International, Foreign & Comparative Legal Research

• Resources for understanding U.S. law
• Basic treaty research
• Background information on treaty ratification (for U.S.) and treaty development (internationally)
• Researching digests

I.  U.S. Government

A.  American Government (DVD, 1999)

B.  American Government:  Program 6, The Three Branches of Government (DVD, 2004)

C.  America Rocks:  This web site is a portal for various short musical videos on U.S. history and government.  They are made for children, but the catchy tunes make remembering things easier.  I still play the "I'm just a bill" for my class before we discuss legislative history.

II.  The Legal System

A.  Federal Courts & What They Do (2006)

B.  Federal Judicial Center, Translated Materials:  Multi-lingual ortal for online publications about the U.S. legal system.

C.  Kevin J. Fandl, Narrowing the gap : legal English for the new international legal practitioner (2012)

D.  Kevin J. Fandl, Guía práctica del sistema legal americano para profesionales en un mundo jurídico global (2013)

E. Éxito en el Norte (DVD, 2006):  Se incluye un programa titulado "El sistema legal."

• Public International Law in a Nutshell, Chapter 5 [Reserve]:  Gives background information about types of international agreements and treaty ratification process.
• Frederic L. Kirgis, International Agreements and U.S. Law (1997):  Discusses different classifications of international agreements and their relationship with U.S. Law.
• Brooklyn Law School, Yearbooks and digests (2010).
• Jonathan Pratter, Treaty research basics,  89 Law.Lib.J. 407 (1997).
• Raisch, Marylin J.  Guide I:  Treaties and Other Sources of International Law (2004).
• Arizona State University College of Law, United States Treaties and International Agreements (n.d.).

• U.S. Dept of State, Treaty Actions
  
• United Nations, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General. [print resource]
  --Also available online
  
• U.S.C.S. Notes to uncodified laws and treaties [print resource]:  Unnumbered volume of the U.S.C.S. series, which contains multilateral treaties listed by the dates of signing and annotations to decisions discussing or interpreting the treaties.
  
• International Legal Materials::  Look for the "Recent Actions" section.
  
• Lexis-Nexis & Westlaw:  Search in treaty databases and International Legal Materials online.
  
• Netherlands International Law Review [for Hague Conference conventions]: Look in Table of Contents for entry titled "Information Concerning the Hague Conventions on Private International Law."

Available at CWSL

WorldLII: http://www.worldlii.org/

DOAJ: http://www.doaj.org

Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
—http://libraryguides.cwsl.edu/e-resources

Available from other universities in San Diego

PAIS International: UCSD/SDSU (Online)
—Must be on UCSD or SDSU campus to use this resource

FRANCIS (Intl. Humanities & Soc. Sci.)
—UCSD; On-campus use only

EUROPA World Plus
—UCSD; On-campus use only

Worldwide Political Sciences Abstracts
—SDSU; On-campus use only 

• Advice & consent from 2/3 of Senate
• Ratification by President 

Congressional-Executive Agreement:

• Approval of simple majority of both houses of Congress
• Approval of the President

Sole Executive Agreement:

• Int'l agreement executed solely by the President

• U.S. Department of State, Treaties in Force (2012).
  --Also available in print
  
  
• Kavass' Guide to United States Treaties in Force
  --Database available only at CWSL. 
  --More comprehensive that Treaties in Force
  --Also available in print
  
   
• United States treaty index : 1776- consolidation [print resource]
  --Supplemented by the Current Treaty Index [print resource]
  
  
• United Nations Treaty Collection Database
  
  
• Secondary Sources:  Nutshells, treatises, hornbooks, and journal articles might provide citations to U.S. treaties and other international agreements.

