Law, Legislation, and Policy
- Congress.govThe official website for U.S. federal legislative information from the Library of Congress.
- Congressional Research ServiceThe Congressional Research Service is "the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis." The CRS prepares studies and reports analyzing a broad spectrum of issues of interest to the work of the Congress.
- CQ ResearcherFull-text reports on a wide range of topics including health, education, the environment, technology, the U.S. government and economy, international affairs, crime, civil liberties, social movements, transportation, agriculture, and other political and social issues. Reports are 12,000 words long and include topic overviews, background information, statistics, chronologies, maps, current outlook, pro/con statements, and extensive bibliographies. The CQ Researcher archive goes back to 1923 and includes reports from its predecessor publication, Editorial Research Reports.
- Federal Statutes: A Beginner's GuideStatutes, also known as acts, are laws passed by a legislature. This research guide explains the statutory publication process for federal laws.
- GovInfoA service of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) providing free public access to official publications from the Federal Government.
- HeinOnlineAn online research platform containing millions of pages of periodicals, government documents, international resources, case law, and more. CUNY’s subscription includes the following databases:
- Civil Rights and Social Justice
- Gun Regulation and Legislation in America
- Labor and Employment: The American Worker
- LGBTQ+ Rights
- Open Society Justice Initiative
- Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law
- National Conference of State LegislaturesThe National Conference of State Legislatures, created by state legislators and legislative staff in 1975, serves America’s 50 states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia. Every state legislator and staffer is a member of the organization and has complete access to the latest in bipartisan policy research, training resources and technical assistance.
Finding Cases and Statutes
- Nexis Uni (previously LexisNexis)
Nexis Uni is a full-text news, business, and legal database with sources from around the world, including local, regional, national, and international newspapers, scholarly journals, trade journals, and popular magazines, television and radio broadcasts, and newswires and blogs. Legal sources include federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790. Also contains business information on U.S. and international companies (see Dossier section) and patent data (see TotalPatent One section).