Now that you have a research strategy and you know what kind of authority you are looking for, here is a guide to finding those resources, both in the Library and online.
Several websites provide free access to court decisions, primary law, and journal articles
Patrons on the U-M campus can access legal databases that provide a wide range of materials--state and federal, secondary and primary.
Research at the Michigan Law Library
For additional help diving into a research project, peruse the guide below.
The Law Library has a large collection of secondary sources in print.
Search the Library Catalog to discover what is available and where materials are located.
Online Access
Freely Available
Available On Campus
Library patrons on the Ann Arbor campus have access to a variety of online resources through the E-Resources Page. Browse E-Resources by name, subject, or jurisdiction to discover electronic resources that will benefit your research. Some particularly useful sources of secondary authority are discussed below.
State Court Decisions
Michigan
Michigan Supreme Court decisions since 1847 are published in Michigan Reports.
Michigan Court of Appeals decisions are published online and in print.
Michigan Digest and Michigan Digest 2d contain abstracts or summaries of Michigan court decisions, arranged by subject. Start with the general index to find cases relevant to a particular subject.
Other State Courts
Appellate decisions of state courts are often published both by the individual state in official state reporters, as well as in regional reporters (which are published by West). Regional reporters and their abbreviations are as follows:
Federal
General
Digests contain abstracts or summaries of court decisions, arranged by subject. Start with the general index to find cases relevant to a particular subject.The following federal digests are all located in the underground library:
Federal Digest (cases before 1939)
Modern Federal Practice Digest (1940 - 1961)
Federal Practice Digest 2d (1961 - 1975)
Federal Practice Digest 3d (1975 - 1997)
Federal Practice Digest 4th (1997 - present)
United States Supreme Court Digest (1754 - present)
Federal and state cases can be found in the Century, Decennial, and General digests.
U.S Supreme Court Cases.
Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Federal District (Trial) Courts.
Michigan Statutes
Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) is the official codification of statutes by the state of Michigan.
Session Laws
Federal Statutes
Session Laws
Other States
State Administrative Materials
The following print materials provide information regarding state administrative materials:
Michigan
Administrative Code
Agencies
Federal
Agencies
Federal Register
Code of Federal Regulations