Chapter 6: Secondary Authority--Periodicals, Restatements, Uniform Laws, Dictionaries, Legislative History, and other
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Legal periodicals publish articles on legal topics. Through these various publications, articles are available on literally every legal topic. The articles are usually authored by individuals who have expertise in the area, such as law professors and expert practioners in the field, or by law students who have conducted extensive research on a topic. The articles are valuable for their depth of research; citation to numerous primary and secondary sources; and in-depth analysis of current legal issues, recently emerging areas of the law, or special topics." (p. 193)
"[U]sed when seeking an analysis and critique of a specific legal topic that is more in-depth or narrower in focus than that provided by a legal encyclopedia or treatise." (p. 193)
Milner law article databases:
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"[D]efin[es] what the law is for basic legal subjects....Restatements are the product of highly competent scholars in each area of law and are a highly respected and valuable research tool. Due to the authoritativeness of the Restatements, they are frequently cited by the courts and often accorded a recognition greater than that accorded to treatises." (p. 199)
- unavailable
online
- available in Nexis Uni
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Model acts are drafted for those situations where a state does not intend to adopt an entire law, but rather intends to modify a uniform law to meet the state's requirement." (p. 204)
An example of a model code, specifically mentioned in the texbook, is listed below.
Model Penal Code
print edition:
- call number: KF9219 .A74 - located on floor 4
online edition:
- unavailable
Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Legal dictionaries provide the spelling, pronunciation, and legal meaning assigned to terms used in the law." (p. 206)
"Words and Phrases is a multivolume set...that provides the judicial definition of words and phrases. It includes only terms that have been defined in federal and state court opinions." (p. 207)
Black's Law Dictionary
print edition:
- call number: KF156.B53 - most recent edition in the reference collection on floor 2; older editions available for checkout on floor 4
online edition:
- available in Westlaw
Merriam-Webster's Law Dictionary
print edition:
- unavailable
online edition:
Words and Phrases
print edition:
- unavailable
online edition:
- available in Westlaw
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Legislative history is the record of the legislation during the enactment process before it became law. It is composed of committee reports, transcripts of hearings, statements of legislators concerning the legislation, and other material published for legislative use in regard to the legislation. It is a secondary authority source sometimes related on by the courts when interpreting laws." (p. 208)
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (U.S.C.C.A.N.)
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition by William H. Putnam,
"The USSCAN service publishes the texts of federal statutes and committee reports....West publishes an edition for each session of Congress in monthly pamphlets that are subsequently assembled in bound volumes....Although USSCAN does not publish all committee reports, it is a good source for committee and conference report references and an overview of the legislative history of the law." (p. 210)
print edition:
- call number: KF48: 90th Congress, 2nd session (1968) to the 114th Congress, 1st session (2015) - available for request from North Storage
online edition:
- unavailable
Congressional Record (Cong. Rec.)
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition by William H. Putnam,
"The Congressional Record is a record of the debates on the floor of the Senate and House. This record is useful if you are interested in reviewing the floor debates on a bill." (p. 210)
print edition:
- call number: X 1.1 - located in the Government Documents collection on floor 4
online edition:
- governmental versions: Congress.gov | Government Publishing Office
- non-governmental version (HeinOnline)
Other useful legislative history resources that are not mentioned in the LGS 203/204 textbook:
HeinOnline's U.S. Federal Legislative History Library
"All compilations for major laws are included in the database with the following exceptions: appropriations measures; ceremonial matters; laws that extend the life of an agency or authority; and laws that affect small numbers of persons or specific regions of the country. The sources for these compilations include congressional documents, legal periodicals, treatises and looseleaf services."
Westlaw's Legislative History - United States Code
"All congressional committee reports, including reports on bills that did not become law, beginning with 1990. Also sets out the legislative history of public laws as reprinted in U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) from 1948 through 1989, as well as the legislative history of securities laws beginning with 1933 and presidential signing statements reprinted in USCCAN beginning with 1986."
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Legislative history is the record of the legislation during the enactment process before it became law. It is composed of committee reports, transcripts of hearings, statements of legislators concerning the legislation, and other material published for legislative use in regard to the legislation. It is a secondary authority source sometimes related on by the courts when interpreting laws." (p. 208)
The Illinois General Assembly's Legislative Reference Bureau offers a helpful (and frequently updated) Researching Legislative History online guide.
Northwestern University Law's Pritzker Legal Research Center also has a helpful Illinois Legislative History Sources online guide.
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"Most states adopt uniform or model jury instructions for the courts to follow when instructing the jury." (p. 215)
- unavailable
online
- State of Illinois: Illinois Courts
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"There are many types of single-volume and multivolume texts designed to assist practioners. They range from form books to texts that provide detailed litigation guides and strategy." (p. 215)
Illinois Practice Series
print - KFI 1280.I4 on floor 4 | also available in Westlaw
- Business Organizations, 2d (Vols. 7 and 8)
- Civil Discovery, 2d (Vol. 10)
- Civil Litigation Guide (Vol. 4A)
- Civil Procedure Before Trial, 2d (Vols. 3 and 4)
- Civil Trial Procedure, 2d (Vol. 9)
- Courtroom Handbook on Illinois Evidence (Vol. 11)
- Criminal Practice and Procedure, 2d (Vols. 5-6A)
- Estate Planning and Administration in Illinois, 4th (Vol. 17-20)
- Illinois Automobile Insurance Law (Vol. 23)
- Illinois Construction Law Manual (Vol. 24)
- Illinois DUI Law and Practice Guidebook (Vol. 25)
- The Illinois Practice of Family Law (Vol. 12 & 13)
- Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law (Vol. 27)
- The Law of Medical Practice in Illinois, 3d (Vol. 21-22)
- Real Estate, 3d (Vols. 14-16)
- Summary Judgment and Related Termination Motions (Vol. 26)
- Uniform Commercial Code Forms Annotated, 2d (Vols. 1 and 2)
- Uniform Commercial Code with Illinois Code Comments (Vol. 2A and 2B)
- General Index
Trial Handbook for Illinois Lawyers
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"There are many types of single-volume and multivolume texts designed to assist practioners. They range from form books to texts that provide detailed litigation guides and strategy." (p. 215)
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
According to Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 4th edition:
"The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory...is a comprehensive directory of attorneys. The multivolume set, arranged alphabetically by state, provides the names of attorneys and biographical information, such as date of admission to the bar, law school attended, and publications....Included with the law directory set is a Martindale-Hubbell Law Digest, which contains brief summaries of some (but not all) of the laws of the states and many foreign countries. The set also includes some uniform laws and model acts and the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct." (p. 218)
print edition:
- unavailable
online edition:
- available in Nexis Uni
- available at Martindale.com
