NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam (PCCE)Legal ResearchHard
A paralegal is researching a complex federal administrative law issue for which there is conflicting guidance from different federal agencies. To find the most authoritative and current statement of a federal agency's rule, where should the paralegal primarily look?
- AThe Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.).
- BAn administrative law treatise.
- CThe Federal Register (Fed. Reg.).
- DThe United States Code (U.S.C.).
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.).
The Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) codifies final, general, and permanent rules published by federal agencies. While the Federal Register announces proposed and final rules, the C.F.R. is where the current, effective regulations are organized and published.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. An administrative law treatise is a secondary source providing commentary, not the official rules themselves.
- C. The Federal Register publishes *proposed* and *final* rules, but the C.F.R. organizes and codifies the *current* and *effective* final rules.
- D. The U.S.C. contains federal statutes, not agency regulations.
Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.)
The codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government.
- Organized by agency and subject matter.
- Updated annually.
- Contains the current, effective versions of federal regulations.
Memory trick: Fed Reg 'proposes', CFR 'codifies', USC 'statutizes'!