To understand the law on a particular topic, it is important to member that there will likely be sources from each of the different branches that will need to be considered at the same time.

The Legislative Branch

The duty of the legislative branch is to make the laws (called statutes) of the United States. The federal legislative branch is the Congress of the United States, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. An official record of the proceedings and debates in both the House and Senate is printed in the Congressional Record.

Once a law is created by the Congress it is grouped with laws on the same subject and published in the United States Code. The Code is divided into 50 different titles covering many subjects.

The Executive Branch

The duty of the executive branch is to enforce the laws made by Congress. The executive branch is made of the Office of the President and the agencies and departments, such as the FBI, IRS and Department of Labor. These agencies and departments make regulations (administrative law) to implement the laws of Congress.

Once a year, all federal regulations are arranged by subject and published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Like the US Code, the CFR is divided into 50 titles. Before this yearly publication, regulations and executive documents are published in a daily record, which is the Federal Register (FR).

The Judicial Branch

The duty of the judicial branch is to interpret the laws created by the legislature. The judicial branch is made up of the federal courts. The courts include the federal Bankruptcy Courts, the U.S. District Courts found in each state, the 13 Circuit Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Nevada is served by the Bankruptcy Court of Nevada, the U.S. District Court of Nevada and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.