1950-Present

• United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (U.S.T.) [print resource]
  --Also available online to CWSL users on Hein's Treaties and Agreements Library
  
• Treaties and other international acts series [print resource]
  --Also available online to CWSL users on Hein's Treaties and Agreements Library
  
• Senate Treaty Documents
  --From 1995
  --Also available online to CWSL users on Hein's Treaties and Agreements Library
  
• United Nations Treaty Series [print resource]
  --Predecessor was the League of Nations Treaty Series, which is shelved at the beginning of the series.
  --Also available online

Pre-1950

• United States Statutes at Large [print resource]
  --Also available online to CWSL users on Hein's Treaties and Agreements Library
  
• Bevans.  Treaties and other international agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949
  --Available online through LLMC Digital

Unofficial sources

• International Legal Materials [print resource]
  --Also available on Lexis and Westlaw
  --Also available online to CWSL users on Hein's Treaties and Agreements Library
  
• Tufts University Multilaterals Project
  
• University of Minnesota Human Rights Library, Human Rights Treaties and Other Instruments
  
• Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI)
  
• Viadrina International Law Project
  --This is a small collection of international agreements available in a variety of languages
  --The initial homepage is in German but can be switched to English, Spanish, French, or Polish.
  

Legislative History

• Congressional Information Service, CIS Annual:  From 1970 to date.  Look in Index volume under heading "Treaties and Conventions" or the subject matter of the treaty.  Provides references to microfiched congressional documents available in the 2nd Floor Microforms Room.
  --Also available online to CWSL users as Proquest's Congressional & Legislative Insight
  
• Congressional Information Service, CIS U.S. Serial Set Index.  For pre-1970 coverage.  Selected references to Senate treaty documents.
  --Also available online to CWSL users as Proquest's Congressional & Legislative Insight
  --Also available online through the Library of Congress
  
  
• Congressional Record:  May contain debate about treaties.
  --Available online from the Library of Congress' THOMAS [from 101st Congress (1989)]
  --Older editions available online to CWSL users from HeinOnline's U.S. Congressional Documents Library

Travaux Preparatoires

• Documentation of the drafting and negotiation process for international agreements.
  
• Sometimes used by international courts to interpret or understand the development process of an international agreement.
  
• Jonathan Pratter, À la Recherche des Travaux Préparatoires: An Approach to Researching the Drafting History of International Agreements (2008)
  
• Check in library catalogs, journal articles, and internet sources for leads to travaux preparatoires for your particular agreement.

• Digest of the United States Practice in International Law
  --Also available online from the U.S. Department of State 
• A British Digest of International Law (1965)
  
• Guide to official publications of foreign countries (1997)

Saudi Arabia

—Gulf Law: http://gulf-law.com/ (Free)
—Index Islamicus (licensed database); UCSD/SDSU Ref DS 44 I53

—Westlaw
                 Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->Middle East & N. Africa
                 -->Indiv. Countries-->Saudi Arabia

—Lexis
                 Find Laws by Country or Region-->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources
                 -->Saudi Arabia

Turkey
—Index Islamicus (licensed database); UCSD/SDSU Ref DS 44 I53
—DOAJ www.doaj.org (Free): Turkish search interface; Can search with Turkish words
—Westlaw:  Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->Middle East & N. Africa-->Indiv. Countries-->Turkey

—Lexis: "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Turkey

Iran

—Gulf Law: http://gulf-law.com/ (Free)
—Index Islamicus (licensed database);     UCSD/SDSU Ref DS 44 I53
—Westlaw:  Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->Middle East & N. Africa
    -->Indiv. Countries-->Iran

—Lexis; "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Iran

Mexico

1.  Free internet Resources
—Biblioteca Juridica Virtual: http://www.bibliojuridica.org/
—DOAJ: www.doaj.org
—Redalyc: http://www.redalyc.org/homeBasic.oa
—SciELO Mexico:  http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php

2. San Diego Public Library Databases:
http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/
—Referencia Latina & Informe

3. Westlaw
Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->North America--Indiv Countries-->Mexico

4. Lexis
"Find Laws by Country or Region"-->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Mexico

Canada

—CANLII: www.canlii.org
—Westlaw (various databases)
—Lexis (various databases:
   "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Canada

France

—DOAJ: www.doaj.org
—LegiFrance: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/
—Westlaw: Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->
                Europe & UK-->Indiv Countries-->France
—Lexis:  "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->
              Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->France

Poland
—DOAJ: www.doaj.org 
—Westlaw: Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls-->
                Europe & UK-->Indiv Countries-->Poland
—Lexis:  "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->
             Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Poland

Brazil
—DOAJ: www.doaj.org 
—SciELO Brasil: http://www.scielo.br/ 
—Westlaw: Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls
                -->South America--Indiv Countries-->Brazil
—Lexis:  "Find Laws by Country or Region"-->
              Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->France

