Find databases and eResources that provide legal and legislative information for the U.S. and around the globe. Access these items alphabetically by title or by topic. Note: The Library subscribes to a number of commercial databases related to legal research which are available to patrons while on-site in a Library of Congress Reading Room only. Check the availability for each item for more information.
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| Constitutions of the Countries of the World |
Contains the full-text of constitutions from over 192 countries, including English translations and introductory and comparative notes. |
Accessible from a Reading Room (Select: Connect via IP Address) |
| Human Rights Library |
Digital copies of core human rights documents, including treaties and other primary international human rights instruments. |
Internet |
| Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties |
Digital copies of documents dealing with the legal status and laws, government relations, and treaties of North American Indians. |
Internet |
| LIS |
Access treaty documents and Senate Executive Reports via the Legislative Information System. |
Congress only |
| THOMAS |
Current and historical legislative information for Congress, including: bills, laws, treaties, the Congressional Record, roll call votes, and committee reports. |
Internet |
| Treaties and Agreements Library from HeinOnline |
Includes both official and unofficial primary treaty resources in addition to helpful guides. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Treaties and International Agreements |
TIARA contains accurate versions of over 15,000 treaties and international agreements. |
Accessible from a Reading Room (Select: Connect via IP Address) |
Most of the databases listed below are journal indexes that may provide the full-text of a journal article. Indexes list bibliographic information about the article such as: article title, author, journal name, volume, issue, page number, date and subject headings or descriptors.
If the full-text of an article does not appear in your results, check to see if there is a 
button next to the bibliographic information. If so, use this reference tool to help locate a copy of the article, either in print (through the Online Catalog or electronically (by pointing you to an alternative online full-text database).
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| E-Journals in Law, Politics & Government |
Browse an alphabetical subject list of electronic journals in Law, Politics and Government. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Find It! Article Finder |
Library of Congress tool to help you locate the full-text of an article by providing citation information. |
Internet |
| HeinOnline |
Offers a full-text searchable database of law reviews and journals. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals |
A multilingual subject index to legal articles and book reviews published in over 550 sources worldwide. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Legal Periodicals Full Text |
Covers over 1,000 legal journals, yearbooks, law reviews, and more from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Legal Periodicals Retrospective |
Index to over 750 legal periodicals, including law reviews, bar association journals, and government publications. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| LegalTrac |
Index to more than 2,400 titles including major law reviews, legal newspapers, bar association journals and international legal journals. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| Asian Law Online |
Collection of English language materials on Asian laws; includes books, chapters in books, journal articles and theses. |
Internet |
| ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law |
Electronic resource guide that sets out basic international law search strategies and lists resources on various topics. |
Internet |
| Audiovisual Library of International Law |
Contains documents, tapes - both audio and video - and other materials on subjects of international law. |
Internet |
| Australasian Legal Information Institute Databases |
AustLII contains primary legal and legislative materials for Australia and New Zealand. |
Internet |
| British and Irish Legal Information Institute Databases |
BAILII contains primary legal and legislative materials for England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, United Kingdom, and the European Union. |
Internet |
| Canadian Legal Information Institute Databases |
CanLII contains primary legal and legislative materials for Canada. |
Internet |
| Constitutions of the Countries of the World |
Contains the full-text of constitutions from over 192 countries, including English translations and introductory and comparative notes. |
Accessible from a Reading Room (Select: Connect via IP Address) |
| Foreign Law Guide |
Provides an overview of individual legal systems with references to current sources of codes and basic legislation for each jurisdiction. |
Accessible from the Law Library Reading Room only (Select: Subscriber Login) |
| Foreign Relations of the United States |
Presents the official documentary historical record of major United States foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. |
Internet |
| Global Legal Information Catalog (GLIC) |
Interfaces with the Library of Congress catalog to help users find publications which reprint in English the laws and regulations of foreign and international jurisdictions on a particular legal topic. |
Internet |
| Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) |
Database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions and related legal sources from around the globe. |
Internet |
| Guide to Law Online |
Vast network of links to content-based Web sites of primary and secondary legal information from foreign jurisdictions and all U.S. federal, state and territorial government entities. |
Internet |
| Human Rights Library |
Digital copies of core human rights documents, including several hundred human rights treaties and other primary international human rights instruments. |
Internet |
| Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals |
A multilingual subject index to legal articles and book reviews published in over 550 sources worldwide. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Institute for Transnational Law Foreign Law Translations |
English translations of French, German, Italian, Austrian and Israeli legal materials in the fields of constitutional, administrative, contract and tort law. |
Internet |
| Law nB – Korean Law Database |
Provides access to cases, statutes and other legal references for Korea. |
Accessible from the Law Library Reading Room only |
| Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law |
Comprehensive work covering the central and essential topics in international law since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| PARLIT |
A database of bibliographic references on the role, structure and working methods of national parliaments, and on electoral systems. |
Internet |
| RDB de Rechtsdatenbank |
