Research Guides: Government Information: Federal Government

Executive Branch

This is the section of the U.S. government which is responsible for executing laws. The executive branch consists of: the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, all the executive departments, and several administrative agencies.

Executive Office of the President
The President is the administrative head of the Executive Branch which includes numerous agencies & the Cabinet. The Executive Office advises the President, helps to formulate policy & performs the daily operations of the President's agenda.
National Security Council
Advises and assists the President in integrating all aspects of national security policy - domestic, foreign,
military, intelligence, and economic.
Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders
A codification (grouping by subject) and index of executive orders, 1945-1989.
Compilation of Presidential Documents
The Compilation of Presidential Documents collection consists of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents which are the official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary.
Presidential directives and Executive Orders
(Federation of American Scientists) - Executive Orders are the formal means through which the President of the United States prescribes the conduct of business in the Executive Branch.

Past Presidents

The American Presidency Project
Party platforms beginning in 1840, inaugural addresses since 1789, public papers since 1929, signing statements, state of the union addresses, etc. (hosted by University of California, Santa Barbara)
POTUS (Presidents of the United States)
Provides background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files.
Presidential Libraries
Links to presidential libraries from Hoover to Bush, George W.
Public Papers of the Presidents (1991 to present)
President's public speeches, proclamations and sometimes executive orders are collected and published together in an annual volume, arranged chronologically - University of Michigan Digital Library

Legislative Branch

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. It consistes of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House has 435 voting members, each one representing a congressional district, and 5 non-voting members, 1 each from the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and 1 resident commissioner. The Senate has 100 members, 2 from each of the 50 states.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005
Provides the biographies of thousands of members of the Senate and House who have served from the first through the 108th Congress. Details the changing face of Congress and lists members by their full name, and for the first time nicknames or initials. Also listed are territorial delegates, resident commissioners, and vice presidents.
Congress.gov
Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. Congress.gov is usually updated the morning after a session adjourns.
Congressional Directory
Congressional Pictorial Directory
In addition to the color photographs, the Congressional Pictorial Directory contains information on length of service, political party affiliation, and Congressional district. There is also a "Party Division" page that lists the total numbers of Republicans, Democrats, and Independent(s) in the Senate and the House of Representatives.l
Congressional Daily Record
Congressional Record (bound)
Congressional Record Daily Digests
Serves as a table of contents for the House and Senate actions reported in the issue and for statements published in the Extensions of Remarks of the Congressional Record. The Daily Digest begins with highlights of the day's action, followed by a summary for the Senate and a summary for the House. Each entry references the Senate or House page number where the item is reported.
Congressional Record Index
Index of the daily issues of the Congressional Record with entries by individual, organization, and topic - contains the History of Bills in print.
Historical Congressisonal Record
The official record of the proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress
Federal Legislative History (Library of Congress)
General Accountability Office (GAO)
Investigative arm of Congress, an independent, nonpartisan agency that investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.
History of Bills
1983 to present
History of Legislation
Legislative history refers to the progress of a bill through the legislative process and to the documents that are created during that process.
Legislative Source Book
From Law Librarians' Society, Washington, D.C.
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. House of Representatives - Rules
This document is formally entitled Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives and contains the fundamental source material for parliamentary procedure used in the House of Representatives, including: the Constitution of the United States; applicable provisions of Jefferson's Manual; rules of the House; provisions of law and resolutions having the force of rules of the House; and pertinent decisions of the Speakers and other presiding officers of the House and Com
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate: Virtual Reference Desk
Ceneral information on the Senate, the legislative branch and process. Arranged broadly by subject.

CRS (Congressional Research Service) Publications

Judicial Branch

The judicial branch of the U.S. government is made up of the court system, with the Supreme Court as the highest court whose members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Federal Judicial Center
Education & research agency for federal court system. Information & history of Federal courts, Supreme Court, courts of appeals, district courts, circuit courts, and historical trials.
History of the Federal Judiciary
Delegates disagreed over whether the Constitution should create inferior federal courts. In the end, the Constitution left the issue open, and the construction of Article III, establishing the national courts, was left to Congress. At the initial session of the First Congress in 1789, the initial Judiciary Act was passed - it would serve as the model for all subsequent judicial legislation - - - - -
LLRX (Law Library Resources Exchange)
Unique, free searchable database, maintained and continually updated by Margaret Berkland.
Supreme Court Opinions
Full-text of Opinions, 2009-present. Also, found here is a link to a transcription of the Constitution of the United States in its original form (about the court).
FindLaw
Supreme Court Opinions, 1893-present.
Full-text database of U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1760 to the present. Searchable by keyword, party name, or U.S. Reports citation.
United States Reports
Decisions of the United States Supreme Court (bound). The U.S. Supreme Court only recognizes the print version as the legal version of the decisions.
Guide to Law Online
Through an agreement with the Library of Congress, the publisher William S. Hein & Co., Inc. has generously allowed the Law Library of Congress to offer free online access to historical U.S. legal materials from HeinOnline. These browseable titles are available through the Library’s web portal, Guide to Law Online: U.S. Federal.