India
—DOAJ: www.doaj.org 
—Westlaw: Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls
                -->Asia & the Pacific Rim-->Indiv. Countries
                -->India
—Lexis:  Find Laws by Country or Region
             -->Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->India

Ukraine
—DOAJ: www.doaj.org (Search in English)
—Westlaw:  Directory tab-->Intl & Worldwide Matls
                 -->Europe & UK-->Indiv Countries-->Ukraine
—Lexis:  Find Laws by Country or Region-->
             Foreign Laws & Legal Sources-->Ukraine

The Free Internet

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  http://www.doaj.org     
  --Search forms available for selected non-English languages
  --Can search foreign words in English query form
  --Coverage of worldwide publications available for free on the Internet
• Gulf-Law
  http://gulf-law.com/
  --Information on law from countries in the Persian Gulf
   
• Biblioteca Juridica Virtual
  http://www.bibliojuridica.org/ 
  --Searchable database of full text books and articles in Spanish, mostly focusing on Mexican law
• Redalyc
  http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/
  --Free full text articles, primarily in Spanish
• SciELO Mexico
  http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php
  --Includes some social science articles in full text
  --Mostly in Spanish
• SciELO Brasil
  http://www.scielo.br/
  --Includes some social science articles in full text
  --Mostly in Portuguese, some Spanish and English
• WorldLII
  www.worldlii.org
  --Searchable database of legal materials from various jurisdictions worldwide
• CanLII
  www.canlii.org
  --Searchable database of legal materials from Canada

At CWSL

I.  In Print
A.  Fairly good collection of Mexican codes in Spanish
B.  UK statutes and case reporters

II. Online
http://libraryguides.cwsl.edu/e-resources

• Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
  --Provides citations and some abstracts to legal periodicals published worldwide
  --Generally, you will need to find another source for the full-text of the article
• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books
  --Some full text but mostly citations and abstracts
  --Mostly from North American legal periodicals, but there is some coverage from other regions
  --Machine translation of articles available for full text articles in HTML
• International Law in Domestic Courts
  --Selected full text court opinions from various nation-states on topics in international law 
• Lexis/Nexis & Westlaw
  --Lexis has a little more extensive coverage of law from foreign jurisdictions, but Westlaw has good coverage of law from the United Kingdom.

Databases available from the San Diego Public Library
 http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/

• Referencia Latina
• Informe

Other area Research Libraries
(e.g., UCSD, SDSU, USD)

• University of San Diego offers an LLM in International Law.  Accordingly, its print collection of international and foreign materials is a bit more extensive.
• See the listing of databases for other online resources available at UCSD and SDSU

Public Libraries

The following public libraries include some foreign-language materials in their collections (mostly Spanish)

· San Diego Public Library
http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/

· San Diego County Library
http://www.sdcl.org/

· Chula Vista Public Library
http://bibliotheca.chulavista.lib.ca.us/

· San Diego Community College
District Libraries (City College,
Mesa College, and Miramar College)
http://alturl.com/xmzb7

· Southwestern College Library
http://www.swccd.edu/~library/

· Grossmont-Cuyamaca Libraries
http://opac.gcccd.edu/uhtbin/webcat

Bookstores

· Adams Avenue Book Store
http://www.adamsavebooks.com/
—This bookstore has a separate
   room for books in foreign
   languages.  It is located upstairs.

· Bluestocking Books
http://www.bluestockingbooks.com/
—This bookstore has a small
   section of foreign-language
   titles

· 5th Avenue Books
http://www.yelp.com/biz/5th-avenue-books-san-diego
—Across the street from
   Bluestocking Books in Hillcrest.
—Small section of foreign titles

· Baras Foundation Thrift Store (Hillcrest)
http://www.barasfoundation.org/
—This is a secondhand store
   that has a good selection 
   of used books.  There is a
   separate section for books
   in non-English languages. 

Newsstands

Horton News
http://www.yelp.com/biz/horton-news-san-diego
—This newsstand is on the street level of Horton Plaza near the Starbucks.

Hillcrest Newsstand
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hillcrest-newsstand-san-diego
—Located on University Ave, between 5th and 6th in Hillcrest.

Paras Newsstand
http://www.yelp.com/biz/paras-newsstand-san-diego
—In the North Park section of San Diego near 30th St. & University Ave.