Anatomy of a Statute

1. Anatomy of a Statute

2. The United States Code The United States Code (USC) • Is issued every six years • Is updated annually • Is arranged into 50 titles • References the Statutes at Large citation • Includes historical notes and cross-references to related sections • Includes an index, a table of acts cited by popular name, and conversion tables that allow you to move between the present version and earlier versions of the Code

3. The United States Code • The United States Code(USC), as published by the government, has several drawbacks • There is a publication lag, especially for the annual supplements. • There are no references to interpreting case law. The meaning of a statute is often unclear and must be interpreted by the courts. The decisions of the courts often become more important sources of law than the text of the statutes.

4. The United States Code Annotated(USCA) The USCA contains the text and features of the statute as they appear in the USC, plus • references to legislative history, and federal regulations • references to the West Key Number System • references to law review and journal commentaries • library references • references to texts and treatises • Notes of Decisions (annotations)

5. United States Code Annotated Citation : 18 USCA 241 Text The text of the statute in the USCA is unchanged from how it appears in the USC, as published by the Government Printing Office.

6. United States Code Annotated Credits (Text Amendments) are past session laws that enacted or modified the statute. Historical and Statutory Notes (Editor’s Notes) are compiled by West attorney-editors and give a more detailed legislative history of the statute.

7. United States Code Annotated Cross-references (to other USCA sections) Library references (to many secondary sources) References to topic and key numbers Law review and journal commentaries Texts and treatises

8. United States Code Annotated Index to the Notes of Decisions (annotations). Subjects are listed alphabetically

9. Notes of Decisions (annotations) are summaries of how courts have interpreted the statute with links to the case law. Notes of Decisions are the headnotes from cases that West attorney-editors have identified as significantly interpreting or applying the statute. United States Code Annotated

10. Question Notes of decisions are also called • Headings • Annotations • Credits • Statutory history

11. Question Notes of decisions are also called • Headings • Annotations • Credits • Statutory history