BC3 Library: Legal Research: Recommended Resources

Databases for Legal Research

Westlaw
Westlaw is an excellent legal research database that includes state and federal primary sources: statutes, codes, and case law. It also includes secondary sources from legal journals and legal encyclopedias.

U.S. Constitutional Law

The U.S. Constitution. FindLaw

U.S. Code

U.S. Code. Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School
U.S. Code. Office of the Law Revision Counsel. U.S. House of Representatives
Federal Statutes: A Beginner's Guide. Library of Congress.
U.S. Code FAQ and Glossary. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Courts

Supreme Court Landmarks. US. Courts. Federal Judiciary.
- Landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped history
United States Supreme Court. FIndLaw
- Featuring U.S. court decisions since 1976
- Searchable database to decisions dating back to 1760
U.S. Supreme Court
- multimedia archives including audio of oral arguments
- from the Oyez Project administered by Cornell University's Legal Information Institute, Justia, and the Illinois Institute of technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law
U.S. Federal Law. Justia Legal Resources
- Includes U.S. Federal Court Cases
- It’s a commercial site so a bit heavy on the advertisements, but it does include information on federal court cases as well as other legal information.

Pennsylvania Legal Research

Pennsylvania Legal Research. FindLaw
- Explore a wide collection of resources for Pennsylvania courts.
- Case-law - Pennsylvania state courts
Pennsylvania Law. FindLaw
- User-friendly summaries of Pennsylvania laws
- Citations or links to relevant sections of Pennsylvania's statutes
- Browse by topic
Pennsylvania Legislative History
- Charles Widger School of Law, Villanova University
Pennsylvania Statutes and Constitution. FIndLaw
Pennsylvania Law. Justia Legal Resources
- This is a commercial sites so a bit heavy on advertisements, but it does provide information on how each state enacts/passes laws.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Opinions and Postings. Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Free Sites for Legal Research: Pennsylvania
- Maintained by the Charles Widger School of Law, Villanova University

U.S. State Laws and Legal Research

U.S. State Codes and Statutes. FindLaw
- source of sate and federal court opinions, state laws, and the U.S. Code
- Learn About the Law - resources to help you understand your rights and legal issues
U.S. State Law. Justia Legal Resources
- Includes information on state laws and state court decisions
- It’s a commercial site so a bit heavy on the advertisements, but it does provide information on how each state enacts/passes laws which truly do differ from state to state.

Citing Legal Information

Legal References. APA Style. USC Libraries

Citing the U.S. Constitution. APA Style. Santa Fe College

Books

Use the BC3 Library Catalog to find print books.

BC3 Library Catalog
This catalog lists all of the books, DVDs, CDs, journals and other resources available at the BC3 Library on the Butler campus.

In a Nutshell Series
"In a Nutshell" is a series of quick reference books that help explain different legal topics. Examples include Criminal Law in a Nutshell, Immigration Law in a Nutshell, and Juvenile Justice in a Nutshell.

Use our ebook databases to find ebooks on legal topics.

EBook Central
Ebook Central is a collection of academic eBooks from leading publishers. It covers the arts, business, education, health & medicine, history, law, literature & language, religion & philosophy, science & technology and the social sciences.
EBook Collection
Collection of academic online books covering a wide range of subjects.
MIT Press Direct

Browsing the Stacks

Legal books are shelved in a few different areas. Browse the shelves using the following Dewey Decimal Numbers. You can also search the BC3 Library Catalog using these Dewey Decimal Numbers.

Tip

Use broad topics when searching for books, then look in the book's table of contents or index for a chapter on your topic.