LibGuides: Government Resources: Federal

Federal Resources

The following section is not meant to be a comprehensive list for locating all information issued by the United States government, but rather a starting point that includes a number of important resources to help law library patrons find information especially as it pertains to legal research. Resources are organized by documents issued through the three main branches of the federal government: Executive (President and Federal agencies), Legislative (Congress), and Judicial (courts).

Jump to: Executive Branch Resources | Legislative Branch Resources | Judicial Branch Resources

Executive Branch Resources (President and Federal agencies)

Resource	Where to locate
White House website	The White House (current administration) Archived Presidential White House websites (1994-2021)
Proclamations	Federal Register (1994-Present) Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1992-Present) Presidential Actions (current administration, 2021-)
Executive Orders	Federal Register (1937-Present) Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1992-Present) Presidential Actions (current administration, 2021-)
Nominations	Congress.gov (search form can locate presidential nominations from 1981 (97th Congress)-present
Public Papers of the President	GovInfo: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Herbert Hoover - Barack Obama) Print version: San Diego Law Library, 3rd floor stacks at J80.A283 (Herbert Hoover - Barack Obama)
Public Messages	Compilation of Presidential Documents (1992-present) Statements and Releases (current administration, 2021-)
Messages to Congress	American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara (George Washington - current)
Budget	Budget of the United States Government (fiscal year 1996-current) Economic Report of the President (2010-present) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) documents (current administration) Congressional Budget Office (CBO): analysis of the President's Budget
Foreign Relations Documents	Department of State Historic Foreign Relations Documents (Abraham Lincoln through William J. Clinton) Department of State Central Files (1789-1979)
Treaties & Agreements	Treaties in Force (2020 with 2021-2023 supplements) Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) (1981-2023) U.S. Treaties and Agreements Library through HeinOnline (subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers) Treaties and other international acts of the United States of America (1776-1873), San Diego Law Library, 3rd floor stacks at JX236 1931 .A5
Proposed & Final Regulations	Proposed regulations open for comment at Reglutions.gov Federal Register - official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other (1936-current)
Codified Regulations	Code of Federal Regulations (Annual Edition, 1996-2023) Code of Federal Regulations (1938-2023) through HeinOnline (subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers)
U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals	U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals Library through HeinOnline (subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers)
Federal Agency Reports to Congress	GovInfo: Congressionally Mandated Reports
Federal Agency Directory	A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies

Legislative Branch Resources (Congress: House of Representatives & Senate)

Resource	Where to find
Congressional Record	GovInfo: Congressional Record (1994-current) Congressional Record and earlier publications through HeinOnline (1774-current); HeinOnline is a subscription database available to the public at SDLL or remotely to borrowers
Congressional Hearings	GovInfo: Congressional Hearings (79th Congress, 1945/46 through current session) Congressional Hearings through HeinOnline (31st Congress, 1849/51 through current); HeinOnline is a subscription database available to the public at SDLL or remotely to borrowers House Committee Hearings and Meetings Video (current session) Senate Hearings and Meetings (current session)
Committee Reports	GovInfo: Congressional Reports (17th Congress, 1821/22 through current)
Committee Prints	GovInfo: Congressional Committee Prints (84th Congress, 1955/56 through current) Committee Prints through HeinOnline (39th Congress, 1865/67 through current); HeinOnline is a subscription database available to the public at SDLL or remotely to borrowers
Congressional Research Service Reports	Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service Reports through HeinOnline (subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers)
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Reports	CBO Publications Analysis and reports through HeinOnline (subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers)
Roll Call Votes	Roll Call Votes by the U.S. Congress (101st Congress, 1989/90-current)
Bill Summaries & Status	Bills and Resolutions in Congress Congress.gov Legislation
Congressional Bills (full-text)	GovInfo: Congressional Bills (103rd Congress, 1994/95-Current)
Statutes at Large: Public Laws	82nd Congress (1951/52)-Current
Statutes at Large: Private Laws	82nd Congress (1951/52)-Current
Statutes at Large (all laws)	GovInfo: Statutes at Large (82nd Congress, 1951/52-115th Congress, 2017/18) Statutes at Large v. 1 (1789) - v. 131 (2017) through HeinOnline; HeinOnline is a subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers
United States Code	GovInfo: Unites States Code (1994-2022) United States Code through HeinOnline (1925/26-2018); HeinOnline is a subscription database available to the public at SDLL and remotely to borrowers
Constitution Annotated	Constitution Annotated: Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution
Directory	Directory of Representatives (House) Senate Directory

Judicial Branch Resources (Federal courts)

Resource	Where to locate
Supreme Court Docket (pending & decided cases)	Docket search
Supreme Court Oral Arguments	Transcripts (1968-Current) Audio recordings (2010-Current) OYEZ.org: selected sound recordings of oral arguments (October 1955-Current)
Supreme Court Slip Opinions	Slip opinions (2017-Current); opinions prior to 2017 are published in United States Reports
Supreme Court Case Reports	United States Reports (1991-2017) Findlaw: Supreme Court Cases by Year (1760-Current)
Federal Court of Appeals decisions	United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: Opinions & Orders Findlaw: United States Federal Circuit Cases (1983-current) GovInfo: United States Courts Opinions
District, Bankruptcy, and other National Court Opinions	GovInfo: United States Courts Opinions
Supreme Court and other Federal Court Briefs	Briefs available through Westlaw (subscription database available to the public at SDLL) "Briefs contain selected briefs from the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, U.S. Tax Court, 51 state courts and the District of Columbia. Selected Petitions for Writ of Certiorari are also included."
Federal Court Directory	Federal Court Finder

San Diego Law Library

The San Diego Law Library is San Diego's access point to legal information, resources, and referrals to help you. For hours and partner locations you can find more information on the Contact Us Page, or you can reach out to us at refdesk@sdlawlibrary.org or 619-531-3900.