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First Year Focus on Research: Primary Sources

Information about resources available in the MLIC

Types of Primary Sources

  • The U.S. Constitution
  • State Constitutions
  • Federal Statutes
  • State Statutes
  • Cases decided by courts both federal and state
  • Administrative Rules and Regulations

Primary Sources

Primary Sources: Most legal resources can be either be classified as primary or secondary.  Primary materials, very simply put, are "the law".  Primary materials include Constitutions, statutes enacted by a state legislature or Congress, opinions written by a court in a case, city ordinances, and other types of law you'll find out about through the semester.

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