Winning Research Skills - Westlaw

Chapter 3
each annotation. (The USCA database on Westlaw includes hypertext links to many annotated
references.)
You will occasionally see an annotation to an attorney general opinion. Although these opinions
are only persuasive, they can be useful. Some statutes have been interpreted by the courts so
many times that West provides an index to the annotations. Some statutes may not have been
the subject of litigation and, therefore, will not have any annotations.
Finding a Statute in the USCA
Here are some tips that will help you use the USCA in print:
■ When you need a specific statute but know only the subject of the law, you will need to use the
multivolume General Index. It is important to consider alternative terms when using the index.
The index includes many cross-references that can lead you to the correct section.
■ If you know the popular name of an act or its acronym, such as the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA), you can check the Popular Name Table located at the end of the General Index.
The popular name of an act is the name by which it is commonly known. Sometimes, an act is
commonly known by the name of its author. For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is
named after its authors in the Congress.
■ If you approach the USCA with either the public law number or the Statutes at Large citation,
you can check the volume labeled Tables at the end of the set. These tables translate the public
law number and the Statutes at Large citation (broken down into the law’s component section
numbers) into the corresponding USCA citation.
Updating the USCA
The constant possibility of change in legislation means that you must always check a law for
recent changes. Look at the publication date (copyright date on the back of the title page) of the
hardbound volume of the USCA to determine whether a law needs updating.
These publications can help you check for changes in legislation:
■ Pocket Parts
To check for amendments, deletions, and new annotations that have appeared since the bound
volume was published, refer to the supplementary pamphlets inserted in the back of each
volume; these are called pocket parts because they fit into pockets in the cover of each volume.
The pocket parts are arranged by the same section numbers as the bound volume. Always
check the pocket part!
■ USCA Statutory Supplements
Because pocket parts to the USCA appear only once a year, there are times when a new law or
amendment is not yet included. To fill this gap, the USCA issues bimonthly noncumulative
pamphlets that contain the newest laws and amendments arranged in USCA classification
form. All the new annotations also appear in these pamphlets. Usually, two additional
pamphlets will be issued as needed. These are the USCA statutory supplements containing all
amendments to the code through the last law of the session signed by the president. These two
pamphlets are not arranged in USCA classification form, but are in public law form. Late in
any given year, you will have to check the main USCA volume, the pocket part, and each of
the year’s pamphlets. Many people forget to check the pamphlets. Don’t be one of them!
38 Winning Research Skills