Library Guides Online

Understanding the Official Publication of the United States Code

By Jessica R. Alexander, Reference Librarian
Editing and Layout by James G. Durham, Publications and Reference Librarian

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR RESEARCHERS

The United States Government Printing Office publishes federal statutory law in two major publications:

* United States Statutes at Large is the official collection of federal session laws. The laws are arranged chronologically, in the order in which the bills became law. The session laws are designated according to the session of Congress and the order of passage (e.g., Public Law 107-1).

* United States Code organizes session laws by content, using 50 subject matter titles (e.g., Title 18: Crimes and Criminal Procedure).

Legal researchers and writers refer to the official publication, United States Code (U.S.C.) for two main reasons: 1.) to cite a particular provision of the U.S.C. in a pleading submitted to a court in accordance with Bluebook Rule 12; or 2.) to isolate a U.S.C. provision as it existed in a particular year. The following facts and tips may help to dispel confusion about the official United States Code:

1.) The United States Code (U.S.C.) is the official codification of federal law. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States House of Representatives is charged with consolidating and codifying the public laws into the 50 titles of the U.S.C., which is published by the Government Printing Office (G.P.O.). The call number of the U.S.C. is KF62.

2.) The U.S.C. is republished in its entirety every six years (e.g., 2000, 1994, 1988…). These editions are commonly referred to by their years (e.g., the 2000 Code, the 1994 Code, the 1988 Code…).

3.) Publication of the U.S.C. is based on Congressional sessions. “Under the provisions of Section 2 of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Congress must assemble at least once every year, at noon on the 3rd day of January, unless by law they appoint a different day. A Congress lasts for two years, commencing in January of the year following the biennial election of Members. A Congress is divided into two sessions.” (From How Our Laws are Made at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html.)

4.) Because each new edition of the U.S.C. is cumulative, a researcher seeking current law only needs to refer to the latest edition, unless an amendment has not yet been published. Unfortunately, publication of the U.S.C. is staggered and runs months behind actual passage of a law. If an amendment has passed in the interim, one consults other sources beyond the U.S.C..

5.) Each major six-year edition of the U.S.C. is supplemented annually until the next major edition. For example, the 1994 Code has Supple- ment I (1995), Supplement II (1996), Supplement III (1997), Supplement IV (1998), and Supplement V (1999). (In 2000, another major six-year edition, the 2000 Code, was published. ) Each supplement consists of several hardbound volumes, including its own Popular Name Table and other tables.

6.) The supplements, including their tables, are also cumulative. All amendments made to a code since publication of the main volume appear in a particular year’s supplements. For example, once Supplement V (1999) to the 1994 Code was issued, a user no longer needed to consult Supplement IV (1998). The only exception to this rule is when a user wants to pinpoint or “isolate” the law in sessions covered by a particular supplement.

7.) The General Index, located at the end of each major edition and supplement, provides a direct route from popular name to a title and section number. The General Index is easier to use than the popular name table, entitled “Acts Cited by Popular Name,” because the popular name table refers to public law numbers, requiring the use of another table to find code title and section numbers.

8.) If you are looking for laws passed since the publication of the latest volume of the Code or supplement, refer to one of the unofficial publications of the federal code, United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) KF62 .U6 or United States Code Service (U.S.C.S.) KF62 .U5.

9.) General Rule: The date of passage of a law or of an amendment correlates to the date of the edition. For example, a law passed in 1988 will appear in the 1998 Code. If an amendment was passed in 1989, it will appear in Supplement I (1989) to the 1998 Code.

As always, if you need assistance in locating or using library materials, please consult a reference librarian or a member of our Patron Services staff.