Legal Resources

The links below provide some useful starting places for legal research on the internet.

COVID-19 Legal Resources

• Visit our Medium blog for help with your COVID-19 legal related questions.

State of Washington

• Access Washington
• TVW

CONSTITUTION

• Washington State Constitution
• The Journal of the Washington State Constitutional Convention (Rosenow, 1999)

JUDICIAL BRANCH

• Opinions
• Court Forms
• Court Rules
• Court Directory
• Reporter of Decisions Style Sheet
• Spotlight on Civic Learning in Washington

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• Washington State Legislature
• Revised Code of Washington
• Session Laws (1854-)
• How to Search for Bills on the Legislative Web Page
  (Washington State Legislative Information Center)
• Washington State Legislative History Guide
  (Gallagher Law Library, UW)
• Legislative History
  (Washington State Archives)
• Finding Legislative History on the Legislative Website – Washington State Law Library
  
• Legislative History Sources – Washington State Law Library

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

• Attorney General Opinions (1949-Current)
• Executive Orders
• Governor’s Office
• Office of the Attorney General
• Washington Administrative Code (Current)
• Washington Administrative Code (2004-Current)
• Washington State Attorney General Opinions Research Guide
• Washington State Register

AGENCY DECISIONS

• Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals Decisions (1955-)
• Board of Tax Appeals Decisions
• Columbia River Gorge Land Use Decisions
• Department of Financial Institutions Interpretive Statements and Opinions  (includes Divisions of Banks, Consumer Services, Credit Unions, and Securities)
• Employment Security Department Precedential Decisions of Commissioner (1954-)
• Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office Decisions (1970-) (includes decisions from the Pollution Control Hearings Board, Shorelines Hearings Board, Forest Practices Appeals Board (1994-2010) and Hydraulic Appeals Board (1994-2009)
• Gorge Commission Appeal Decisions
• Human Resources Director's Review Decisions
• Personnel Resources Board Decisions (2006-) (also contains Personnel Appeals Board decisions (2000-2006)

LOCAL

• Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington
• Washington County Profiles
• Washington City and County Codes
• Washington Court Directory
• Superior, Juvenile, District & Municipal Court (by city)
• Superior, Juvenile, District & Municipal Court (by county)
• Washington Association of County Law Libraries
• Muni Net Guide - Municipal Related Research

Tribal

• Doing Business in Indian Country
• Governor's Office of Indian Affairs
• Native American Issues

RESEARCH GUIDES

• Online Indian Law Resources
• Northwest Indian Bar Association
• Tribal Court Clearinghouse
• Bureau of Indian Affairs

Federal

• USA.gov
  U.S. government’s official web portal
• Federal Digital System
  Free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.

U.S. CONSTITUTION

• The Constitution of the United States of America, Analysis and Interpretation
• Constitution Annotated
• The Charters of Freedom: Constitution of the United States
• Constitution of the United States
• The Founders’ Constitution
• United States Constitution
• The American Constitution - A Documentary Record

JUDICIAL BRANCH

• United States Courts (uscourts.gov)
• The Federal Courts
• U.S. Courts for the 9th Circuit
• Federal Court Rules 
• History of the Federal Judiciary
• U.S. Judiciary: The Federal Court System and Decisions
• Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• Congress.gov (Library of Congress)
• Congressional Record (1995-)
• United States Code 1994- (FDsys)
• About the U.S. Code
• Current U.S. Code (Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School)

U.S. STATUTES AT LARGE

• 1951- (FDsys)
• 1789-1875 (Library of Congress)
• About the U.S. Statutes at Large
• Congressional Record 1994- (FDsys)
• About the Congressional Record
• U.S. House of Representatives
• U.S. Senate
• A Century of Lawmaking For a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 (Library of Congress)
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present
• Legislative History Research: A Basic Guide (Congressional Research Service)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

• The White House Home Page
• U.S. Executive Branch Web Site Archives (Library of Congress)
• Administrative Decisions & Other Actions (U of Virginia Library)
• Federal Register, 1994- (FDsys)
• About the Federal Register (GPO)
• Federal Register (National Archives)
• Tutorials, History, and Statistics
• Federal Register Tutorial (National Archives)
• Code of Federal Regulations, 1996- (FDsys)
• Regulations.gov
• United States Executive Branch (Law Library of Congress Guide to Law Online)

Other Jurisdictions

OTHER STATES

• Constitutions, Statutes and Related Legislative Information
• Comparing State Laws Research Guide
• State Legislative History Research Guides

UNIFORM LAWS/MODEL ACTS

• Uniform Law Commission
• Uniform Laws
• Uniform Laws and Model Acts

International

• International Legal Research Tutorial
• Nations of the World (Library of Congress)
• Public International Law: A Beginner's Guide

Other Starting Points

• Washington LawHelp.Org (Northwest Justice Project)
  Guide to free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in Washington
• Washington State Bar Association
• Legal Research Guides
  (Gallagher Law Library, UW)
• Research Guides
  (Chastek Library, Gonzaga University School of Law)
• Law Library Guides
  (Seattle University Law Library)

WASHINGTON STATE LAW LIBRARY BLOG POSTS

• Resources for Legal Forms
• Finding Legal Briefs
• Vacating Criminal History & Reentry Resources
• Domestic Violence: Resources
• Administrative Law Research
• Guardianships in Washington – What are they? What is changing?
• Researching the Washington State Constitution
• Legal Aid in Washington State – Its History, How it Works, and Where to Find it
• Researching Washington's Criminal Law

NOTE: The Washington State Law Library provides links on this website for your convenience. This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Inclusion of a link on this page is not an endorsement of the site or a guarantee of the accuracy of the information found there.