Type of Source* |
Kind
of Law* |
Arrangement* |
Objective |
Tool |
Explanation |
Primary*
|
Case
Law*
|
Chronological
(Reporters)* |
Checking Status
|
Shepard's citators, LEXIS
Shepards (updated daily), Westlaw Keycite |
Check for status (overruled,
reversed, distinguished, criticized, explained, etc.). Track all
subsequent citations including law reviews (Shepards). Treatment
dictated by editorial review (Shepards). Ties in to West Key Numbers
(Shepards by headnote). |
LEXIS Auto-cite |
Check citation validity,
bluebook and status (including other jurisdictions and ALR).
Gives subsequent cases which may weaken precedential value and prior cases
negatively impacted by the case in question. |
Finding Similar
Cases
and Interpreting Correctly
|
LEXIS
"More
Like", "More Like Selected Text", "More Like Core Cites" |
Retrieves
cases with the same core terms (based on Natural Language searching), terms
in a selected passage of text, or same citation pattern. |
West and Westlaw's Key
Number System |
Identify the West Key
Number in a case and find similar cases in the appropriate jurisdictions. |
LEXIS LEXCITE |
Expansive search tool which
checks for references in other cases, code, ALR, law reviews, Federal
Register, etc. |
Encyclopedias (Illinois
Jurisprudence, Corpus
Juris Secundum and Am
Jur 2d), ALR,
looseleafs, treatises |
Use "Table
of Cases" to review secondary sources to make sure interpretation and
understanding of the case and its significance is correct. Looseleafs
often have a volume of current cases and rulings or advance sheets. |
Topical
(Digests)* |
Checking
Status
|
Pocket parts and supplements |
Check for updates. |
Statutory
Law*
|
Chronological
(Session Laws & Bills)*
|
Checking
Status
|
Advance sheets, legislative
services, and daily legal news services, USCCAN
supplement |
Check for new session laws
(often by Public Law no.). |
Shepard's citators, LEXIS
Shepards (updated daily), Westlaw Keycite |
Check for status (treatment
by courts and subsequent legislation). Also includes citation in
attorney general opinions, law review articles and administrative decisions.
Note that codified version is usually cited and should be Shepardized,
and that you need to check for renumbering of code sections. |
Thomas Legislative Information
(thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html),
Illinois General Assembly site (www.legis.state.il.us/
),
LEXIS (e.g., LEGIS;BLTRCK and LEGIS;AALALS files) and Westlaw (e.g.,
BILLTRK) |
Use to check the status
of bills and legislation. |
Topical
(Code)* |
Checking Status
|
Pocket parts and supplements |
Check for updates. |
Legislative
service |
Check
"Table
of Code Sections Added, Amended, Repealed or Otherwise Affected."
The Office of Law Revision Council publishes a "list of code sections affected"
at uscode.house.gov/uscct.htm. |
Shepard's citators, LEXIS
Shepards (updated daily), Westlaw Keycite |
Check for status (treatment
by courts and subsequent legislation). Also includes citation in
attorney general opinions, law review articles and administrative decisions.
Need to use codified version and check for renumbering. |
Finding Similar
Statutes
and Interpreting Correctly
|
Annotations |
Check annotations to learn
treatment and interpretation in the courts. |
LEXIS LEXCITE |
Expansive search tool which
checks for references in other cases, code, ALR, law reviews, Federal
Register, etc. |
LEXIS "More
Like", "More Like Selected Text", "More Like Core Cites" |
Retrieves code sections
(in the same or other jurisdictions) and other materials with the same
core terms (based on Natural Language searching) or terms in a selected
passage of text. |
Uniform
Laws Annotated, United
States Uniform Laws on the Web |
Compare
uniform and model acts in other jurisdictions, and annotations. |
Encyclopedias (Illinois
Jurisprudence, Corpus
Juris Secundum and Am
Jur 2d), ALR,
news letters, looseleafs, treatises |
Use "Table
of Statutes" or other finding aide to review secondary sources to make
sure interpretation and understanding of the statute and its significance
is correct. Looseleafs often have a volume of current cases and rulings
or advance sheets. |
Administrative
Law*
|
Chronological
(Register)*
|
Checking Status
|
Supplement to the Code
of Federal Regulations Index |
Check "CFR Section Number
Index" for sections of the CFR amended, repealed, affected, etc.
by new regs in the Register. You cannot check status of Federal Register
entry except by finding the corresponding CFR number (if any) and using
the LSA (see below under "Topical Code"), or by doing
a LEXIS or Westlaw search (after June 1980 only) for subsequent citations
to the original register entry. |
Interpreting Correctly
|
LEXIS
LEXCITE |
Expansive
search tool which checks for references in other cases, code, ALR,
law reviews, federal register, etc. |
Encyclopedias (Illinois
Jurisprudence, Corpus
Juris Secundum and Am
Jur 2d), ALR,
news letters, looseleafs,
treatises |
Use "Table of Regulations"
or other finding aide to review secondary sources to make sure interpretation
and understanding of the regulations and its significance is correct.
Looseleafs often have a volume of current cases and rulings or advance
sheets. |
Topical
(Code)* |
Checking Status
|
Code of Federal Regulations
List
of CFR Sections Affected
(LSA), National Archives LSA site (www.access.gpo.gov/nara/lsa/aboutlsa.html) |
Check for for sections of
the CFR
amended, repealed, affected etc. |
Shepard's Code of Federal
Regulations Citations, LEXIS Shepards (updated daily), Westlaw Keycite |
Check for status (treatment
by courts). Also includes citation in law review articles and ALR. |
Interpreting Correctly
|
LEXIS LEXCITE |
Expansive search tool which
checks for references in other cases, code, ALR, law reviews, federal
register, etc. |
Encyclopedias (Illinois
Jurisprudence, Corpus
Juris Secundumand Am
Jur
2d), ALR, news letters, looseleafs, treatises |
Use "Table of Regulations"
or other finding aide to review secondary sources to make sure interpretation
and understanding of the regulations and its significance is correct.
Looseleafs often have a volume of current cases and rulings or advance
sheets. |
Secondary*
|
Checking Status
|
Pocket parts and supplement
of Am
Jur 2d,
Corpus
Juris Secundum, Illinois
Jurisprudence, treatises and hornbooks, restatements |
Check for updates. |
Finding Similar
Materials
|
LEXIS "More
Like", "More Like Selected Text", "More Like Core Cites", LegalTrac
(Subscription UIUC Database) |
Retrieves journal articles
and other secondary materials with the same core terms (based on Natural
Language searching) or terms in a selected passage of text. |
Shepard's
Law Review Citations |
Check
for status (treatment by courts since 1957) and other law review articles
since 1986). |
Combined*
|
Checking Status
|
Looseleafs |
Updated by mail inserts
(check date on pages). Also often include current cases and rulings
volume and newsletters. |