LibGuides: Paralegal Technology: Federal/State/Westlaw Research

Federal Legal Information

USA.gov
Portal to all things Federal Government.
Supreme Court of the U.S.
This is the official Website of the Supreme Court. It provides information about cases that are currently before the court and the court’s recent decisions. It also provides background information on the court and information on rules and procedures.
Law Library of Congress
This collection has approximately 2.65 million volumes. It contains primary and secondary sources and is the largest legal collection in the world.
U.S. Code
Electronic access to the U.S. Code made available by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Official Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
e-Code of Federal Regulations
The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) is a currently updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. The e-CFR is an editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Printing Office. The OFR updates the material in the e-CFR on a daily basis. The current update status appears at the top of all e-CFR web pages
FDsys
The Government Printing Office's (GPO) Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
Current Legislative Activities
Legislative information from the Library of Congress.
The Federal Judiciary
This site is run by the federal government and supplies info about federal courts. The court info is divided by the type of court. There is also a library that contains a glossary and info about court procedures.

Quick Introduction to WestlawNext Interface

Westlaw

Westlaw is a legal research system that contains over 40,000 legal databases as well as those related to business. The databases are all searchable by full text. Included are primary as well as secondary materials. These include case law, statutes, administrative materials, treatises, etc. Superior Court opinions are available on Westlaw within 30 minutes of their release. Find documents by citation, run a search, check the history of a case or statute, or use the index to find statutes and federal regulations. Westlaw has free how-to guides, quick reference guides, and research aids in many practice areas. There are also shortcuts provided for research.

Thomson Reuters Westlaw | Using WestSearch on Westlaw
A nine-minute introduction to beginning searches on Westlaw.
Search Westlaw
Use the "Help (FAQs)" link at the top right of the page for a digital users guide.
Click on the "Law" tab at the upper left of the page to get to the Law database. "Black's Law Dictionary" can be accessed using the link in the upper left of the "Law" tab.
Westlaw Getting Started Guide
Twenty-six page PDF

Hudson Valley Community College Library

State Legal Information

NC.gov
Laws, Rules, and Regulations of North Carolina provided online.
NC Court Systems
Provides information on the NC Supreme Court and the NC Court of Appeals including Opinions of both from 1998-2014. Also allows access to information concerning the Superior and District Courts, day-to-day functioning of the NC court system, and information about court officials.
NC Supreme Court
Offers access to the NC Supreme Court information including: dockets, court opinions (1998-2014), orders, petitions, and calendars of oral arguments.
NC Court of Appeals
Offers access to the NC Supreme Court information including: dockets, court opinions (1998-2014), orders, routes of appeal, biographies of judges, and calendars of arguments.
NC Superior and District Courts
Provides court information by county including: District Courts, Small Claims Court, Special Courts, and Superior Courts.

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