Library electronic resources outage May 29th and 30th
Between 9:00 PM EST on Saturday, May 29th and 9:00 PM EST on Sunday, May 30th users will not be able to access resources through the Law Library’s Catalog, the Law Library’s Database List, the Law Library’s Frequently Used Databases List, or the Law Library’s Research Guides. Users can still access databases that require an individual user account (ex. Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law), or databases listed on the Main Library’s A-Z Database List.
- Georgetown Law Library
Constitutional Law and History Research Guide
- Introduction/Key Resources
- Historical Documents & Resources
- Primary Law
- Treatises and Other Secondary Sources
- State Constitutional Law
Key to Icons
- Georgetown only
- On Bloomberg
- More Info (hover)
- Preeminent Treatise
Introduction
This guide provides an introduction to resources for conducting constitutional law research. The U.S. Constitution is widely considered the world's oldest constitutional document still in force today. The broad topic of “constitutional law” deals with the interpretation and implementation of the United States Constitution and covers a wide variety of areas, from the body of law that regulates the federal, state, and local governments of the United States to the fundamental rights of the individual in relation to both federal and state government.
It is important to remember that conducting research on constitutional law, as with many other areas of the law, is not so much an endeavor in finding answers as it is discovering different approaches and learning the sources that guide constitutional interpretation.
Given the breadth and diversity of this topic, we typically recommend that you start your research with secondary sources such as treatises or legal encyclopedias to help you more quickly identify the focus of your research. This research guide includes information on finding historical documents and resources for U.S. Constitutional history research , primary sources , secondary sources for U.S. Constitutional law , and material on state constitutional law research .
As the U.S. Supreme Court plays an integral role in interpreting the Constitution, the study of this area also focuses heavily on the Supreme Court justices and the Court’s rulings. For more information on primary and secondary materials relating to the Supreme Court, consult the Supreme Court Research Guide .
Getting Started: Key Resources
- Encyclopedia of the American Constitution (Levy et al., 2nd ed.) This six-volume work contains essays by leading constitutional scholars, law school professors, judges, historians, and political scientists on practical and theoretical topics dealing with every aspect of constitutional law in the U.S., from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to the Clinton impeachment.
- Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Constitution (2016) The Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Constitution covers the Founding of the American Republic and the Framers, the drafting of the Constitution, constitutional debates over ratification, and traces key events, Supreme Court chief justices, amendments, and Supreme Court cases regarding the interpretation of the Constitution from 1789-2016.
- Lexis: Constitutional Law Select your area of focus to research, be it Secondary Sources, Statutes or Administrative Material.
- Oxford Constitutional Law: US Constitutional Law US Constitutional Law provides a comprehensive research resource on the law, politics, and history of constitutionalism in the United States at the federal and state levels. Combining extensive primary materials with expert commentary, the service provides researchers with unparalleled access to the historical development of federal and state constitutionalism.
- Rotunda and Nowak's Treatise on Constitutional Law Legal treatise providing up-to-date analysis of every area of federal constitutional law. Focus is primarily on the Supreme Court. Coverage includes: origins of judicial review; sources of national authority; federal fiscal powers; procedural due process; and equal protection.
- Westlaw: Constitutional Law Texts & Treatises A collection of Constitutional Law treatises available on Westlaw. Contains titles pertaining to these areas and more: Anti-SLAPP Litigation, Education Law, Religious Organizations, Search And Seizure, and Freedom of Speech.
Law Library Reference
Reference Desk : Atrium, 2nd (Main) Floor (202) 662-9140 Request a Research Consultation
Additional research resources.
- Supreme Court Research Guide
- American Legal History Guide
- American History Research Guide (Georgetown)
- Constitutional Law Treatises
- Framing of the U.S. Constitution (Library of Congress)
Update History
04/10 (RR) 7/21 (JKK) Updated 5/22 (MK)
- Next: Historical Documents & Resources >>
- © Georgetown University Law Library. These guides may be used for educational purposes, as long as proper credit is given. These guides may not be sold. Any comments, suggestions, or requests to republish or adapt a guide should be submitted using the Research Guides Comments form . Proper credit includes the statement: Written by, or adapted from, Georgetown Law Library (current as of .....).
- Last Updated: Mar 22, 2024 10:26 AM
- URL: https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/constitutionallaw
Javascript est desactivé dans votre navigateur.
Savez-vous que votre navigateur est obsolète ?
Pour naviguer de la manière la plus satisfaisante sur le Web, nous vous recommandons de procéder à une mise à jour de votre navigateur . Vous pouvez aussi essayer d’autres navigateurs web populaires .
- Aller au contenu
- Aller au menu
- Aller à la recherche
- Informations de mises à jour
- Gestion des cookies
- Nous contacter
- Activer l’aide sur la page
Effectuer une recherche dans :
- --> --> --> Partager via Twitter --> --> --> --> Partager via Facebook --> --> --> --> Partager par e-mail --> --> --> --> Ajouter en Favoris --> --> --> --> Télécharger au format PDF --> -->