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Statutes
Black's Law Dictionarydefines the word statute as "a law passed by a legislative body; specifically, legislation enacted by any lawmaking body, including legislatures, administrative boards, and municipal courts."
U.S. Federal statutes are published in 3 iterations:
- Slip laws : the initial publication of newly-enacted laws
Slip laws are published individually before being incorporated into the U.S. Statutes at Large. - Session laws : the chronological compilation of laws enacted during a congressional session
Session laws are published in the U.S. Statutes at Large. - Statutory Codes : the currently-enforced law arranged by topic
Statutory Codes are published in the U.S. Code and are arranged by topics, called Titles.
U.S. Federal statutes are divided into:
- Public laws: "The body of law dealing with the relations between private individuals and the government, and with the structure and operation of the government itself.” [Black’s Law Dictionary]
- Private laws: "The body of law dealing with private persons and their property and relationships.” [Black’s Law Dictionary] (for example: appealing an executive ruling such as deportation)
- Congressional This link opens in a new windowFind the U.S. Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code from 1789 to the present. Search by keyword or by citation.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowFind the U.S. Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code 1789 to the present. Search by keyword. Laws are in PDF format.
- Public and Private LawsWhile this is not the Statutes at Large, this database contains the individual laws as passed by Congress and also provides the U.S. Statutes at Large citation.
- Statutes at Large [Library of Congress]Find the U.S. Statutes at Large online back to the 1st Congress (1789-1791).
- Table III Tool [CURRENT THROUGH 117-57 (November 12, 2021)]Statutes at Large Volumes. Provided by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives.
- United States Code [online]Provided by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives.
In print in the Libraries:
- United States Statutes at LargeSlip laws will be found [arranged numerically by Public Law number] after the last bound Statutes at Large volume.
- United States CodeWhen using the print, remember to check the Supplement volumes to find amendments or other changes to the Code Title you are researching.
Citation
Public Law number
Follows the pattern:
P.L. [Congress number] - [Act number]
P.L. 110-84 is the 84th Public Law passed by the 110th Congress.
U.S. Statutes at Large
Follows the pattern:
[volume number] STAT. [page number]
121 STAT. 784: Find the text of P.L. 110-84 as it was passed on page 784 of volume 121 of the U.S. Statutes at Large.
U.S. Code
Follows the pattern:
[title number] USC [section number]
20 USC 1015a points to Section 1015a of Title 20 of the United States Code.
You may also see the U.S. Code citation with punctuation, as in 42 U.S.C. §1396. The § is the symbol for the word section.
The U.S. Code is the official publication of laws currently in force. It is published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
Another common U.S. Code citation is U.S.C.A. (or USCA), as in 42 U.S.C.A. §1396. This abbreviation stands for United States Code Annotated.
Similarly, U.S.C.S. (or USCS) stands for United States Code Service.
Both the USCA and USCS are commercially published. Though not official government publications, both publish the U.S. Code with updates and annotations helpful to researchers.