GW Law Library: Library Guides: Federal Statutory Law: Updating Statutes

Updating

Before relying on a statute as authority, verify that it has not been amended or repealed.

See the Office of Law Revision Counsel's United States Code Classification Tables.

Or use the citators on Lexis and Westlaw:

Lexis Shepard's:

Type Shep: and enter a citation in the main search box.
When viewing a document, click on the "Shepardize document" link in the box on the right.

Westlaw Keycite:

When viewing a statute, tabs at the top of the screen provide KeyCite "Notes on Decisions," "History," "Citing References," and "Context & Analysis," which provide links to other authorities that have interpreted the statute.
When viewing a public law, tabs at the top of the screen provide KeyCite "Bill Drafts," "Legislative Materials," and "Statutes Affected."

If updating using print resources:

Check the annual pocket parts and updated supplements for the current status of the U.S.C. section.

United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) Statutory Supplement
The statutory supplement reprints the texts of current public laws and contains selected legislative history documents. Laws are arranged by public law number. Includes annotations and tables indicating which U.S.C. title and section are affected.

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