Legal Research

RAQ: Recently Asked Questions

In this occasional feature, we highlight recently asked questions and brief answers from the Law Library reference desk.

Q: Why can?t I find the full text of this complaint on PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records, the federal court system?s electronic document system)?
A: Not all federal court pleadings are available on PACER. For example, if a complaint was filed using paper rather than electronically, some of the federal courts will not make it available (other courts will eventually scan the document and put it on PACER).

Q: How do I find a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report?
A: The LexisNexis Congressional database contains CRS reports back to 1916. Using that database?s ?Advanced Search? option, you can limit your search to just the CRS reports. Usually, reports can be retrieved by title; a date is also helpful.

Q: Is the Reference Office open during finals and break?
A: Yes! The Reference Office is staffed regular hours during exams (M-Th 9 am to 8 pm; F 9 am to 5 pm; Sat 11 am to 5 pm; Sun 1 to 5 pm) and when the Library moves to Winter Break hours (M-F 8-4:30), the Reference Office is open 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Have your own reference question? Call or email the reference desk at 612-625-4309 or law-ref@umn.edu.

Full post as published by LexLibris on December 11, 2008 (boomark / email).