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English 102
Researching Unjust Laws

Secondary Sources | General Sources | Other Sources | Legal Sources | Help

Translating a topic into the legal terminology used in state and Federal laws can be a challenge. Example: Statutory rape is more likely to be referred to in statutes as sexual contact and sexual intercourse with someone who has not attained a particular age.

Secondary Sources

Start with these, making note of information about specific laws (statutes, codes, etc.) to look up later. This may be the "popular name" of a law, such as Patriot Act or Brady Act, or specific citations such as 115 Stat. 224, P.L. 107-40, or 50 USC §1801. These secondary sources are more likely to use terms that readily come to mind, and they may help you translate your topic into appropriate legal terminology.
  • Google Advanced Search
    Focus your Google search to get authoritative government sources, as there is a good chance they will cite specific law(s). Limit results to the domain .gov. If you are looking for state law use wisconsin.gov. You can do this using the regular Google search box too, e.g.,
    • "statutory rape" site:.wisconsin.gov (put an exact phrase in quotation marks)
    • abortion minors site:.gov
  • CQ Electronic Library - UWW access only
    This is actually a group of databases for researching American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs.
    • Searching: The search box is on the left. Put exact phrases in ""
    • Search results will be a mixture of analysis and commentary on the law and primary sources such as Congressional committee hearings. Each one has a graphic under the "Type" column to tell you what type of resource it is (click on the graphic to see the explanations of what they are)--on the left you can limit to just one type, such as legislative information. Again, pay attention to any names or citations to the laws you will be looking up later. When you get search results, you may want to click on the down arrown under "Date" (to put the newest results first).
    • Citing: If you use material from this database, it can help you with your citations, but you need to proofread them and you may need to reformat them if you use them. While viewing a document, click on "CiteNow" under the navy header. It defaults to APA Style, but can be switched to MLA Style.

General Sources

For many topics there may be resources in the standard, multidisciplinary sources.

Other Sources

For certain topics, other databases may be appropriate.

Legal Sources

When you are ready to look up the statutes, use either the free sites or the subscription sites for statutes (links below are from the Library's Law Resources web page.

Help

Help is available!
The Reference Librarians are available to assist you (Monday-Thursday 8am-10pm, Friday 8am-5pm, Saturday 1-5pm and Sunday 1-5 & 6-10pm). Come in, call (262)472-1032, or contact Barbara Bren, the librarian who works with legal resources and government documents most often, (available at the Reference Desk most Thursdays 6-10pm or by appointment--call (262)472-5521 or email brenb@uww.edu).

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Last Revised: BB - 10/11/2007