LibGuides: Legal Research Resources for USD Students (Non-Law): Current Legal Issues/Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Current Legal Issues

ABA Journal
This news site, published by the American Bar Association, is updated throughout the business day.

The legal news sites and law blogs ("blawgs") listed below report on current legal issues. The blog directories listed below provide links to many more legal blogs.

Findlaw Legal Professional News
This news site, from legal publisher Thomson Reuters, contains links to law-related news stories and Findlaw.com legal blogs.
Jurist's Paper Chase (legal news)
This site includes international and United States legal news stories, as well as "feature" articles that provide background information on legal news topics.
Above the Law (blog)
This blog is in the ABA Journal's Blawg 100 Hall of Fame for those blogs which have consistently been outstanding throughout multiple Blawg 100 lists (see ABA Journal's Blawg Directory below).
SCOTUS blog
The"Supreme Court of the United States" blog contains news, commentary, analysis, and the Court's schedule for the week, as well as new filings, orders and opinions.
The Volokh Conspiracy (blog)
This blog, which focuses on constitutional law, is written mainly by law professors. It also is in the ABa Journal's Blawg 100 Hall of Fame.
Wall St. Journal's Law Blog
This legal news blog made the 2014 ABA Journal's Blawg 100 list.
ABA Journal's Blawg Directory
The ABA Journal website maintains a directory of continually updated law blogs, organized by topic, author type, region, law school and courts. It also conducts an annual election for the top 100 "blawgs" each year.
Justia's Blawg Search (directory)
This site contains blawg lists by subject, state, country, and law school, as well as a list of other blawg directories.
Law Professor Blog Network (directory)
The blogs in this directory are written by law professors and focus on legal scholarship.

Legal Dictionary - USD E-book

A Dictionary of Law by Elizabeth A. Martin (Editor); Jonathan Law (Editor)
ISBN: 9780199551248
Publication Date: 2009-06-22
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Legal Dictionaries on the Internet

Nolo's Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions
United States Courts Glossary of Legal Definitions
WEX Legal Dictionary
From Cornell University School of Law's Legal Information Institute (LII)

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronym Finder
A searchable database of human-edited definitions for acronyms and abbreviations.
DoD Dictionary of Military Terms
GovSpeak: A Guide to Government Acronyms & Abbreviations
This guide is an alphabetical list of federal government abbreviations and acronyms. Each abbreviation or acronym is hyperlinked to the official Web site of the government agency or program.

Legal Encyclopedias - USD E-books

The New Oxford Companion to Law by Peter Cane (Editor); Joanne Conaghan (Editor)
ISBN: 9780199290543
Publication Date: 2008-11-15
(USD log in required)

Legal encyclopedias provide general introductions to legal subjects. They are arranged in alphabetical order by subject. Each section contains footnotes to primary sources (cases, statutes and regulations).

West's Encyclopedia of American Law by Thomson Gale (Contribution by); Jeffrey Lehman; Shirelle Phelps
ISBN: 0787693731
Publication Date: 2004-11-01
(USD log-in required)

Legal Encyclopedia - USD Database

LexisNexis Academic Universe (USD log in required)

American Jurisprudence 2d
Refer to the diagram on the Courts and Case Law tab. Under Legal, choose Legal Reference and Advanced Options. Click on "American Jurisprudence" to browse alphabetically by topic. To search only American Jurisprudence 2d, check only American Jurisprudence 2d. Use the box to conduct a segment search e.g. FOOTNOTES(search term) or a keyword or Boolean search.