United States · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in United States, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- Constitution
- Supreme law; invalidates conflicting federal and state action.
- Federal statutes
- Acts of Congress, compiled in the United States Code.
- Federal regulations
- Agency rulemaking under delegated authority, in the CFR.
- Treaties
- Ratified with two-thirds Senate consent; supreme law alongside statutes.
- Case law
- Binding precedent within each appellate hierarchy (stare decisis).
- State constitutions and codes
- Govern all residual, non-federal subject matter.
The legislative process
A bill is introduced in either chamber, referred to committee, reported, debated and voted. It must pass both chambers in identical text, then be signed by the President or survive a veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
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