Laws are passed by legislative bodies and are often referred to as statutes. The federal laws, as well as state laws, are compiled by subject into codes.
For other states start with the official state website and search for "statutes",or, if you would like assistance, contact the Library.
Legislatures often pass laws which require active enforcement. Agencies such as Department of Health and Human Services are given the power to create regulations to carry out the goal of the law. Federal regulations are compiled in the Code of Federal Regulations. Each state also has its own compilation of regulations.
What's a case?
For legal research "case" usually means the written decision/opinion of a judge or group of judges. These written decisions serve as authority or 'precedent', which is often binding and always important to subsequent decisions. The courts whose decisions are published are almost always appellate courts, not trial courts.
Many lower court decisions will not be available either in print or on the web; the record will only be available at the courthouse.
Click on the Case Law tab
If you have the citation to a case (ex: 347 U.S. 483):
In all other cases click on Search Fastcase:
NOTE: HeinOnline has research guides to help you navigate the database.