Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library

Legal Sources on the Web

This page was prepared by Law Librarian, Laura Cadra, and modified with local information by the Reference Staff of the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library. June 2002

General Legal Web Resources

Westlaw
  Use in Library.
A comprehensive legal database containing U.S. and California codes, statutes, and cases. Also contains California Jurisprudence (Cal Jur), an encyclopedia of California law.

Nolo Press Plain-English Law Center
Offers a legal encyclopedia and a legal dictionary. Pretty basic, but a good starting point, especially for average folks trying to handle their own legal affairs.

California Courts Self-Help Center
The CA Judicial Council designed this site especially for folks trying to handle common legal problems like divorce and small claims disputes. Also, excellent source for referrals to legal aid and other legal assistance including a list of all county law libraries with links to those with web sites.

Cornell Legal Information Institute Law About ...
Provides an extensive list of legal topics. Gives a brief overview and then provides links to the text of the laws themselves. Great for students and those with federal or non-CA legal needs.

California County Law Libraries
Provides links to the California County Law Libraries with web sites. You should be familiar with what your county law library offers.

Library of Congress Global Legal Information Network
GLIN provides information about the legal systems of nations around the world, including the good ole US of A. A good starting place for folks wanting to know more about the US legal system or about that of other countries.

San Joaquin County Legal Web Resources

San Joaquin County Law Library
The Law Library located in the Kress Legal Center, 20 N. Sutter St., first floor, is open to the public Monday to Thursday from 8:00AM to 5:00PM, and Friday from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. For more information, call (209) 468-3920.

San Joaquin County Superior Court
The San Joaquin County Superior Court's web page attempts to answer most people's questions about dealing with the court whether the concern is about jury duty, family law, traffic or drug violations, small claims court, or probate. Instructions and sometimes forms are available.

Ordinance Code of San Joaquin County
This is the San Joaquin County Ordinance Code that includes ordinances pertaining to the unincorporated parts of San Joaquin County. Also available at the Chavez Central Library Reference Desk. The Ordinance Code is maintained by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors. Frequency of updates is minimal on the web, but the code is comprehensive. See also, Development Title (Community Development Department)

Stockton Municipal Code
The Stockton Municipal Code arranges the ordinances passed by the City Council by subject. The online Code is updated by the City Clerk's Office.

Lodi Municipal Code
The Lodi Municipal Code includes local ordinances for the incorporated portion of that city. For updates, check with Lodi's City Clerk.

Manteca Municipal Code
The Manteca Municipal Code includes local ordinances for the incorporated portion of that city. For updates, check with Manteca's City Clerk.

Tracy Municipal Code
The Tracy Municipal Code includes local ordinances for the incorporated portion of that city. For updates, check with Tracy's City Clerk.

California Legal Web Resources

California Legislative Information
Provides access to California bills, including status and voting records, to the California Constitution, and to the current California Code.

California Propositions
The CA Secretary of State Elections Division offers ballot pamphlets from 1996 forward. Links tothe Hastings web site which offers a searchable database of California propositions from 1911 to the present.

California Cases - Official
Provides Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions for the last 60 days. Searchable by name of case or date only.

California Cases - Findlaw
Offers California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals cases from 1934 forward. Searchable by case name, citation, keyword, judge's name, attorney's name, or docket number. Must register in order to view cases.

CourtTV
Offers information on newsworthy cases. Only place to find information on California trial level cases.

California Court Forms
Official Judicial Council court forms, many of which are mandatory within all CA courts.

California Code of Regulations
Provides access to current regulations of California agencies. Searchable by agency or keyword. Does NOT include the text of the CA Building Code.

Local Codes & Charters - UCB's Institute of Governmental Studies
IGS provides a large depository of local codes for California cities and counties. Offers links to those available on the Internet.

Seattle Public Library Muncipal Codes Online
Great place to locate municipal codes for cities in California and across the United States. Offers links to muni code publishers who offer even more codes online.

Federal Legal Web Resources

United States Constitution
This version of the U.S. Constitution includes the text as well as images of the actual pages and information on the founding fathers.

United States Constitution
This version of the U.S. Constitution, provided by THOMAS, is searchable. Also included at this site are other historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers.

U.S. Constitutions - Amendments Not Ratified
The House of Representatives links to the text of the U.S. Constitution provided by THOMAS. However, they have added this list of proposed amendments to the Constitution which were not ratified.

THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet
Provides access to federal legislative information including the text and status of bills, some hearings and reports, and the Congressional Record.

United States Code - Cornell's Legal Information Institute
Uses the House of Representatives version of the U.S. Code but provides searching by keyword and citation and offers a popular name table.

U.S. Supreme Court Web Page
Official web page for the U.S. Supreme Court. Lots of good information about the court but only gives case opinions for the last two years by name and date.

United States Supreme Court Opinions
Part of the Cornell Legal Information Institute, provices access to U.S. Supreme Court cases by topic and name. Includes other information about the Supreme Court and its justices.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Official homepage for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which covers California. Provides access to some 9th Circuit opinions.

The Federal Court Locator
The Federal Court Locator is a service provided by the Villanova University School of Law. It is intended to give net citizens a means to access information related to the federal judiciary, including slip opinions. This information can be viewed on-line or it can be downloaded.

Federal Judiciary Homepage
Provides links to all federal courts and offers information on the federal judiciary. Use the links to locate your local district court web pages.

Code of Federal Regulations
This version, provided by the Cornell Legal Information Institute, links to the GPO version but provides helpful additional help in searching.

Federal Forms
The one-stop shopping web site for forms most used by the public.

Finding Lawyers

Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator
Largest attorney directory available on the Internet. Searchable by individual attorney or by location, area of practice, schools attended, and language ability.

California State Bar
Web page of the California State Bar, the organization charged with licensing and disciplining attorneys. Also includes consumer information pamphlets, information on filing complaints against attorneys, and information on lawyer referral services under the Public Services button.

California State Bar Attorney Search
Attorney Search database provides basic information about California attorneys including current contact information, basic educational background, and notations of any disciplinary action. Most importantly, indicates whether an attorney is entitled to practice in California. Direct link to Attorney Search on left-hand side of front page or under Public Services,

Los Angeles County Law Library Guide to Finding a Lawyer in California
Good guide to locating a lawyer in California. Of particular note is the listing of Southern California legal aid providers.

California Courts Self-Help Center Free & Low-Cost Legal Help
Excellent guide to legal aid offices, lawyer referral services, and local bar associations.

How Can I Find and Hire the Right Lawyer?
Good pamphlet produced by the State Bar which gives tips to consumers on how to find a lawyer and what questions to ask once you find one.

Photo Credits: "Courtroom One Gavel" photo by Joe Gratz at flickr.com - some rights reserved; "Law Books" photo by Jessamyn at flickr.com - some rights reserved.