4.1.1 Doing Legal Research: United States Code Annotated & United States Code Service
Description
This article is from the Legal Research FAQ, by Mark Eckenwiler with numerous contributions by others.
4.1.1 Doing Legal Research: United States Code Annotated & United States Code Service
(U.S.C.A., U.S.C.S.)
U.S.C.A. and U.S.C.S. are the two commercially produced
"annotated" versions of the **United States Code. This simply means
that these series provide not only the text of all federal statutes,
but also include helpful research cross-references. The discussion
below explains how to use U.S.C.A. -- published by West, and therefore
the more widely available of the two sets -- but is equally applicable
to U.S.C.S.
After each statute reprinted in U.S.C.A., you will find a
variety of headings for such subjects as law review articles, notes
to statutory revisions, cross-references to **C.F.R., and so on,
with relevant information under each. Most significantly, U.S.C.A.
provides a set of "annotations" on the statute: that is, brief
summaries of court decisions applying or construing the law in
question.
This annotation section after each statute generally begins with
an alphabetical index of the topics covered by the cases. Each topic
corresponds to a number, which tells you where to find case summaries
("squibs") on that topic.
The alphabetical index is followed by groups of squibs under
the numbered topic headings. Annotation topic number 1 is almost
invariably either "Constitutionality" [i.e., of the statute] or
"Generally" (collecting cases discussing the statute broadly).
There are two important things to keep in mind as you use
U.S.C.A. First, U.S.C.A. does not list every case that has ever
referred to the statute; it is only a selection, albeit usually a
helpful one that includes most or all major decisions. Second, you
should not rely on the case summaries as authority. Because the
squibs occasionally misstate a court's holding, it is essential that
you read the cases themselves.
As with other research tools, make certain to consult the pocket
part when using U.S.C.A. so you don't overlook revisions to the
statute or recent court decisions interpreting it.
One very useful feature of U.S.C.A. is the paperbound set of
subject index volumes located at the end. These volumes provide
pointers to all laws on any particular topic (Postal Employees,
Eavesdropping, or whatever).
Note that the equivalent of U.S.C.A. exists for most state law
compilations as well. Check with your law librarian for details.
Finally, U.S.C.A. is now available as a 2-disk CD-ROM.
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