Mercer - LAW 4004
Selected topics in advanced legal research
Day 2!
let's play a game!
1. Go to http://www.kahoot.it 2. Enter pin number you see on the screen 3. If you are playing with a teammate, please alternate with each question so every player has a chance to answer
State Lawmaking Process
- Georgia's Bicameral Legislature
- Georgia's bicameral legislature comprises the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- Legislation originates in either chamber and must be passed by both before reaching the Governor for signature.
Georgia Statutes vs Session Laws
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.)
- serves as the primary source for Georgia statutes, offering a comprehensive compilation of the full text and annotations for each law
- These annotations provide valuable context and interpretation, guiding your understanding of the legislative intent behind each statute
Session Laws
- Session Laws chronicle the legislative process, documenting each bill passed by the General Assembly
- preserve the exact language and amendments made to the original bills, offering a complete historical record of how each law came into being
- detail the evolution of each bill as it progresses through the legislative process, capturing the various amendments and changes made to the original language.
The O.C.G.A. represents the current state of the law, providing the most up-to-date version of each statute. Session Laws, on the other hand, offer a historical perspective, tracking the development of each law from its inception
Legislative History
- What is Legislative history?
- Legislative history consists of the materials created during the introduction, discussion, and passing of a bill
- By looking at the source material created in the legislative process, we can argue for a certain interpretation of a law
- Legislative history can include….
legislative history
Step 1: Gather Information of Amendment
Step 3: Examine
Step 2: Search!
Step 1: gather information of amendment
- Federal statute
- Public Law Number
- ex. PL 14-106
- Look at any source, and the history will be somewhere
- Usually at the bottom, but on some in another tab
- Statutes At Large Citation
- Senate or House Bill number
- GA statute
- Check History line
- Session Law number
- Ga. Law (aka Laws of Georgia)
- Previous amendments
Tracking Georgia Bills and Resolutions
- The Georgia General Assembly website provides real-time updates on the status of bills and resolutions.
- You can search by bill number, topic, or sponsor
- Tracking legislative progress allows you to stay informed about potential changes to the law.
- https://www.legis.ga.gov/
Georgia Statutes vs Session Laws
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.)
- serves as the primary source for Georgia statutes, offering a comprehensive compilation of the full text and annotations for each law
- These annotations provide valuable context and interpretation, guiding your understanding of the legislative intent behind each statute
Session Laws
- Session Laws chronicle the legislative process, documenting each bill passed by the General Assembly
- preserve the exact language and amendments made to the original bills, offering a complete historical record of how each law came into being
- detail the evolution of each bill as it progresses through the legislative process, capturing the various amendments and changes made to the original language.
The O.C.G.A. represents the current state of the law, providing the most up-to-date version of each statute. Session Laws, on the other hand, offer a historical perspective, tracking the development of each law from its inception
where to find georgia legislative history
- The Georgia General Assembly website houses a wealth of historical legislative materials, including archived bills, committee reports, and floor debates.
- LexisNexis / Westlaw provide access to historical session laws
- The Georgia State Archives preserves legislative records dating back to the 18th century. https://www.georgiaarchives.org/
- The Georgia Historical Society maintains a collection of legislative documents, providing valuable context for legal research. https://www.georgiahistory.com/
Step 2: Search!
- Federal statute
- ProQuest Legislative Insight OR Congressional
- Compiled Legislative histories
- Westlaw/Lexis
- Congress.gov
- State statute (session laws)
- Digital Library of Georgia
- https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/dlg_zlg
- Lexis Georgia Advanced Legislative Service or West Enacted Legislation Laws
+info
Step 3: examine
- All that is left to do now is read
- Notice the legislative documents
- Let’s see what we can find
+info
group exercise time: cornbread
- Work in groups of 3 (one group can be 2 people)
- Read the hypothetical and answer the questions
- Select one person to share your answers
+info
group exercise time: Beer Me
- Work in groups of 3 (one group can be 2 people)
- Read the hypothetical and answer the questions
- Select one person to share your answers
+info
I bet you're really hungry and want to leave! Be back at 1PM
regulations
- What is a regulation?
- it is a primary source
- Regulations are detailed, binding rules issued by government agencies to implement and enforce broad laws passed by the legislature
- Examples of federal govt agencies:
- SEC, EPA, Dept of Homeland Security, FDA
- Examples of state govt agencies:
- Dept of Driver Services, Dept of Defense, Dept of Labor
- Where can you find the text of federal or state regulations?
- CFR website: www.ecfr.gov
- Georgia Rules & Regulations: https://rules.sos.ga.gov/
- Federal or state agency website typically publishes their own regulations
group exercise time: regulations
- Work in groups of 3 (one group can be 2 people)
- Read the hypothetical and answer the questions
- Select one person to share your answers
+info
exercise: regulations
- Federal Regulations Exercise
Dockets
- What is a docket?
