Advocacy

""Statute" is the term used for a law passed by the federal Congress or a state legislature." Christina L. Kunz et al., The Process of Legal Research 132 (8th ed. 2012). This page will help you locate sources for state and federal statutes in print and online. Generally, annotated statutes are more helpful when researching because they contain references to cases and other materials that interpret and explain the meaning and sources of the law. Remember, you can also Shepardize and KeyCite statutes to locate additional relevant resources.

The text of the Minnesota Constitution is published at the beginning of the Minnesota Statutes, as well as several online resources:

The official version of the Minnesota Statutes is published in print by the state every even numbered year, with pocket parts or free standing supplements published in odd numbered years.

Annotated Minnesota Statutes

Unofficial, annotated versions of the statutes are available in print from West Publishing, and on Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law. These annotated versions of the statutes will lead a researcher to cases and to other resources (law review articles, treatises, etc.) that will help explain the statutes and their application.

Annotated Court Rules can be found in the annotated statutes in print and online.

The text of the Constitution is published at the beginning of the United States Code, as well as several online resources:

The official version of the United States Code is available in print, and there are also several government websites that carry unofficial versions of the code:

Annotated Federal Statutes

Unofficial, annotated versions of the statutes are available in print from West Publishing, and on Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law. You may want to consult annotated versions of the statutes in order to more easily find cases and secondary sources interpreting the statutes.