United States Statutes at Large
The United States Statutes at Large is a crucial legal publication that provides a chronological compilation of federal laws, treaties, and presidential proclamations. Published by the Office of the Federal Register at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., it serves as an important reference tool for legal research and encompasses all laws enacted by Congress, as well as treaties and international agreements signed prior to 1948. This compilation includes both public laws applicable to the general public and private laws directed towards specific individuals or entities.
The Statutes at Large also features significant historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution along with its amendments. First published in 1845, the responsibility for its publication shifted to the U.S. Government Printing Office in 1874, which has since produced annual volumes. While it remains the definitive source for federal law, researchers may encounter challenges due to the absence of a cumulative index and the delay in publishing laws enacted during a congressional session. Overall, the United States Statutes at Large is a foundational resource for understanding the evolution of federal legislation and its historical context.
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United States Statutes at Large
Identification: Legal publication
Date: First published in 1845
Significance: Also called Statutes at Large, the United States Statutes at Large is a chronological compilation of federal law that serves as an important reference tool for legal research.
Published by the Office of the Federal Register at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the United States Statutes at Large is a compilation of the entire body of federal law, encompassing every law that Congress has ever enacted, all treaties and international agreements signed prior to 1948, treaties with Native Americans and foreign nations, and presidential proclamations. Statutes at Large includes the text of both public laws, which apply to the general public, and private laws, which are specific to individual persons, corporations, or localities.
The Statutes at Large also includes the full text of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, and laws repealed or rendered obsolete. It was first published by the Boston book publisher Little, Brown in 1845 pursuant to a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress. In 1874 responsibility for publication was transferred to the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C., which began publishing annual volumes in 1937.
Potential difficulties researchers face in using Statutes at Large include the lack of a cumulative index and the time frame under which it is published. Laws enacted during a particular congressional session are typically not published until approximately one year after the end of the session, by which time they have usually been made available as supplements to commercial publications such as United States Code Annotated (USCA). Nevertheless, Statutes at Large remains the definitive and comprehensive source for research into federal law.
Bibliography
Bourdeau, John, and Sonja Larsen. Legal Research for Beginners. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series, 1997.
Conklin, Curt E. An Historical and Bibliographic Introduction to the United States Statutes at Large. Washington, D.C.: Government Publications Press, 1992.