DC Courts Libraries
The District of Columbia Courts have two libraries:
The Court of Appeals Library, located at the Historic Courthouse (Court of Appeals), is not open to the public.
The Superior Court Library, located in Room 6735 at the Moultrie Courthouse, is open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are closed on federal and DC holidays (see the Courts Holiday Schedule tab). Hours of operations may change due to inclement weather. Such changes will be posted in a red banner on this website.
Search the online catalog to search our titles.
The Court of Appeals and the Superior Court are the equivalent to state courts for the District of Columbia. If you are looking for information about federal court cases or federal docket information, please visit PACER (Public Access To Court Electronic Records), the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, or the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit websites.
Ask a Librarian
If you need help with a legal research question or finding a legal resource, contact the Courts’ librarians through Ask a Librarian.
We can provide basic legal research assistance to help you get started on a research project, including locating treatises or other sources of information.
We cannot provide you with legal advice of any kind; interpret the law; review or provide understanding of sources; extensive or ongoing research; help on a current case; or assistance filling out forms that will be submitted to the Courts.
DC Legislative Histories Collection
The DC Courts Libraries maintain a collection of DC Legislative Histories. We have scanned and indexed over 820 DC legislative histories, passed after DC Home Rule, for you to search. To start your research, see this chart for all DC Laws passed between 1975 and 1984. For legislative histories after 1984, please visit https://dccouncil.us/legislation/.
If you would like the legislative history in a single file or need help finding the legislative history you need, please contact Ask a Librarian.
Archived DC Council hearings may be found at the DC Council’s Video Archive collection.
Also see how a bill becomes a law in the District of Columbia and the legislative process in the DC Council.
Legal Resource and Research Guides
The DC Courts Libraries have compiled links to local and federal resources you may find helpful while navigating our court system. Included are links to DC law, the DC Code, regulations (local and federal), court case locators, reference materials, and links to other local resource agencies. These external resources can assist you in finding information whether you're an attorney or a party without an attorney.
DC Courts Resources
- DC Court Cases Online
- DCCA Orders
- DCCA Opinions
- DCCA Rules
- DCCA Style Guide
- DC Superior Court Rules
- DC Superior Court Administrative Orders
DC Legislation and Regulations
- D.C. Code
- D.C. Council, Legislative Information Management System (LIMS)
- D.C. Municipal Regulations and D.C. Register
- D.C. Office of Documents
- DC.gov
Finding Case Law Online
- DCCA Opinions
- Courtlistener
- Google Scholar (choose Case law under search bar)
- Tutorial by Library of Congress re: Google Scholar
- Legal Information Institute (LII, Cornell)
- FindLaw (Thomson Reuters)
- FastCase (access through D.C. Bar membership)
DC Best Practices
- D.C. Bar Legal Ethics (links to Rules of Professional Conduct and Ethics Opinions)
- D.C. Bar Ethics Hotline
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- National Center for State Courts
Local Legal Organizations
- District of Columbia Bar
- Legal Aid D.C.
- Public Defender Service for D.C.
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
- Office of Attorney General D.C.
- D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program
- American Bar Association
- AARP-Legal Counsel for the Elderly
- Neighborhood Legal Services
- Bread for the City
- D.C. Law Students in Court/Rising Justice
- Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
- University Legal Services
- University of the District of Columbia School of Law Housing
- D.C. Affordable Law Firm
- D.C. Courts' List of Non-Attorney Civil Legal Service Providers
Federal Legal Resource Links
- U.S. Constitution (from the Library of Congress)
- U.S. Code (from govinfo.gov)
- Code of Federal Regulations, C.F.R.
- Congress.gov
- USA.gov
- United States Courts
- Supreme Court of the United States
- The United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Open Access Legal Resources
- Law Technology Today (free search engine linked to hundreds of law review articles; maintained by the ABA)
- Bepress Legal Repository (Berkeley Law School)
- Justia
- Thomson Reuters’s Find Law
- VitalLaw Open Access Version
- Online Law Dictionary featuring Black's Law Dictionary 2nd edition
- Washington Lawyer, the official periodical of the DC Bar Association
Reference/Research Links
- Legal Research Guide for Nonlawyers (AALL)
- Guide to DC Law (Library of Congress)
- Guide to DC Legal Research (Georgetown Law)
- Legal Glossary
- WorldCat (online card catalog)
- DC Bar Legal Resources
- DC Law Help
- Law Library of Congress
Criminal Justice Links
- D.C. Department of Corrections
- Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA)
- Record Sealing and Expungement Help (PDS)
- D.C. Sentencing Commission
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Criminal Practice Institute Manual (CPI)
Local Law Library links
- American University Washington College of Law (Pence Law Library)
- Catholic University, Columbus School Law (Judge Kathryn J. DuFour Law Library)
- George Washington University Law (Burns Law Library)
- Georgetown Law Library
- Howard University School of Law (Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Law Library)
- University of Maryland School of Law (Thurgood Marshall Law Library)
- Click here to find other law libraries in our area
Please note:
- This page provides access to legal information and resources, not legal advice.
- Most links are to outside resources (not maintained by the DC Courts).
Visit the DC Resource Bridge website here