Provides access to a large number of Austrian legal journals, collections of cases, and other resources related to the laws of Austria. |
Accessible from the Law Library Reading Room only |
| World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII) |
Provides access to worldwide law from countries in six continents. |
Internet |
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| American State Papers, 1789-1838 |
Contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress for the period 1789 to 1838. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
Avalon Project
|
Digital primary source documents selected by the Yale Law School relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. |
Internet |
| CQ Online Editions: Historic Documents Series |
Search or browse by year or topic primary sources covering events around the world. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Foreign Relations of the United States |
Presents the official historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. |
Internet |
| Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights |
Digital publications from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. |
Internet |
| ProQuest Congressional |
Provides access to U.S. legislative information, including hearings, reports, prints, documents, bills, laws, regulations, and CIS Legislative Histories (1969-present). |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| ProQuest Legislative Insight |
Provides various browsing and searching options for selected compiled legislative histories, for the 87th-92nd Congresses (1961-1972) and the 108th-112th Congresses (2003-present). |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| LLMC Digital |
Searchable databases of earlier primary U.S. federal and state government documents as well as various foreign jurisdictions and international organizations. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
London Gazette Archive
|
An official newspaper of record in the United Kingdom for publishing legal notices, including insolvency (bankruptcy) notices. |
Internet |
| Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises 1800 – 1926 |
Searchable collection of Anglo-American legal treatises containing works from casebooks, local practice manuals, form books, works for lay readers, pamphlets, letters, speeches and more. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| OYEZ |
A multimedia database about the United States Supreme Court which includes audio files of oral arguments, abstracts of key constitutional cases, and information on Supreme Court justices. |
Internet |
| Supreme Court Library from HeinOnline |
Includes complete coverage of published cases in official sources from 1754 to the last full calendar year for the United States Supreme Court. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| U.S. Congressional Serial Set |
Contains all the reports, documents, and journals of the United States Senate and House of Representatives starting with the 15th Congress. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| U.S. Statutes at Large from HeinOnline |
A digital copy of the Statutes at Large beginning with volume 1. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| United States Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832 - 1978 |
A collection of Supreme Court documents covering more than 150,000 distinct cases. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| American State Papers, 1789-1838 |
Contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Congressional Record |
Contains the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress from Volume 140 (1994) to the present. |
Internet |
| CQ.com |
Congressional Quarterly, including Congressional Weekly, provides in-depth legislative news and analysis of the United States Congress. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) |
Database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions and related legal sources from around the globe. |
Internet |
| Guide to Law Online |
Vast network of links to content-based Web sites of primary and secondary legal information from foreign jurisdictions and all U.S. federal, state and territorial government entities. |
Internet |
| Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives |
Includes Deschler’s, Cannon’s, and Hinds’ Precedents; contains rulings made by the chair of the House of Representatives. |
Internet |
| ProQuest Congressional |
Provides access to U.S. legislative information, including hearings, reports, prints, documents, bills, laws, regulations, and CIS Legislative Histories (1969-present). |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| ProQuest Legislative Insight |
Provides various browsing and searching options for selected compiled legislative histories, for the 87th-92nd Congresses (1961-1972) and the 108th-112th Congresses (2003-present). |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| LIS |
Find current and historical legislative information for Congress, including: bills, laws, treatises, the Congressional record, roll call votes, committee reports and more. |
Congress only |
| NCSL State Legislatures Internet Links |
Searchable database providing links to Web sites of State Legislatures, Legislators and political developments. |
Internet |
| THOMAS |
Current and historical legislative information for Congress, including: bills, laws, treaties, the Congressional Record, roll call votes, and committee reports. |
Internet |
| U.S. Congressional Serial Set |
Contains all the reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives starting with the 15th Congress. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| U.S. Statutes at Large from HeinOnline |
Provides a digital copy of the Statutes at Large, starting with volume 1. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Name of Database/Web Site |
Description |
Availability |
| Federal Register Library from HeinOnline |
Provides search and browse options to PDF copies of the Federal Register and Federal Register Index. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Code of Federal Regulations Library from HeinOnline |
Provides search and browse options to PDF copies of the Code of Federal Regulations back to 1938. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| CyberRegs |
Provides the full-text of the US Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, state registers, state statutes and forms, and state environmental, safety, health and transportation regulations. |
Accessible from a Reading Room |
| Regulations.gov |
Allows for browsing and searching of proposed and final federal regulations, submitted comments regarding proposed regulations, supporting agency documentation, and reports related to regulations. |
Internet |
| Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) |
Database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions and related legal sources from around the globe. |
Internet |
| Guide to Law Online |
Vast network of links to content-based Web sites of primary and secondary legal information from foreign jurisdictions and all U.S. federal, state and territorial government entities. |
Internet |
