In the News: Reliable online sources on government

… U.S. Constitution.

Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, House Document 112-129.

Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation via govinfo.

… Executive Orders and other presidential actions and papers.

• Look for very current Executive Orders on the White House website.
• Look for the official online published version of Executive Orders in the Federal Register (in the "Presidential documents" section) a few days after release.
• Look on the White House website (under "Briefing Room") for other very current presidential materials.
• Use Compilation of Presidential Documents for the official online published versions of presidential materials after about a 2-week delay after release.

… Presidential Libraries and White House Websites.

… Federal laws.

• Public Laws via congress.gov provides access to the first published version of a law. But note that the law may have been subsequently modified or repealed. For current law, see...
• United States Code, Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives. Includes those laws currently in force, organized by Title (i.e., subject).

… Bills introduced in Congress.

Congress.gov. The numerous bill versions help to track a bill through the legislative process.

… Debate on the floor of the House or Senate.

Search or browse the Congressional Record via govinfo, which provides next-day coverage of the daily edition.

… Congressional websites.

• House website.
• Senate website.

… Court decisions.

• Opinions from the Supreme Court.
• Use Court Website Links to find decisions on the websites of other federal courts. (Note: We do have access to PACER. Login and password are required to search or view documents. Ask Us for more information on how to login.)

… Briefs.

• Supreme Court Briefs, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General.
• Use Court Website Links to find briefs on the websites of other federal courts.

These materials can be difficult to find. Please contact me for assistance!

Major national newspapers provide good coverage of national politics: Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal.

Other sources:

• National Journal
• Roll Call
• The Hill
• C-SPAN
• Politico

CQ Magazine
Published weekly. "In-depth reports on issues looming on the congressional horizon, plus a complete wrap up the previous week's news, including the status of bills in play, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, committee and floor activity, debates and all roll-call votes."

Keep your skills fresh! Check out Bowdoin's Evaluating Sources and Fake or Fact?: Fake News and Fact Checking.