H3 sideBar Title

sidebar content link

Pennsylvania Resources

This State Guide lists the major sources of law in Pennsylvania. Members of the Georgetown University community can seek additional assistance at the reference desk or online.

RESEARCH GUIDES

• Pennsylvania Legal Research (2007), KFP 75 .B87 2007
  
  
• Pennsylvania Legal Research Handbook (2001), KFP75 .P47 2001
  

STATUTES & LEGISLATION

Constitution

• Pennsylvania Constitution (current version, from the Pennsylvania Department of General Services)
• Pennsylvania Constitution (comprehensive site of all versions of the Pennsylvania state constitutions, including amendments, prepared by Duquesne University School of Law)

Statutes/Code

• Print Versions:
  
  
  • Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Official, 1975 - ), KFP30 1975 .A25
  • Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes, Annotated (Unofficial, 1930 - ), KFP30 1930 .A4
    
    
• Electronic Versions
• Westlaw: PA-ST-ANN (Current, annotated)
• Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Statutes, Regulations, Administrative Materials & Court Rules > PA - Pennsylvania Statutes, Annotated by LexisNexis (Current)
• Free Web : Current Pennsylvania Code (Current, unannotated) (From West and the Pennsylvania General Assembly)

Legislative History

• Session Laws:
  • HeinOnline (1961 - )
  • Microfilm (1776 - 2006)
  • Westlaw: PA-LEGIS (Current) & PA-LEGIS-OLD (1998 - 2008)
  • Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Statutes, Regulations, Administrative Materials & Court Rules > By Statutes & Regulations > Legislative Archive (1991 - )
    
    
• Pennsylvania: Compiling a Legislative History, from Widener University Law Library.
• Compiled Pennsylvania Legislative Histories, from Jenkins Law Library. Search or browse by year. Legislative histories available for a fee.

Legislature

• Pennsylvania Bills (From the Pennsylvania General Assembly, includes bill text and bill histories, 1969 - )
• Pennsylvania General Assembly Home Page
• House of Representatives Home Page
• Senate Home Page

REGULATIONS & AGENCIES

Regulations

• Pennsylvania Administrative Code (1970 - 2008) , KFP 35 1970 .A23
  • Westlaw: PA-ADC (Current)
  • Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Statutes, Regulations, Administrative Materials & Court Rules > By Administrative Materials > PA - Pennsylvania Administrative Code (Current)
  • Free Web: State Regulations (Current, from Fry Communications, Inc., and the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau)
    
    
• Pennsylvania Bulletin (Online only)
  • Westlaw: PA-ADR (Current)
  • Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Statutes, Regulations, Administrative Materials & Court Rules > By Administrative Materials > PA - Pennsylvania Bulletin (Current)
  • Free Web : Pennsylvania Bulletin (Current, from Fry Communications, Inc., and the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau)

Agencies

• Governor's Home Page
  • Executive Orders (1970-)
• Attorney General Home Page
  • Attorney General Opinions Archives
• State Agencies (Click on "PA State Agencies" on top banner)

CASES & COURTS

Cases

• Print:
  • Atlantic Reporter
    • 1st Series (1886 - 1938), KF135 .A7
    • 2nd Series (1939 - ), KF135 .A712
      
      
  • Pennsylvania State Reports, KFP45 .A2
    Note that Pennsylvania has a series of legal reporters for each county called "side reports."
    
    
• Electronic:
  • Westlaw:
    • PA-CS (State cases, dates of coverage vary by court)
    • PA-CS-ALL (State and federal cases, dates of coverage vary by court)
      
  • Lexis:
    • Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Cases > PA State Cases, Combined (State cases, dates of coverage vary by court)
    • Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Find Cases > PA Federal & State Cases, Combined (State and federal cases, dates of coverage vary by court)
      
  • Free Web :
    • Pennsylvania Court Opinions (Supreme Court (11/1996- ), Superior Court (12/1997- ), Commonwealth Court (1997- ))

Courts

• Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System
• Pennsylvania Local Court Rules

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Pennsylvania Local Government Web Pages

STATE LAW REVIEWS & BAR JOURNALS

• Legal Intelligencer (Microfiche, March 1987-1993), KFP52.P48 P48 Micro
  Westlaw: TLI (1992- )
  
  
• Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly (1929 - 2003), K16 .E47
  Microform (1929 - )
  Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Search News > Legal News > Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly (1994 - )
  Westlaw: PABAQ (Selected articles, 1986 - )
  
  
• Pennsylvania Law Weekly (1994 - ), K16 .E491
  Microform (1992-1994)
  Westlaw: PLW (1992 - )

GENERAL

• Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia (2nd ed., 1998 - ), KFP65 .P4 1998
  • Lexis: Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Pennsylvania > Search Analysis & CLE Materials > All PA Treatises & Analytical Materials > Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia
    
    
• Summary of Pennsylvania Jurisprudence 2d, KFP65 .S86 2d
  
  • Westlaw: PAJUR
    
    
• Pennsylvania Keystone: Lawyer's Desk Library of Practice (1964 - ), KFP77 .L38
  
  
• West's Pennsylvania Practice Series TM (Online only, dates vary by subject)
  • Westlaw: PAPRAC
    
    
• Free Web:
  • Guide to Law Online: Pennsylvania (From the Law Library of Congress)
  • Pennsylvania Constitution Web Page (From Duquesne University School of Law)
    Includes Attorney General's opinions, case law and historical versions of the state constitutions.
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association Home Page
    Voluntary bar association.
  • Pennsylvania Bar Institute
    "The continuing legal education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association" (from PBI Web page).
  • Rules of Professional Conduct and Ethics (Current, from Fry Communications, Inc., and the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau)
  • FindLaw: Pennsylvania
  • Legal Information Institute: Pennsylvania
  • Tax Forms (From the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue)

Updated 07/2009 (TMV)
07/2007 (SAS)
Links 08/08 (MMK)

 

Page last saved on 07/10/2009