Internet Legal Resources

Updated Jan. 28, 2010.

The following websites provide legal information and materials (including laws, bills, court opinions, and related documents) and/or links to legal material. Most of these sites are freely available to all users with Internet access. Some sites are UW Restricted, that is, available to University of Washington faculty, students, and staff and visitors to UW Libraries. This list does not include material that is available on LexisNexis and Westlaw.

For information on how to conduct various types of legal research, consult a reference librarian or read a legal research guide. You might also find it useful to read How to Research a Legal Problem: A Guide for Non-Lawyers.

 Washington State Legal Resources

Best Sites

• Washington Legislature's Advanced Search: bills, bill reports, ethics opinions, House and Senate journals, the Revised Code of Washington, the Washington Administrative Code, and the Washington State Register; searchable, coverage varies.
• LegalWA.org: Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions, the Revised Code of Washington, the Washington Administrative Code, and numerous Washington city and county codes and ordinances; sponsored by the Municipal Research & Services Center, the Washington State Bar Association, and the Washington State Office of the Code Reviser.
• LexisNexis Academic: constitution, laws, court opinions and orders, and attorney general opinions; searchable. UW Restricted
• Access Washington: Washington State government portal.

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Washington Laws, Legislation & the Legislature

Washington Legislature's website

Washington State Constitution

• Constitution from the Legislature
• Constitution from Legislature's Advanced Search page: searchable, current
• LexisNexis Academic: Legal > Federal & State Codes > State Codes, Constitutions . . . . ; searchable. UW Restricted

Bills: Legislation under Consideration

• bills from the Legislature: searchable, from the current and last 2 biennia
• bills from the Legislature's Advanced Search > Previous Bienniums: searchable, from 1985
• bill summaries from the Legislature: searchable, from 1991

Legislative History Material

• bill reports from the Legislature's Advanced Search > Previous Bienniums: searchable, from 1987
• House and Senate journals from the Legislature's Advanced Search > Other Textbases > Journals: searchable, from 1993
• detailed legislative reports from the Legislature: summaries, text, tracking, reports, roll call votes, and other information, coverage varies

See also the Gallagher guide on Washington State Legislative History.

Session Laws: Enacted Legislation

• Session laws from the Office of the Code Reviser; from 1997
• Territorial laws, 1854-62, requires a special viewer (free download)
• Index to the laws, memorials and resolutions passed by the Washington Territorial Legislature, 1853-87

Initiatives & Referenda

• initiatives and referenda from the Secretary of State: from 1996
• lists of initiatives to the people and initiatives to the Legislature filed with the Secretary of State: from 1914
• initiatives and referenda from the Legislature's Advanced Search > Previous Bienniums: searchable, from 1991

Revised Code of Washington: Laws in force arranged by subject

• RCW from the Legislature: arranged by RCW title number
• RCW from the Legislature's Advanced Search > RCW & Dispositions: searchable, current
• RCW on LegalWA: searchable, current
• LexisNexis Academic: Legal > Federal & State Codes > State Codes, Constitutions . . . . ; searchable. UW Restricted

Legislative Rules

• House Rules
• Senate Rules
• Reed's Parliamentary Rules

• advisory and complaint opinions from the Board: arranged by type then by date, from 1995
• opinions from the Legislature's Advanced Search > Other Textbases > Ethics: searchable, from 1995

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Washington Court Opinions, Court Rules, Other Judicial Materials & the Courts

Opinions from the Supreme Court & Court of Appeals

• opinions from LegalWA.org: searchable, from 1854 (Supreme Court) and 1969 (Court of Appeals)
• opinions from the Courts: searchable by date and keyword, last 90 days
• opinions from Findlaw: searchable by party name and docket number, from Dec. 1998
• LexisNexis Academic: Legal > Federal & State Cases; searchable. UW Restricted
• opinions from lexisONE: searchable by keyword, last five years. Registration required.

Court Rules

• rules from the Courts: state and local rules, searchable, current
• LexisNexis Academic: Legal > Federal & State Codes > State Codes, Constitutions . . . . ; searchable. UW Restricted
• rules, forms, and dockets from LLRX: links to information for federal and state courts
• Style Sheet from the Office of the Reporter of Decisions, current as of Sept. 20, 2005.

