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Criminal Law Research Guide

Finding State Crim Secondary Sources

A few basic strategies for finding helpful secondary sources on criminal law & procedure in your jurisdiction: 

  1. Research guides: Look for a guide on criminal law research, like this one, from a law library in your state. These should list the major secondary sources in your jurisdiction, including ones from state-level continuing legal education (CLE) providers. 
  2. Westlaw and Lexis: Browse to your jurisdiction and into secondary sources. Search for your keywords and/or keep browsing to find on-topic sources. Both platforms also have an entry point by Practice Area for Criminal Law.
  3. Searching a library catalog: If there's an institutional law library that you have access to (or a public law library) in your jurisdiction, search their catalog for something like "criminal law" or "criminal procedure" and your state. Beware of currentness; the more up-to-date a resource, the better. 

Westlaw

Browse into your jurisdiction and search secondary sources for your keywords. Use filters to narrow as needed. Alternatively, use the lists below to browse to specific criminal sources for your jurisdiction. 

Practice tip: sources like state encyclopedias (e.g., New York Jurisprudence, California Jurisprudence, or Texas Jurisprudence) may include multiple volumes on criminal law and procedure, even if it's not clear from the title of the publication or they're not categorized as "criminal" sources. 

Lexis

Browse into your jurisdiction and search secondary sources for your keywords. Use filters to narrow as needed. Or start from the Practice Areas tab and use Criminal Law & Procedure or Evidence as your starting point. Alternatively, use the lists below to browse to specific criminal sources for your jurisdiction. 

Practice tip: sources like state encyclopedias (e.g., New York Jurisprudence, California Jurisprudence, or Texas Jurisprudence) may include multiple volumes on criminal law and procedure, even if it's not clear from the title of the publication or they're not categorized as "criminal" sources.