Oxford LibGuides: United States: legal resources: Regulations

US Regulations and other primary sources of US administrative law

Definition in US legal context
"A regulation is a rule made and maintained by an authority , typically a governmental agency , to control or govern conduct within its jurisdiction .

Governmental administrative agencies have specific authority to regulate conduct within their areas of responsibility. These agencies are delegated legislative power to create and enforce rules, known as “regulations.”

[Last reviewed in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]" Wex is LII's community-built, freely available legal dictionary and legal encyclopedia

Abbreviations in citations:

The Federal Register (FR)

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Holders of an Oxford SSO can consult the FR and CFR via the following subscription databases, or one of the official, open access websites which follow

Westlaw US
Requires Oxford SSO
As well as CFR Westlaw includes Federal Proposed & Adopted Regulations (last 2 years), Administrative Decisions & Guidance and Koch & Murphy Administrative Law & Practice.
Westlaw US is a large legal database with both primary and secondary sources. Legal research tools include the KeyCite citator, and West Key number system for case law.
Coverage:
US federal and state legislation
US federal and state law reports
US law reviews and journals
US federal and state legal encyclopedias and dictionaries
US legal texts and treatises
US Restatements & Principles of the Law
Because of licencing restrictions this database is not available to "Walk-in" users of the library.
Lexis+ UK
For online access from a device outside the University network or via eduroam, please follow https://plus.lexis.com/uk/xhome?federationidp=RXVSX459307
Alternative names:Lexis ; LexisLibrary ; Lexis Library ; Lexis International

Lexis+ includes extensive primary and secondary legal materials from the UK, EU, USA and many other jurisdictions. It is the only online source for the full text of the All England Law Reports and Halsbury’s Laws. International content can be accessed by following the “International” link on the home page. UK legal news and newspapers are also included.
HeinOnline
Remote access requires Oxford SSO. Comprehensive coverage of the official journal of the U.S. federal government dating from inception (1936). Also contains the CFR from inception, Official US Bulletin, United States Government Manual, and much more.
Alternative names: Hein Online ; HOL

HeinOnline includes five major collections:
The Law Journal Library includes over 500 U.S., U.K., Australian and International Law Journals. For most journals the date coverage starts very early (in many cases at the first issue). However the most recent editions (within the last calendar year) are sometime unavailable due to licensing restrictions. HeinOnline makes these journals available on a rolling yearly basis.
The Treaties and Agreements Library includes all U.S. treaties and agreements including those in force, expired or yet to be published.
The U.S. Supreme Court Library includes all U.S. Supreme Court opinions as published in the U.S. Reports
The Federal Register 1936-1995, and indexes to the register.
Legal Classics Library. Full text of over 100 legal texts including Blackstone's Commentaries (1803), Cardozo's Growth of the Law (1924), and Story's first edition of Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (1833). Provincial Statutes of Canada includes Provincial Statutes for ten of the Canadian provinces. Contains public and private acts passed by Canadian provincial governments. Current, revised, and historical content is now available for Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Historical and revised content only is available for Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
All content consists of scanned images of the original printed editions. This allows you to view the content as it originally appeared in print complete with page numbers and pictures.
To save or print articles from HeinOnline choose PRINT OPTIONS followed by DOWNLOAD AS PDF. You will then be able to print out and/or save articles using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Available to anyone with access to the internet

US Federal Register 1936 -
Official website "Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents."
United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Annual Edition
Official website "The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis. The annual update cycle is as follows: titles 1-16 are revised as of January 1; titles 17-27 are revised as of April 1; titles 28-41 are revised as of July 1; and titles 42-50 are revised as of October 1. Each title is divided into chapters, which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts that cover specific regulatory areas. Large parts may be subdivided into subparts. All parts are organized in sections, and most citations to the CFR refer to material at the section level."
eCFR : US Code of Federal Regulations : point in time system
Official site launched autumn 2021
d the U.S. Government Publishing
"Significant improvements ...
include the ability to: show which sections have been recently updated, display
and compare previous versions of text, link references between content within
the CFR and the Federal Register, and link references within the content to the
United States Code."
Mastering the CFR
Office of the Federal Register Youtube series: with answers to frequently asked questions on the Code of Federal Regulations.

Official Opinions of the Attorney General

You may find these cited as Op. Att'y Gen.
Print volumes 1791-1982 are at USA 120 A30 (sec coll)

Westlaw US
Holders of an Oxford SSO can access U.S. Attorney General Opinions (from 1791 on) via the Westlaw US subscription.
Westlaw US is a large legal database with both primary and secondary sources. Legal research tools include the KeyCite citator, and West Key number system for case law.
Coverage:
US federal and state legislation
US federal and state law reports
US law reviews and journals
US federal and state legal encyclopedias and dictionaries
US legal texts and treatises
US Restatements & Principles of the Law
Because of licencing restrictions this database is not available to "Walk-in" users of the library.

USDOJ: A.G. Opinions
Official website Database of opinions from 1992 to date maintained by the Office of Legal Counsel.
Office of Legal Counsel's FOIA Reading Room
Official website "The Office’s Electronic Reading Room ... includes certain materials, including legal opinions, that have not been selected for official publication but have nonetheless been released as a matter of discretion and posted publicly because they are the subject of repeated requests or may be of significant public or historical interest."

Related commentary

Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy by Stephen G. Breyer; Richard B. Stewart; Cass R. Sunstein; Adrian Vermeule; Michael E. Herz
Call Number: KM300.U4.BRE 2017
ISBN: 9781454857914
Publication Date: 8th edn 2017
Administrative Competence : reimagining administrative law by Elizabeth Fisher; Sidney A. Shapiro
Call Number: Holders of an Oxford SSO can read this online via title link.
ISBN: 9781108836104
Publication Date: 2020
Print copy is at KM300.U4.FIS 2021

Other useful websites

Administrative Law (USA)
Library of Congress overview and basic guide
A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies
An official website of the United States government for Finding Federal Agencies
Compilation of Presidential Documents 1993- (USA)
Official website "The Compilation of Presidential Documents collection consists of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents which are the official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary. The Compilation of Presidential Documents is published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)."
United States Government Manual
Official website. "For over eight decades, this New Deal-era publication has been the "official handbook" of the Federal Government. A regularly updated special edition of the Federal Register, it includes leadership tables and describes agency activities and programs of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of Government, as well as activities and programs of quasi-official agencies and international organizations in which the United States participates as a member."
US Government Information: Recent Publications
Official website Quick links to Documents published in the last 24 hours + most recent Presidential Materials from the Federal Register and Compilation of Presidential Documents; Daily Digest for the most recent Congressional Record; Table of Contents for the most recent issue of the Federal Register; Most recent Calendars of the US House of Representatives; Most recent Senate Calendar of Business; Bills published in the last 24 hours.