USAFA Library Guides: Legal Studies: Government & Legal Resources

Government Information

GovInfo.gov: Premier free resource for access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

Finding publications and special search features:

Help Finding Information: Search tips & tutorials
Browse by Category: View document collections by type
Browse A-Z: Alphabetical listing of government documents

Military Law and Courts

Judge Advocate General's Corps Library
Court martials, military, cyber & international law by AFJAG
Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School
U.S. Army's legal and leadership institution
U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
U.S. Coast Guard Judge Advocate General
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF)
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Advocate General

Supreme Court

Justia: The U.S. Supreme Court Center
Find cases by topic or by date with details on the Court's history
Oyez
Multimedia archive to the Supreme Court with audio recordings
SCOTUSblog
Independent news & analysis of the US Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Official site with filings, arguments, decisions & case documents
The U.S. Supreme Court by ABA
For an understanding how the US Supreme Court works
U.S. Supreme Court Decisions (LII)
Historic and recent decisions by case name, topic & authorship

The Constitution

America's Founding Documents
Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights
Constitution Annotated
Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution Annotated Edition (LII)
Produced by the Legal Information Institute with enhanced features

More Research Sources and Tools

A-Z Directory of US Government Departments
AccessToLaw
British and other legal resources from the Inner Temple Library
Defense Technical & Research Center (DTIC)
Access to DoD and defense-related technical reports & studies
Federal Court Finder
Find a federal court by location or name
Federal Judicial Center
Offers manuals, guides, and other resources in various formats
FindLaw Cases and Codes
Search cases for both state and federal laws
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Justice: Topics
Provides information on varied legal topics: e.g. crime, civil rights
USA.gov
Learn how to research common US laws and legal issues

Legal Information Institute

Legal Information Institute: Comprehensive access to primary government resources, law reviews, and other types of information on diverse legal topics from federal, state, foreign and global legal sources.

LII search help and special features:

Legal Collections: Domestic & international laws
Wex: Search legal dictionary and encyclopedia

Federal Law

Branches of the U.S. Government
Legislative, Executive & Judicial branches of government
Congressional Help: Legislative Process
Legislative overview: How a bill becomes a law?
Federal Laws and Regulations
Commonly requested Federal & State laws with research help
Justia US Law
Access to federal and state court decisions, codes & regulations
United States Courts
Official government site for information on the federal court system
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Appellate review of district court cases within the territorial jurisdiction of six western states including Colorado

Executive or Administrative Law

Executive Office of the President
Learn about the councils that support the White House agenda
Whitehouse.gov Briefing Room
Presidential actions and documents including executive orders

Legislative Law & Statutes

Code of Federal Regulations
Congress.gov
Current legislative activities
United States Code
United States Statutes at Large

Case Law

Caselaw Access Project
Case laws across the United States from Harvard Law School
Court Listener
Search for legal opinions from federal and state courts
Findlaw: Cases and Codes
Google Scholar
Select "case law" to search for case laws by different courts
How to Find Free Case Law Online
Research guide from the Library of Congress

State Law

Colorado Legal Materials
Law Librarians' Society of Washington DC
Links to state legislatures, laws, regulations and other state resources
LII: Law by Source (State)
Access to state constitutions, statutes, regulations & judicial opinions
State Legislatures (Congress.gov)
Find legislative information by U.S. states and territories