Legal Research Flashcards

An attorney needs the legislative history of a recent Colorado statute. Which source is most useful?

Answer: Audio recordings and journals of Colorado General Assembly committee hearings

Colorado legislative history is found in General Assembly committee hearing recordings, journals, and bill files rather than in reporters or regulations.

Session laws enacted by the Colorado General Assembly are published chronologically in:

Answer: Session Laws of Colorado

New enactments appear chronologically in the Session Laws of Colorado before being codified into the C.R.S.

A Colorado trial court is faced with conflicting decisions from two divisions of the Colorado Court of Appeals. What is true?

Answer: Neither division binds the other, so the trial court may follow the more persuasive decision

Divisions of the Colorado Court of Appeals do not bind one another, so a trial court may choose the reasoning it finds more persuasive.

Which research tool organizes case law by topic using numbered subject classifications?

Answer: West Key Number System

West's Key Number System assigns topics and numbered subdivisions to points of law, letting researchers find cases by subject.

When a Colorado statute and a Colorado Supreme Court common-law rule conflict on the same issue, which controls?

Answer: The statute, unless it is unconstitutional

A valid statute enacted by the legislature supersedes conflicting common law.

A researcher wants proposed Colorado agency rules and rulemaking notices. The best source is:

Answer: The Colorado Register

The Colorado Register, published by the Secretary of State, contains notices of proposed rulemaking and newly adopted rules.

Which of the following is the official free public source for Colorado appellate opinions?

Answer: The Colorado Judicial Branch website

The Colorado Judicial Branch posts Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions online at no cost, unlike commercial databases.