Legal System & Laws
Understanding and applying laws and legal precedents in the legal system of the United States is key to the American Criminal Justice system, and many criminal justice topics will rely on information about Legal systems. The following resources can help you understand Legal Systems from a broad perspective. Be aware of your geographic focus and seek out resources that match. These resources can help you narrow your topic, learn about the language used to describe topics, and get you up to speed on the major advancements in this field.
Introduction to International Criminal Law by Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9789004186446Publication Date: 2012-11-09
The Writing and Ratification of the U. S. Constitution by Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9781442217683Publication Date: 2012-07-13
Human Rights Standards by Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9781438459394Publication Date: 2016-03-01
The Expressive Powers of Law This link opens in a new window by Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9780674046924Publication Date: 2015-02-09
Legal System & Law Databases
Research in U.S. Legal System & Laws utilizes core Criminal Justice resources and legal and political science resources. You may find it helpful to search the following databases for your research.
- HeinOnline Legal Databases This link opens in a new windowCore collection of current and historical law and law-related periodicals, classic books and reports. Includes government and political documents, such as World Constitutions, US Congressional Documents, the Federal Register and much more. Includes the HeinOnline Slavery in America and the World Collection (found within the UNC Press Law collection).
- Legal Periodicals and Books - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowLegal information in scholarly articles, symposia, jurisdictional surveys, court decisions, legislation, and books.
Case Law & State Statutes
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowNexis Uni provides full-text access to over 15,000 news, business, and legal sources. News coverage includes deep archives and the latest stories. Use the Company Dossier module to retrieve detailed company information and financial performance measures. The Company Dossier module also allows you to identify and compare companies matching specific criteria. This product also provides access to the renowned Shepard's Citations service for all federal and state court cases 1789-present. Nexis Uni is the new platform to replace LexisNexis Academic, which has been phased out by the vendor.
Case Law in Nexis Uni
Please see the FAQ: How do I search for legal cases on a specific topic? For example, how do I find New Hampshire legal cases about breach of contract? for more information.
State Statutes in Nexis Uni
Please the FAQ: How do I find state law or statutes about a specific topic online? For example, I’m trying to find New Hampshire statutes regarding “mental illness.” for more information.
U.S. Court System & Laws
- Library of Congress: Guide to Law Online This link opens in a new windowThis is an annotated guide to legal information online created by the Law Library of Congress Public Services Division. This portal provides information on the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branches for the U.S.International legal information is also provided.
- Library of Congress: U.S. States & Territories This link opens in a new windowIncludes executive, judicial and legislative information for each U.S. state and territory.
- Library of Congress: Legal Research Guides This link opens in a new windowProvides information on how to conduct legal research. Guide topics include: Administrative Law Guide, Beginner's Guides, Federal Legislative History, Foreign and International Law, Federal Statutes, Secondary Legal Resources, and Researching Judicial Decisions.
- USA.gov This link opens in a new windowThis is the premier search engine for retrieving information from all the web sites of the U.S. federal government. Provides links to government sites such as U.S Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Labor Statics.
- Congress.gov This link opens in a new windowProvides detailed U.S. legislative information including bills, amendments, public laws, committee reports, and floor debates. This site is hosted by the Library of Congress. This site will completely replace THOMAS