Statutes: Research Strategies

A statute is a written law enacted by a legislature. The statutes you encounter most frequently in United States law are federal and state statutes. There are also local (city or county) statutes, usually called ordinances.

Find relevant code sections using one of these methods:

• Locating Code Sections by Topic or Subject
  Identify keywords or terms relevant to your research. In print, use the index volume(s) for the applicable code (e.g., state or federal) to locate those terms. Online, search the index for your terms. If an index is not available, search the full text for your terms.
• Locating Code Sections by Statute Name
  If there is a well-known name for the law you are interested in, consult the "Popular Names Table" in one of the code versions. This will provide you with the public law number and the Statutes at Large citation for the original act, as well as providing references to where the act has been codified. Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Name: Federal and State (Ready Reference KF137.S9 A32) can also be consulted to obtain this information for laws passed before 2010.
• Locating Code Sections by Public Law Number or Statutes at Large Citation
  Each version of the code includes volumes that contain tables for parallel references. Locate the citation or public law number you are interested in on the table, and it will provide you with the title and section numbers where the statute has been codified.

After you locate a code section you think is relevant, then:

1. Go to that section to read and analyze the code section.
2. Refer to an annotated version of the code to find citations to cases that interpret or apply the code section.
3. Read and analyze relevant cases.
4. Apply the code to the facts of your client’s particular situation.

After looking at the appropriate title and section in the bound code volume, always look up the same title and section in the supplement (or pamphlet or pocket part) to that code volume to see if any changes have occurred since the bound volumes were issued.  This applies to federal and state resources.

Following this step, use a citator to help determine whether the law is still valid. Use Shepard's (Lexis) or KeyCite (Westlaw) to look up the code section to see if it was cited in reported court decisions or legal periodicals and texts.