List of Online Legal Resources

=Constitution=

U.S. Constitution
National Archive (transcription) 

Note: This transcription of the Constitution is the official transcription from the National Archives.

=Statutes= Note: The United States Code is not available online as a PDF. For most citations to federal statutes, cite to the U.S. Code, which requires actually grabbing the book off the shelf and looking at it. Cite to session laws in only two situations: (1) where the law is so new that it does not appear in the U.S. Code, supplements, or West or Lexis annotated codes yet, or (2) where you are citing the historical fact of the passage of an act.

Federal session laws (Stat.)
GPO (2003–a couple years ago) > [enter session law citation] > Submit > [find session law in search results] > PDF

HeinOnline (1789–a few years ago) > HeinOnline > [log in] > Submit > U.S. Statutes at Large > [select volume] > [find session law] > [select page]

LexisNexis > [log in] > [enter citation as “XX Stat. XXX” or “XX PL XXX”] > Go > (PDF – XXXK)

SCOTUS Rules of evidence & procedure
Supreme Court 

=Cases=

(U.S.)
HeinOnline (1754–a few years ago) > HeinOnline > [log in] > Submit > U.S. Supreme Court Library > U.S. Reports {or U.S. Reports Preliminary Prints} > [select volume] > [find case] > [select page]

(S. Ct.)
Westlaw > [log in] > Go > [enter case citation] > Go > West Reporter Image (PDF)

Note: Cite to U.S. Reports rather than Supreme Court Reporter if possible, even if U.S. Reports is not available as a PDF yet. Make sure tofind the PDF that looks like the actual pages in the bound reporter, not the one that looks like the online version printed out. Not all cases are available in PDF this way.

Federal circuits (F.)
Westlaw > [log in] > Go > [enter case citation] > Go > West Reporter Image (PDF)

Note: Make sure to find the PDF that looks like the actual pages in the bound reporter, not the one that looks like the online version printed out. Not all cases are available in PDF this way.

Federal districts (F. Supp.)
Westlaw > [log in] > Go > [enter case citation] > Go > West Reporter Image (PDF)

Note: Make sure to find the PDF that looks like the actual pages in the bound reporter, not the one that looks like the online version printed out. Not all cases are available in PDF this way.

State courts (N.W., N.E., P., &c)
Westlaw > [log in] > Go > [enter case citation] > Go > West Reporter Image (PDF)

Note: Make sure to find the PDF that looks like the actual pages in the bound reporter, not the one that looks like the online version printed out. Not all cases are available in PDF this way.

=Case briefs and other docketed documents=

U.S. Supreme Court briefs
ABA (2003–present) > [select argument date] > [find case] > [select brief]

Findlaw (1999–present) > [select term] > [select case] > [find brief] > PDF

U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments
Supreme Court (2000–present) > [select docket number]