Court Forms

• forms from the Courts: child support, domestic relations, domestic violence, and felony judgment and sentencing, with instructions; current
• King County Superior Court forms
• Pierce County Superior Court forms

• Judicial discipline database: searchable by name, type of disciplinary action, county, court, and date; from Dec. 1980
• public actions: arranged by year;  from Oct. 1982

Court Briefs, see the Gallagher guide on Court Briefs & Oral Arguments

Judicial ethics opinions from the Ethics Advisory Committee: searchable, from 1984

Court Websites

• Washington State Courts
• King County Superior Court
• King County District Court
• Seattle Municipal Court
• Other Superior, Juvenile, District & Municipal Courts: arranged by city or county, searchable
• Tribal courts

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Washington Rules, Regulations, Administrative Decisions, the Governor & Agencies

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)

Rules and regulations in force arranged by subject.

• WAC on LegalWA: searchable, current
• WAC from the Legislature's Advanced Search > WAC: searchable, current
• WAC on the Legislature's page: arranged by title

See also the Gallagher guide on Washington Administrative Law Research.

Washington State Register (WSR)

Updates the Washington Administrative Code.

• WSR from the Legislature's Advanced Search > State Register: searchable, from 1997
• WSR from the Office of the Code Reviser: includes annual indexes (from 1997) and WAC-WSR tables (from 1997)

Attorney General Opinions

• opinions from the Attorney General's Office: from Oct. 1949: searchable and grouped by topic.
• LexisNexis Academic: Legal > Federal & State Codes > Attorney General Opinions, All States; searchable. UW Restricted

Governors' Executive Orders

• executive orders from the Office of the Governor: arranged by date, from 1913.
• executive orders, directives, and proclamations from Governor Christine Gregoire, from 2005.

Find-It! Washington: a guide to Washington State Government information and publications.

Administrative Agency Decisions & Guidance Documents

• Auditor's Whistleblower Investigation Reports: arranged by date, from Sept. 1997.
• Banks Division opinion letters: arranged by date, from 1996.
• Building Code Council interpretations: arranged by type of building code (barrier-free, building, energy, fire, mechanical, plumbing, and ventilation and indoor air quality codes).
• Consumer Services Division of the Department of Financial Institutions
  • administrative actions: arranged by date, from 2003.
  • Check cashers/sellers/small loan interpretive letters: arranged by date, from Sept. 1995.
  • Consumer loan companies interpretive letters: summaries, arranged by date, from Feb. 1992.
  • Mortgage broker interpretive letters: arranged by date, from April 1994.
• Credit Unions Division
  • opinions and interpretive letters: arranged by date, from 1995.
  • opinion and interpretive letters index: from 1995.
• Ecology Department enforcement actions: arranged by date, from April 1999.
• Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council certification documents
• Environmental and Land Use Hearings Board
  •  decisions: arranged by year then by board, from 2005
• Environmental Hearings Office
  • decisions from the Environmental and Land Use Hearings Board, the Forest Practices Appeals Board, the Hydraulic Appeals Board, the Pollution Control Hearings Board, and the Shorelines Hearings Board: arranged by date then by board, from 1994
  • searchable archive of  decisions, 1970-94
  • case management system: searchable
• Executive Ethics Board advisory opinions: arranged by year, from 1996
  • Advisory opinions subject index
• Financial Institutions Department
  • Interpretive letters and statements from various divisions (Banks, Consumer Services, Credit Unions, and Securities)
  • See Banks Division, Consumer Services Division, Credit Unions Division, and Securities Division
• Fish and Wildlife Department Priority Habitats and Species: current
• Forest Practices Appeals Board
  • archived decisions: arranged by year, 1979-95
  • See also Environmental Hearings Office decisions.
• Growth Management Hearings Boards
  • Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board
    • decisions and orders: arranged by year, from 1992.
    • digest of decisions, 1992-Oct. 2005: summaries of cases by year and keyword index.
  • Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board
    • decisions and orders: arranged by year, from 1992.
    • digest of decisions, 1992-Apr. 2004: summaries of cases by year and keyword index.
  • Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board
    • decisions and orders: arranged by year, from 1993.
    • digest of decisions, 1992-2002: keyword index.
• Health Department summaries of disciplinary actions: arranged by date, from 1999. See News Releases.
• Higher Education Personnel appeals case summaries from the Personnel Department: arranged by subject, from March 1993 to July 2000.
• Hydraulic Appeals Board
  • archived decisions: for 1989.
  • See also Environmental Hearings Office decisions.
• Industrial Insurance Appeals Board, significant decisions: searchable by name or keyword, with a subject index, from 1955
• Insurance Commissioner
  • administrative, disciplinary, enforcement, and general orders : from 1998.
  • technical assistance advisories and bulletins: arranged by number; advisories from 1997 and bulletins 1994-96.
• Labor and Industries Department
  • Industrial Safety & Health Act policies, regional directives, and operations and interpretive memoranda.
• Licensing Department
  • disciplinary actions: summaries of recent disciplinary actions against professionals and business, current.
• Liquor Control Board penalties and violations: arranged by date, from 1998.
• Marine Employees' Commission
  • cases: status, current.
  • decisions: arranged by decision number, 1983-date.
  • decision digest: summaries of significant cases, arranged by topic, 1983-Oct. 2006.
• Personnel Appeals Board decisions: arranged by date, from 2000.
• Personnel Resources Board decisions: arranged by date, 1994-2002.
• Pollution Control Board
  • archived decisions: arranged by year, 1970-94.
  • See also Environmental Hearings Office decisions.
• Practice of Law Board, Washington State Bar Association
  • advisory opinions
  • unauthorized practice of law findings
• Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board of Registration: summaries of investigations and formal and informal disciplinary actions in the Board's journal: arranged by date.
• Public Disclosure Commission
  • declaratory orders: arranged by number, 1977-99.
  • enforcement hearings: arranged by date, from 2001.
  • interpretations: arranged by date, from April 1991.
  • policy statements: arranged by number, from 1999.
• Public Employment Relations Commission
  • recent decisions: summaries, arranged by name, recent only.
  • open representation cases: current
  • database of decisions: searchable.
• Revenue Department
  • Taxpedia: a searchable database of laws, regulations, excise tax advisories, property tax bulletins, audit guidelines, selected Board of Tax Appeals decisions, and excise tax decisions.
  • tax decisions from Washington Tax Decisions: complete volumes, in zipped files for downloading.
  • excise tax advisories, replaced excise tax bulletins effective July 1998.
  • interim audit guidelines: arranged by number.
  • special notices: arranged by subject, from July 1988.
  • property tax advisories: arranged by number, from 2000.
• Securities Division of the Department of Financial Institutions.
  • administrative action/orders database: searchable, from 1999.
  • administrative orders: arranged by year, from 1998.
  • interpretive letters, opinions, and policy statements: by type and then by year.
  • Escrow Act opinions, interpretive letters, and policy statements: arranged by date, from 1995; selective.
  • Franchise Act interpretive statements: arranged by date, from 1991.
  • Franchise Act policy statements: arranged by date, from 1991.
  • Securities Act interpretive statements: arranged by date, from 1991.
  • Securities Act policy statements: arranged by date, from 1991.
• Shorelines Hearings Board
  • archived decisions: arranged by date, 1972-94.
  • See also Environmental Hearings Office decisions.
• Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
  • current disciplinary actions: arranged by date, from 2000.
  • special education citizen complaint decisions (SECC): arranged by subject and decision number, from 2003.
  • special education due process hearings,: summaries, 2000-04.
  • special education due process decisions: arranged by date, 1999-2004.
• Tax Appeals Board decisions: searchable, from 1986.
• Utilities and Transportation Commission dockets, orders, and filings database.

