Public law is the law governing the relationship between individuals (citizens, companies) and the state. Public laws can be divided into four branches: administrative law, constitutional law, international law and criminal law. Administrative law is the body of law that arises from the activities of administrative agencies of government. Constitutional law deals with the relationship between the state and individual, and the relationships between different branches of the state, i.e. the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. International law deals with the relationships among nations both in war and in peace. Criminal law deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses.

NOTE: The documents in this section contain public laws as passed and do not necessarily contain amendments added since passage. They should be used as a general guide to legislation, not as up-to-date legal code.

• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
• Federal Register
• GPO Access
• Thomas - Legislation on the Internet
• U.S. Code
• Find Law: LawCrawler
• FirstGov Reference Center: Laws and Regulations
• Legal Information Institute
• Legal Information Institute: State Statutes by Topic
• Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research
• U.S. Courts
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Government Documents Ready Reference Collection
• NEPANet

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 Pub. L. 88-352, Jul. 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 241 (Title 28, Sec. 1447; Title 42, Sec. 197l, 1975a-1975d, 2000a et seq.)
• Civil Rights Act of 1991 Pub. L. 102-166, Nov. 21, 1991, 105 Stat. 1071
• President Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act Remarks by the President, July 1, 2004
• President's Remarks Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education .(May 17, 2004

• Americans with Disabilities Act Pub. L.104-327, Jul. 26, 1990
• A Guide to Disability Rights Laws DOJ
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Statutory Language and Recent Issues - CRS Report, Apr. 23, 2003
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Pub. L. 108-446, Dec. 3, 2004
• Proclamation In Celebration of the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act Jul. 24, 2004

• Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws

• President Announces Initiatives to Combat Human Trafficking Remarks, Jul. 16, 2004

• International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 Pub. L. 105-292, Oct. 27, 1998

• Voting Rights Act of 1965

• ADA Home Page DOJ
• FirstGov
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disabilities Rights Section
• U.S. Department of Education, Special Education & Rehabilitative Services

• Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA) Pub.L. 106-554, Title XVII
• Children's Internet Protection Act - FCC Factsheet
• Children's Internet Protection Act: Study of Technology Protection Measures in Section 1703 - DOC Report 2003
• Children's Online Protection Act of 1998 Pub.L. 105-277, Oct.21, 1988
• Internet: Status Report on Legislative Attempts to Protect Children from Unsuitable Material on the Web - CRS Report, Aug. 30, 2005
• Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act) Pub. L. 108-21, Apr. 30, 2003

• Children's Internet Protection Act American Library Association
• FCC Parents Place
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: Investigative Programs--Crimes against Children

• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) Pub. L. 95-213, Dec. 19, 1977
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - CRS Report, Mar.3, 1999
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Antibribery Provisions
• The International Anti-Bribery and Fair Competition Act of 1998 Pub. L. 105-366, Nov. 10, 1998 (amends Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)
• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ActPub. L. 91-452, Oct. 15, 1970, 84 Stat. 941 (Title 18, Sec. 1961 et seq.)

• Federal Bureau of Investigation--Public Corruption
• The Cost of Corruption
• Fighting Corporate and Government Wrongdoing: A Research Guide to International and U.S. Federal Laws on White-Collar Crime and Corruption
• Global Integrity Global Integrity provides in-depth reports on the state of public integrity and corruption in 25 countries.
• The Open Society Justice Initiative Poder Ciudadano's Transparent Elections Handbook Preliminary Version, 2000
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Anti-Corruption Policies and Strategies Handbook (2006)
• Money in Politics Handbook: A Guide to Increasing Transparency in Emerging Democracies (2003)
• A Handbook on Fighting Corruption (1999)
Transparency International
• Global Corruption Report 2006
• Political Corruption: Selected Web Links
• Transparency International-USA
U.S. Department of State
• Anticorruption Initiatives
• Bribery and Corruption

• Clean Air Act As amended in Pub. L. 101-549, Nov. 15, 1990
• Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act
• Clean Water Act As amended in Pub. L. 95-217, 1977
• Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law - CRS Report, Jan. 24, 2004
• Clean Water Act Issues in the 109th Congress - CRS Issue Brief, Sep. 28, 2005
• Endangered Species Act of 197316 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544, Dec. 28, 1973, as amended 1976-1982, 1984 and 1988
• Endangered Species: Difficult Choices - CRS Issue Brief, Jun. 14, 2004
• Major Environmental Laws EPA
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) Pub. L. 91-190, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, Jan. 1, 1970, as amended by Pub. L. 94-52, Jul. 3, 1975, Pub. L. 94-83, Aug. 9, 1975, and Pub. L. 97-258, § 4(b), Sep. 13, 1982
• Superfund (The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act - CERCLA), 1980 42 USC 103, as amended in 1986
• Superfund: Factbook - CRS Report, Mar. 3, 1997

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--Laws and Regulations
• Selected Internet Resources--The Environment
• American Geological Institute--Environmental Goesicence Program
• National Council on Science and the Environment

• A Citizen's Guide on using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request Government Records
• The Freedom of Information Act 5 U.S.C. § 552, As Amended by Pub. L. 104-231, 110 Stat. 3048
• Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (E-FOIA) Public Law 104-231, 104th Congress
• FOIA Update 1979-2000 -DOJ
• Privacy Act of 1974 5 U.S.C. § 552a As Amended

• U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information and Privacy
• Electronic Privacy Information Center
• Freedom of Information and Privacy Act

• Federal Campaign Finance Laws [PDF]
• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Campaign finance legislation enacted in 2002, often referred to as the McCain-Feingold law. [PDF]
• Help America Vote Act 2002
• National Voter Registration Act NVRA or "Motor Voter Act"
• Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (H.R. 1757)
• The Hatch Act Regulations
• Whistleblower Disclosures

• Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 Pub. L. 103-159, title I, Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1536
• Gun Control Legislation in the 108th Congress CRS Report, Jan. 2003
• Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 Pub. L. 103-322, Sep. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1796
• Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 -Fact Sheet, DOJ

• Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 Pub.L.104-132, Apr. 24, 1996
• Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996: A Summary - CRS Report, Jun. 3, 1996
• Aviation and Transportation Security Act Pub. L. 107-71, Nov. 19, 2001
• Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 Pub. L. 104-208, May 2, 1996(Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997)
• Legislation Related to the Attack of September 11, 2001
• Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT Act) Act of 2001 Pub. L. 107–56, Oct. 26, 2001
• War Powers Resolution Pub. L. 93-148, Nov. 7, 1973, 87 Stat. 555 (Title 50, Sec. 1541 et seq.)

• Fact Sheet: Rail and Transit Security Initiatives DHS
• Office of Antiterrorism Assistance DOS, Bureau of Diplomatic Security

• Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN_SPAM Act) Pub. L. 108-187
• Copyright Law of the U.S. Revised to Apr. 1999 with exceptions (17 USC)
• Digital Millenium Copyright Act Pub. L. 105-304, Oct. 28, 1998
• Intellectual Property: 2005 Special 301 Report USTR
• Protecting Your Intellectual Property: Stop Trade in Fakes!
• Protecting Intellectual Property Rights
• Telecommunications Act of 1996 Pub. L. 104-104, Title V, Feb. 8, 1996
• Fact Sheet on the Telecommunications Act of 1996 IIP, DOS

• Export America: The Federal Source for Your Global Business Needs - DOC, Trade Information Center, Ask the TIC Q&A
• National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• U.S. Copyright Office US Library of Congress
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP.gov
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office