somewhere on the Internet."
- Famous Trials
- Extensive materials (maps, legal documents, newspaper accounts, images, bibliographies) for dozens of famous trials. Covers 399 B.C. (Socrates) to 2006 (Moussaoui).
- Global Legal Information Network
- GLIN is a "public database of official texts of laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and other complementary legal sources contributed by governmental agencies and international organizations".
- GPO Access
- Government Printing Office site that provides access to various legal sources including: The U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulation, public laws, bills, and federal legislative material.
- History of the Supreme Court
- A teacher-authored site containing essays, images, personal histories, lesson plans, and short historical articles pertaining to issues within the American judicial system.
- LawMoose
- Provides links to MN, WI and some international legal resources.
- Minnesota Courts
- Website of the MN courts. Provides access to court forms, court rules, appellate decisions and trial court records
- Public Library of Law
- Includes: cases from the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals; cases from all 50 states back to 1997; federal statutory law and codes from all 50 states; regulations, court rules, constitutions.
- Thomas
- Excellent source for federal legislative information. Includes: bills, public laws, roll call votes, floor activity, Congressional Record, committee reports, treaties, presidential nominations & Congressional calendars.
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- Home to millions of records about the U.S.