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Washington Municipal Codes, Ordinances & Administrative Decisions

• Municipal Code (SMC) from the City Clerk's Office: searchable, also includes the City Charter, ordinances, and some rules.
• Other city codes, including the Building Code, Energy Code, Mechanical Code, etc.
• City Attorney guidance statements: from 2003.
• Planning & Development Department (PDP) (formerly Design, Construction & Land Use Department's (DCLU)
  • client assistance memos (CAMs): arranged by number, with a subject index; city-wide zoning map.
  • director's rules and rulings: searchable, from 1976.
• Ethics & Elections Commission searchable database of ethics code advisory opinions: by topic, code section, or keyword.
• Office of the Hearing Examiner decisions: searchable, from 1999.

• Code from the Clerk of the Council: arranged by title, with an index.
• Boundary Review Board decisions: recent decisions only, arranged by file number.
• Board of Ethics advisory opinions: with a subject index covering opinions 1001 to 1161.
• Recorder's Office's Records Search: land records, marriage licenses, surveys, liens, and other documents filed with the Recorder's Office, searchable, from 1991.

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Washington Legal Community (Organizations & Libraries)

Legal Services & Bar Associations

• Washington LawHelp: a service sponsored by Columbia Legal Services, the Legal Services Corporation, Northwest Justice Project, the Washington Access to Justice Network, and the Washington courts.
• Washington State Bar Association (WSBA): services for lawyers and the public, licensing and admissions, continuing legal education, ethics opinions, etc.
• WSBA Guide to Law-Related Association, Service, Organizations & Programs. 
• King County Bar Association (KCBA): serving the public and serving lawyers, continuing legal education, young lawyers, foundation, etc.
• Northwest Justice Project: a clearinghouse for legal self-help materials and legal assistance for low-income persons.
• Northwest Women's Law Center: issues, services, advocacy, and guides on children and youth, civil rights, discrimination, economic justice, family law, health care, lesbian and gay rights, public benefits, reproductive freedom, and violence against women.
• Municipal Research & Services Center: a nonprofit organization providing services and information to Washington city and county governments and officials.
• Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, an organization of more than 3500 attorneys and legal professions.

Law Schools, Law Libraries & Archives

• University of Washington School of Law, its Gallagher Law Library, and the Law Library catalog.
• Gonzaga University School of Law, its Law Library, and the Law Library catalog.
• Seattle University School of Law, its Law Library, and the Law Library catalog.
• Summit, a combined catalog of more than 30 college and university libraries in Washington and Oregon, including four law libraries
  • the J.W. Long Law Library at Willamette University
  • the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington
  • the Paul L. Boley Law Library at Lewis & Clark Law School
  • the Seattle University Law Library
• King County Law Library and its library catalog; open to the public. KCLL offers reference service by email and a real-time online chat service.
• Washington State Law Library: legal research guides and an email-based reference service.
• County law libraries directory from the Washington Association of County Law Libraries: arranged by county.
• Law Libraries in Washington State and the U.S.
• Law Librarians of Puget Sound (LLOPS): a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).
• Washington State Archives
• Washington State Library
  • Documents in the News, links to recent Washington State news stories and the supporting or cited documents, including government reports, legislation, court decisions, regulations, and statistics.
• U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, Pacific Alaska Region.

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Washington Public Record Databases

Washington Directories

• Access Washington: Washington State's homepage, with links to agencies, boards, commissions, and departments.
• Washington State is a searchable, annotated directory from the Librarians' Internet Index.
• Access Washington Online Telephone Directory: searchable, telephone and fax numbers for state employees.
• Washington Court Directory includes state courts at all levels, tribal courts, and administrative offices.
• Washington House of Representatives member directory.
• Washington Senate roster of members.
• Who Represents You in the Washington Legislature?: searchable by Zip+4 and address.
• City and County Officials Directories on the Web from the Municipal Research & Services Center: arranged by city and county.
• Free or Low-Cost Advocacy, Information, and Referral for King County Residents: a directory of service providers.
• People-Finding: a guide to print and online directories.

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United States Legal Resources

Best Sites

• GPO Access, a service of the Government Printing Office. A collection of major sources, full text, including the budget; Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register; Commerce Business Daily; congressional bills, calendars, directories, hearings, prints, reports, the Congressional Record, and other materials; Economic Indicators and President's Economic Report; General Accounting Office reports; selected administrative agency decisions; Supreme Court opinions; and U.S. Code and session laws.
• Thomas, from the Library of Congress. A collection of legislative resources, including bills, bill status, committee reports and websites, the Congressional Record, Presidential nominations, treaties, and other material.
• Federal Law, from Cornell University's Legal Information Institute. Contains the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, and decisions from the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals.
• USA.gov, the federal government's portal to information and services. Also includes state, local, and tribal governments.
• lexisONE, free federal and state caselaw, last 5 years (registration required)
• LexisNexis Academic and LexisNexis Congressional: commercial services with federal and state cases and laws, Congressional materials, and selected secondary sources. UW Restricted
• Federal Government Resources on the Web from University of Michigan Documents Center.

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U.S. Laws, Legislation & the Congress

U.S. Constitution

• Constitution from Cornell's Legal Information Institute.
• LexisNexis Academic: searchable, annotated. UW Restricted
• U.S. Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation by the Congressional Research Service from GPO Access: searchable, includes discussion and references to significant cases. Cornell's Legal Information Institute offers an easier-to-use hyperlinked version (updated through 2000 supp.).
• The Founders' Constitution from the University of Chicago Press: a collection of full-text documents compiled by constitutional scholars Philip B. Kurland & Ralph Lerner, searchable.
• Farrand's Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, from the Library of Congress.
• Elliot's Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, from the Library of Congress.
• The Federalist Papers, from Yale Law School's Avalon Project: searchable.
• The Federalist Papers, from Thomas: arranged by number.

