9. Secondary Sources
Encyclopedias
Brief broad summaries of legal topics
WestLaw’s Corpus Juris Secundum
LexisNexus’s American Jurisprudence
Dictionaries
Defines legal terms
Black’s Law Dictionary
Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law
10. Case Method
Name of the case is known
U.S. vs. William Jefferson Clinton
Topic and Index Method
Subject of the case
Impeachment
11. Word and Phrase Method
Case is hinged on legal definitions
Perjury
Shepardizing
Tracing the judicial history
Latest decision on the case
12. Procedures
Read the case at least 3 times
Questions to keep in mind:
What are the facts?
What issues did the court consider?
How did the court resolve these issues?
13. “IRAC” Method
Issues
Facts, jurisdiction (federal or state),
Source of law (statutory, common, constitutional)
Rule
Statutes, regulations, precedents
Application
Identify, apply, arguments
Conclusion
Finding of the court and reasoning
14. Citing a Case
United States Code
Title - Subject Area – 50 Titles
Publication – Abbreviated (U.S.C.)
Section - Paragraph
15. Order to follow
Citation
Rule of Law – synopsis
Facts
Issues
Holdings (Yes or no to the elements of a crime)
Reasonings (The court’s rationale)
Conclusion (Decision of the court)
Dissent (Disagreeing judges)
17. Cornell University Law School’s Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu/
University of Washington School of Law
(http://lib.law.washington.edu/research/research.html)
Washburn University School of Law’s WashLaw (http://www.washlaw.edu/)
Duke University’s Duke Law
(http://law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/intresearch)
FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com/)
Legal.com (http://www.legal.com/legal-research)
18. The Executive Branch (2013). Our Government, Retrieved on June 29,
2013from http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/executive-branch
The U.S. Capitol (2013). Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc76.htm
The U.S. Supreme Court (2013). Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from
http://www.baucus.senate.gov/files/images/ToursSupremeCourt2.jpg
U.S. Constitution (2013). Retrieved on June 30, 2013 from
http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=3
U.S. District Court Map (2013). Retrieved on June 30, 2013 from
http://www.uscourts.gov/uscourts/images/CircuitMap.pdf