by Cindy Landau

Last Updated: 14 Oct 2008

NOTE: The Law Library subscribes only to the following print citators: N.H., Atlantic, Northeastern, and IP. Please use Shepard's on LexisNexis or KeyCite on Westlaw to validate cases.

Committee Hearings Reports & Minutes

By Cindy Landau , Assistant Library Director

1. Obtain the Revised Statute Annotated (R.S.A) Number.

2. Find date of passage of law in "History Source" section at end of the R.S.A. section.

A legislative history is a collection of the documents created by Congress or a state legislature during the process leading up to the enactment of a law. The legislative history provides evidence that members of the legislative body were aware of particular issues and facts, and includes comments and recommendations of committees and individual members of the legislative body.

Legal Citations

A citation is a reference to legal authorities and precedents such as statutes, cases, regulations and law review articles. Citations are used in arguments to courts, legal textbooks, law review articles and the like to establish or fortify the propositions argued.

Citations to legal materials follow a standard format which makes it possible for anyone using a law library to find cited cases, statutes, regulations, and law review articles.

Most legal citations consist of three basic parts:

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