NFPA Paralegal Core Competency Exam (PCCE)Legal ResearchEasy
A paralegal is tasked with locating the most current version of a specific federal statute. Which of the following sources would provide the official, up-to-date text of federal statutes?
- AUnited States Code (U.S.C.)
- BCode of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.)
- CFederal Register (Fed. Reg.)
- DUnited States Reports (U.S.)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. United States Code (U.S.C.)
The United States Code (U.S.C.) is the official compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal statutes of the United States. It provides the most current and authoritative text of federal laws.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The Code of Federal Regulations codifies federal agency regulations, not statutes.
- C. The Federal Register publishes proposed and final federal agency regulations, not statutes.
- D. United States Reports contains U.S. Supreme Court opinions, not statutes.
United States Code (U.S.C.)
The official codification of the general and permanent federal statutes of the United States.
- Organized by subject matter into titles.
- Updated regularly to incorporate new laws and amendments.
- Primary source for federal statutory law.
Memory trick: To find the law, look to the Code, not the cases or regs.