Government Information, Law, and Policy Legal Research

1 credits · Law School

This course trains students to work directly with government information systems that shape legislation and regulation. Drawing on real-world research problems and structured exercises, students will work directly with primary sources of federal government information, including statutes, legislative history, administrative materials, and government datasets. The course emphasizes how government information is produced and used across the legislative and regulatory process, including congressional voting records, committee materials, agency reports, and statistical datasets. Students will engage with materials from agencies such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and federal statistical repositories. The course culminates in a research project in which students investigate a contemporary legal or policy issue by building a comprehensive record using government sources and evaluating both the strengths and limitations of those materials. Enrollment limited. Pass/Fail. [1]