Bills & Resolutions: Legislation being considered by Congress

• bills and bill status from Thomas: searchable, from 1993.
• bills from GPO Access: searchable, from 1993.
• bills and bill status from LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, from 1989. UW Restricted

Public Laws: Laws passed by Congress & signed by the President, in date order

Slip laws

• Thomas: arranged by Congress then public law number, from 1973 (93d Congress).
• GPO Access: searchable, from 1995 (104th Congress).
• Authenticated public and private laws from GPO Access: searchable, from 2007. (Digitally signed and certified)
• classification tables from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel: provides U.S. Code citations for public laws and U.S. Code sections affected by recently enacted laws.

U.S. Statutes at Large: slip laws organized by Congress and session

• GPO Access: searchable, vol. 117 (2003-04).
• Hein Online: searchable, with lists by popular name, Indian treaties, and other treaties, from 1789. UW Restricted
• Library of Congress: 1789-1875 (vols. 1-18, 1st-43d Congresses).

U.S. Code: Laws in force arranged by subject

• GPO Access: searchable, 1994 & 2000 editions, with supplements.
• GPO Access: browsable by title, chapter, and section, current edition.
• US House of Representatives: current edition, with supplements, in PDF; arranged by title number. Caution: many of these files are extremely large.
• Cornell's Legal Information Institute: searchable, current edition.
• Findlaw; searchable, current edition.
• Office of Law Revision Counsel: searchable, current edition. Also US Code Popular Name Tool.
• U.S. Code Service from LexisNexis Academic and LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, annotated. UW Restricted

See also the Gallagher guide on Federal Legislative History.

Congressional Record: Transcript of proceedings in the U.S. Congress

• GPO Access: searchable, from 1995 (104th Congress).
• CR index from GPO Access: searchable, from 1983.
• CR from Thomas: searchable, from 1990 (101st Congress).
• CR from LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, from 1985. UW Restricted
• CR, Permanent edition, from GPO Access: searchable, vol. 145, 1999 (106th Congress, 1st Session); more volumes to be added
• Annals of Congress, 1st Congress through 18th Congress, 1st session, from the Library of Congress: covers 1789-1824.
• Register of Debates, 18th Congress, 2d session through 25th Congress, 1st session, from the Library of Congress: covers 1824-37.
• Congressional Globe, 23d-42d Congresses, from the Library of Congress: covers 1833-73.

Committee Reports

House, Senate & Executive reports (collectively known as the Serial Set)

• reports from GPO Access: searchable, from 11995 (104th Congress).
• reports from Thomas: searchable, from 1995 (104th Congress).
• reports from LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, from 1990. UW Restricted
• Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set: searchable, 15th-74th Congresses, 1817-1935, Vols. 1-9912.  UW Restricted
• historical Serial Set volumes, from the Library of Congress: selected volumes from the 23d Congress, 1833-35; 56th Congress, 1899-1901; and the 58th Congress, 1903-05 (Journals of the Confederate Congress).

Committee Documents

House, Senate & Treaty documents

• documents from GPO Access: searchable, from 1995 (104th Congress).
• documents from LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, from 1995 (104th Congress). UW Restricted
• Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set: searchable, 15th-74th Congresses, 1817-1935, Vols. 1-9912.  UW Restricted

Committee Hearings & Testimony

• hearings from GPO Access: searchable, from 1997 (105th Congress).
• selected witness statements from House and Senate committees: select committee by pull-down menu.
• testimony from LexisNexis Congressional: searchable, from 1988. UW Restricted

Other Historical Congressional Material

• Journal of the House of Representatives: 1789-1873.
• Journal of the Senate: 1789-1873.
• Journals of the Continental Congress: 1774-89.
• American State Papers: searchable, 1st-25th Congresses, 1789-1838. UW Restricted

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U.S. Court Opinions, Court Rules, Other Judicial Material & the Courts

U.S. Supreme Court

• Willamette Law Online: "same-day summaries of certiorari granted, oral arguments, and decisions;" arranged by date, from 2002.
• docket from the Supreme Court: searchable.
• docket and news in On the Docket, from Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.
• Dates of Supreme Court Decisions and Arguments, United States Reports Volumes 2-107 (1791-1882) from the Supreme Court. A useful list for citation purposes because the early reporters did not include the year of decisions.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Decisions

Other Federal Courts

• LexisNexis Academic: all dates, searchable. UW Restricted
• AltLaw: appellate cases, 1950-date, searchable.
• Justia, US Court of Appeals Cases & Opinions: 1950-date, searchable.
• OpenJurist: all dates, free, searchable.
• Public Library of Law: appellate cases, 1950-date, searchable
• lexisONE: searchable, last five years, registration required.
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: searchable, coverage varies.
• Findlaw: searchable, coverage varies.
• See also U.S. Directories--Courts, below.

Court Rules
 

Other