For questions about methods and sources for determining what the law is, or to find support for a legal argument.
Canonical answers:
Questions tagged [legal-research]
160 questions
29
votes
3 answers
How to discover/be aware of changes in law that might affect oneself personally?
I just stumbled upon this article, where it talks about a recent law change:
Norway banned Russian citizens or companies from flying drones or other aircraft in the country on 28 February
I can easily imagine that, while vacationing in Norway, I…
berdario
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20
votes
1 answer
Arizona laws regarding ownership of ground glassware for chemistry usage
I was watching a YouTube video that included an interview with a Clandestine Chemist, and at the 8:50 mark, he states:
In Arizona, mere possession of ground glassware is a felony, if you're not a licensed chemist.
I live in Arizona, and I do some…
Justin
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18
votes
2 answers
Why are there two case numbers for United States v. Trump?
There are two almost identical case numbers assigned for the case United States v. Trump. The dockets are almost identical.
1:23-cr-00257-TSC USA v. TRUMP PACER CourtListener
1:23-cr-00257-TSC-1 - TRUMP, DONALD J. PACER CourtListener
What is the…
Daniel McDonald
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17
votes
2 answers
Law Firm with one lawyer and hundreds of legal experts who haven't passed the bar
In this hypothetical scenario lets say there was a law firm that has only one lawyer to file all paper work, make all court room appearances to represent the firm. All of his work, however preparing for cases and communicating with individuals is…
the1.9gpaProgrammer
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15
votes
3 answers
Looking up a Texas land title case from 1901
I'm a historian, not a lawyer. I would like to get the documents, including the plaintiff and defendant's filings, the witnesses' depositions, and the judgment, for a civil land title case from a district court in a west Texas county in 1901. My…
davo
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13
votes
2 answers
Correlation between wealth and win rate
I’m trying to find out if there’s a correlation between win rates in civil cases and the wealth of the parties involved. I’ve searched google scholar but the only thing I can find is a paper regarding who wins patent disputes. I suspect my lack of…
Beacon of Wierd
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12
votes
2 answers
Can messages in messaging application be used as evidence to accuse someone?
For domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, abusive partners can misuse messaging to harass, intimidate, and threaten.
How significant is evidence of messages in a messaging application (like WhatsApp) considered in this case, assuming…
tarun14110
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10
votes
1 answer
Where can I access records of the 1947 Superman copyright trial?
I'm a comic researcher, seeking court records from 1947 in the United States related to Superman's copyright case. While there's a Wikipedia entry on this case, I couldn't locate the crucial court judgment in legal databases. I found records from…
enjin2000
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9
votes
2 answers
How do you check the legality of a new business model?
How do you check the legality of a new business model to make sure it will be legal, and you won't be running afoul of some law you have no idea of?
user3000992
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8
votes
1 answer
Is there "evidence-based" practice in law?
"Evidence-based practice" (sometimes colloquially called "what works") is a buzzword floating around many professions nowadays, especially medicine and education. The idea is to use scientific research to inform and continuously improve day-to-day…
Robert Columbia
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8
votes
2 answers
How do I interpret a court judgement? What does it mean?
So I've figured out how to read a case citation and find the text of the judgement - maybe using some of the online resources.
As a novice, I'm trying to decide when the judgement actually applies. Does it support my argument?
jimsug
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7
votes
1 answer
How many British statutes are in effect?
How can one find the full enumeration of presently effectual/binding laws making up the statute book at any given time? If they can endlessly be amended by each other then surely they must all be enumerated by some actual list? How does a statute…
JosephCorrectEnglishPronouns
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6
votes
6 answers
Why don't law collections show who the author of the law is?
When reading laws of the Swiss government it just says: "The federal council decrees x,y,z.". Now I'm wondering who the author of some text was and there seems to be no way to find out. I'm sure it was not the federal council itself, they just…
Hakaishin
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6
votes
2 answers
When did the Mexican legal requirement to register a child with two last names come into effect?
In Mexico, children are given two last names at birth, and keep those two surnames throughout life. That's built into information systems and assumed on government forms. It's required by government regulation, the Código Civil Federal (pdf)…
david
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6
votes
2 answers
How can I gather data from past cases in the US? Is it possible?
I want to understand the following:
Let's say I wanted to generate a report on the trends in outcomes of civil cases. Is there anywhere I could download any kind of data related to it? The parties involved, maybe information about the size of…
Vladimir Belik
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