Deciphering Legal Citations: Constitutional, Legislative, and Administrative Sources

United State Constitution

Constitution of the State of Alaska

U.S. Const. art. III, § 2, cl. 2.U.S. Const. amend. XIII, § 2.

<book/source>< article or amendment> <section><clause>

Alaska Const. art. I, § 19

<book/source>< article or amendment><section>

• GovInfo
• Cornell Legal Information Institute
• Westlaw and Hein Online at Court Law Library

• Alaska State Legislature Infobases
• Lt. Governor's Website
• Published in the Alaska Statutes.  See entry below.

United States Statutes at Large

U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News

Session Laws of Alaska

Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2005, P.L. 109–266, 120 Stat. 670 (2006)

<name of law><public law no.> <volume><book/source> <page> <year enacted>

Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2005, P.L. 109-266, 2006 U.S.C.C.A.N. (120 Stat. 670)

<name of law><public law no.>< book/source><citation to statute at large>

Variations: Public Law 109-266; Pub. L. No. 109-266

An Act Extending the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, 4 SLA 2007

 <name of law><chapter><book/source> <year enacted>

 Variation: § 1, ch. 4 SLA 2007

• GovInfo (1951+)
• Westlaw and Hein Online at Court Law Library (Hein includes all Statute at Large volumes, 1789+)

• Alaska State Legislature Infobases (1981+)
• Westlaw (1990+) and HeinOnline (1913+) at Court Law Library

United States Code

United States Code Annotated

United States Code Service

Alaska Statutes

16 U.S.C. § 718a (2006)

16 U.S.C.A. § 718a (2006)

16 U.S.C.S. § 718a (2006)

<title><book/source><section><year compiled>

AS 44.66.010(a)(5) (2008)

< book/source><title, chapter, and section><year compiled>

Variation:  Alaska Stat. § 44.66.010(a)(5) (2008)

• USC: GovInfo (1994+) 
• USCA: Westlaw at Court Law Library (1990 +)
• USC: Hein Online at Court Law Library (1925 +)

• Alaska State Legislature Infobases (1993+)
• Westlaw  at Court Law Library (includes annotations, 2007 +)

Federal Register 

Online Public Notice System

74 Fed. Reg. 14049 (Mar. 30, 2009)

 <Volume> <book/source> <page> <date of publication>

Variations:
      74 F.R. 14049
      Subsistence Management Regulations for Public
         Lands in Alaska—2009-10 and 2010-11 Subsistence
         Taking of Fish Regulations, 74 Fed. Reg. 14049
         (Mar. 30, 2009) (amending 36 C.F.R. pt. 242 and
         50 C.F.R. pt. 100)

Note: Alaska ceased publishing notices in print as of May 12, 2000.  Prior to May 12, 2000, notices were published in the Alaska Administrative Journal.

• GovInfo  (1936+)
• Westlaw and Hein Online at Court Law Library (Vol. 1,1936 +)

• Alaska Online Public Notices (May 12, 2000+)

Code of Federal Regulations

Alaska Administrative Code

29 C.F.R. § 553.11 (2006)

<title><book/source><part.section><year compiled>

22 AAC 05.010 (2007)

<title><book/source> <chapter.section> <year compiled>

Variation: Alaska Admin. Code tit. 22, §05.10 (2005)

Note: You may see references to “Registers.”  For example, Register 169, issued on April 2004, contains Title 22 (regulations of the Department of Corrections).  Registers 170 through 181 dated April 2007 supplement Register 169.

• GovInfo (1996+)
• Westlaw (1984 +) and Hein Online (1938 +) at Court Law Library

• Alaska State Legislature Infobases (current only)
• Westlaw at Court Law Library (2002+)

Federal Register (since 1936)

Code of Federal Regulations (each pub. of Title 3 contains orders & proclamations issued since last pub. of Title 3)

United States Statutes at Large (includes most proclamations, not orders, since 1791)

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1965 – Jan. 29, 2009)

Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents (Jan. 20, 2009 forward )

CIS Index  and Microfiche Set for Presidential Executive Orders and Proclamations (1789 – 1983)

Alaska Statutes, Volume 11 (for Executive Orders)

Note: Administrative Orders and Proclamations are not bound and published within a separate print publication.

Exec. Order No. 11,644, 72 Fed. Reg. 56165 (Oct. 2, 2007)

Exec. Order No. 11,644, 3 C.F.R., 2007 Comp., p 237 (2008)

<book/source><order no.><citation to publication in which order is published)

Variation: Exec. Order No. 11,644, 3 C.F.R. 237 (2008)

Executive Order No. 67, §1 (1987)

<book/source><order no.>< year issued>

• National Archives Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index (Some explanatory materials and links to Executive Orders from Clinton Presidency (1993+))
• National Archives Codification of Presidential Documents and Executive Orders (Apr 13, 1945 - Jan 20, 1989 (out of print)
• FDsys: Weekly and Daily Compilations of Presidential Documents  (1993+)
• See entries in this table for Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, and Statutes at Large

• Executive Orders: Alaska State Legislature Infobases and Online Public Notice System (see entry in this table above)
• Administrative Orders: Governor's website (for orders issued during the current administration) and Online Public Notice System (see entry in this table above)
• Proclamations: Governor's website (only current administration available)