- this word has two meanings in the legal world
- "What's on the docket for today?" in a courtroom, means what cases are on the list to be called
- Docket generally, means a case folder that contains all of the filings that go into the case from start to finish
- petition/complaint, summons, motions, briefs, discovery requests, subpoenas, exhibits/evidence - everything that is filed with the clerk of court into a case by each party
how to find dockets
- Search county/local court websites to see if they offer open dockets (Google county name + case/records search)
- Bloomberg - Dockets Search (PACER)
- Westlaw/Lexis - has limited dockets and filings available
- Georgia
- if you cannot locate a docket online, you can call the Clerk of Courts to find out how to retrieve documents from a docket
- typically there is a photocopying fee involved, but most case dockets are availble to the public for public policy reasons
group exercise time: dockets
- Work in groups of 3 (one group can be 2 people)
- Read the hypothetical and answer the questions
- Select one person to share your answers
+info
Specialized Research Tools
Popular Federal Treatises
Treatise Finders - Research Guides, Treatise Finders, & Tutorials - Guides at Georgetown Law Library https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/home/treatise-finders
Popular Georgia Treatises By Topic
Georgia Practice Materials - Research Resources - Library Guides at Mercer University School of Law https://guides.law.mercer.edu/c.php?g=1037637&p=10512031
Popular Georgia Treatises By Topic
Introduction - Treatises by Topic - LibGuides at Georgia State University College of Law https://libguides.law.gsu.edu/TreatisesByTopic
Congressional Research Services
CRS Reports https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Westlaw's Practical Law
Practical Law
Lexis Practical Guidance / Law360
Practical Law https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Other useful tools
- Jury Instructions (West/Lexis)
- Jury Verdicts & Settlements (West/Lexis)
- Westlaw/Lexis Expert Materials / Bloomberg ALM Expert Witness Profiles
- Westlaw Litigation Analytics / Bloomberg Litigation Analytics
- Bloomberg EDGAR Search / SEC filings (online)
- Bloomberg Company Watchlist/Lookup or Westlaw Company and Financial
organizing your research
- save to shared folders
- Lexis
- Westlaw
- Bloomberg
- share with Professor Le
- use arrows/bullet points/screenshots as necessary to separate your steps and create a navigation trail
- create primary vs secondary sources list
- weed out any sources not used in final results
capstone project
library visit
With this feature ... You can add additional content that will excite your audience’s brains: videos, images, links, interactivity ... Whatever you like!
With this feature ... You can add additional content that will excite your audience’s brains: videos, images, links, interactivity ... Whatever you like!
Selected Topics in Advanced Legal Research - Day 2
Avery Le
Created on October 24, 2025
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Blackboard Presentation
View
Genial Storytale Presentation
View
Historical Presentation
View
Psychedelic Presentation
View
Memories Presentation
View
Animated Chalkboard Presentation
View
Chalkboard Presentation
Explore all templates
Transcript
Mercer - LAW 4004
Selected topics in advanced legal research
Day 2!
let's play a game!
1. Go to http://www.kahoot.it 2. Enter pin number you see on the screen 3. If you are playing with a teammate, please alternate with each question so every player has a chance to answer
State Lawmaking Process
Georgia Statutes vs Session Laws
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.)
- serves as the primary source for Georgia statutes, offering a comprehensive compilation of the full text and annotations for each law
- These annotations provide valuable context and interpretation, guiding your understanding of the legislative intent behind each statute
Session Laws- Session Laws chronicle the legislative process, documenting each bill passed by the General Assembly
- preserve the exact language and amendments made to the original bills, offering a complete historical record of how each law came into being
- detail the evolution of each bill as it progresses through the legislative process, capturing the various amendments and changes made to the original language.
The O.C.G.A. represents the current state of the law, providing the most up-to-date version of each statute. Session Laws, on the other hand, offer a historical perspective, tracking the development of each law from its inceptionLegislative History
legislative history
Step 1: Gather Information of Amendment
Step 3: Examine
Step 2: Search!
Step 1: gather information of amendment
Tracking Georgia Bills and Resolutions
Georgia Statutes vs Session Laws
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.)
- serves as the primary source for Georgia statutes, offering a comprehensive compilation of the full text and annotations for each law
- These annotations provide valuable context and interpretation, guiding your understanding of the legislative intent behind each statute
Session Laws- Session Laws chronicle the legislative process, documenting each bill passed by the General Assembly
- preserve the exact language and amendments made to the original bills, offering a complete historical record of how each law came into being
- detail the evolution of each bill as it progresses through the legislative process, capturing the various amendments and changes made to the original language.
The O.C.G.A. represents the current state of the law, providing the most up-to-date version of each statute. Session Laws, on the other hand, offer a historical perspective, tracking the development of each law from its inceptionwhere to find georgia legislative history
Step 2: Search!
+info
Step 3: examine
+info
group exercise time: cornbread
+info
group exercise time: Beer Me
+info
I bet you're really hungry and want to leave! Be back at 1PM
regulations
group exercise time: regulations
+info
exercise: regulations
- Federal Regulations Exercise
Dockets
how to find dockets
group exercise time: dockets
+info
Specialized Research Tools
Popular Federal Treatises
Treatise Finders - Research Guides, Treatise Finders, & Tutorials - Guides at Georgetown Law Library https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/home/treatise-finders
Popular Georgia Treatises By Topic
Georgia Practice Materials - Research Resources - Library Guides at Mercer University School of Law https://guides.law.mercer.edu/c.php?g=1037637&p=10512031
Popular Georgia Treatises By Topic
Introduction - Treatises by Topic - LibGuides at Georgia State University College of Law https://libguides.law.gsu.edu/TreatisesByTopic
Congressional Research Services
CRS Reports https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Westlaw's Practical Law
Practical Law
Lexis Practical Guidance / Law360
Practical Law https://crsreports.congress.gov/
Other useful tools
organizing your research
capstone project
library visit
With this feature ... You can add additional content that will excite your audience’s brains: videos, images, links, interactivity ... Whatever you like!
With this feature ... You can add additional content that will excite your audience’s brains: videos, images, links, interactivity ... Whatever you like!