Law journals typically require their members to find print versions of materials when sourcing the citations of a work. This guide is here to help you find copies of those print sources.
If you are still struggling to find a source, feel free to reach out to a reference librarian or, if you’re clear on what you are looking for, you can submit an interlibrary loan request and we will try to get you a copy.
HeinOnline is the most comprehensive database of law journal articles, and most (if not all) of the articles are copies of the print version. Sometimes, especially with newer articles, HeinOnline may not have a particular article. In that case, many law journals post copies of their published articles directly on their website or in a linked repository, so it may be worth while to look for the journal's website.
You have access to many different resources through UH libraries; you can use UH Library Catalog Article Search to find articles in myriad journals. Google Scholar has more complete listings of broad swaths of the scholarly universe, often with links to print publication versions. Some of the listed resources are only citations, but you can link the UH library catalog to your Google account to get direct links to many articles that you have access to as a student of the University of Houston.
Cases on Westlaw & Lexis often have links to PDF versions of opinions. For prominent and historical opinions, HeinOnline has some PDF copies of the US Reports, English cases, and some other international legal materials.
You can often find PDF copies of court documents by finding the relevant court opinion and opening the “Filings” tab Westlaw & Lexis. If that doesn't work, the Court Listener’s RECAP project collects court filings that individuals acquire from the official federal docket platform, PACER, though its collection is scant. Finally, Bloomberg Law’s docket search allows you to request docket filings for most federal cases as well as some state court cases. It even has a page where you can check whether Bloomberg Law captures a particular jurisdiction’s dockets. But there is a limit to the amount of documents you can acquire from Bloomberg, so use sparingly.
Govinfo.gov has certified US Codes going back to 1994. For earlier editions, HeinOnline has each USC print edition going back to 1925. It also contains compilations of historical federal statutes from before the USC existed.
ProQuest Congressional is a collection of congressional documents spanning back to 1789 and ProQuest Legislative Insight hosts legislative histories of a broad swath of US statutes.
Govinfo.gov is a free resource that provides congressional committee materials, congressional rules and procedures, proceedings of congress, and other general congressional publications.
HeinOnline’s Federal Legislative History Library has collections of legislative histories for many of the most significant laws, and are organized by public law number and the popular names of legislation.
For current and recent documents, eCFR.gov links to certified copies of the published editions of codified regulations, and Federalregister.gov has certified copies of the published editions of proposed and enacted rules, as well as other things you find in the federal register like executive orders and presidential proclamations.
For older regulatory documents, Govinfo.gov has the Federal Register going back to 1936 and the CFR going back to 1996, and HeinOnline has the Code of Federal Regulations going back to 1938.
The law librarians of UHLC have hand selected the most commonly relied upon federal, national, and Texas state treatises and practice aids, located on the fourth floor. You can also access some additional resources by visiting the Harris County Public Law Library downtown, but search the Harris County Public Law Library catalog first to make sure they have what you’re looking for. The Texas State Law Library also has a selection of digitized legal resources and may have just what you’re looking for.
Search the UH catalog for the book you are looking for. If there’s a copy in the UHLC library, you can check it out at the circulation desk on the 4th floor. If it is available at one of the UH libraries, you can request that it be sent to the Law Library’s circulation desk to pick up at your convenience.
As a UH student and a resident of Houston, you also have access to the Houston Public Library’s and Harris County Public Library’s resources.
Because each state does its own thing, you will need to find guidance for any state you need to pull from. We recommend two resources.
International and foreign law is even more complicated than state law, though we recommend two sources to help understand and find resources