National Security Law Research: Primary Sources

The following list links to the major pieces of national security legislation that have passed since 9/11.  GPO now digitally signs and certifies the PDF files in the online Public and Private Laws database to which these laws link.. The digital signature provides assurance that an electronic document has not been altered since GPO disseminated it, verifying document integrity and authenticity of GPO online Federal documents.

To locate legislative history, consult ProQuest Congressional (formerly LexisNexis Congressional) database. 

Executive orders are used by presidents to exercise their authority. They are numbered sequentially as they are issued. Executive Orders from 1937 to the present can be located on the National Archives page.  The list below includes a select few from the last 10 years dealing with national security.

Westlaw and LexisNexis databases for case searching

• Homeland Security and Anti-Terrorism Cases (Westlaw)
• Federal and State Courts Constitutional Law Cases (LexisNexis)
• Federal Immigration Cases and Agency Decisions (LexisNexis)
• Federal Military Law Cases (Westlaw): Cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, courts of appeals, district courts, bankruptcy courts, Court of Federal Claims, Tax Court, military courts, and related federal and territorial courts that relate to veterans and the armed forces and militia. Coverage begins with 1789.
• Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Documents (Westlaw)