The Roo's Research Toolkit

When we refer to primary law, we are talking about the building blocks that make up the law: statutes, regulations, and cases. These sources serve as the foundation upon which legal arguments are built. While secondary sources offer valuable insights, primary sources hold the ultimate authority. Get ready to explore this essential legal toolkit and unlock the power to apply these core sources with confidence!

The United States operates under a federal system, meaning there is a national government and individual governments in each state. Both the federal government and each state government are divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch writes the laws (Congress at the federal level and the state legislature at the state level). The executive branch enforces the laws (President and federal agencies at the federal level and the Governor and state agencies at the state level). The judicial branch interprets the laws and applies them to specific cases (SCOTUS and lower federal courts at the federal level and state supreme courts and lower state courts at the state level). This separation of powers ensures checks and balances within the government.