FEDERAL LAW
History
The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. Through discussion and debate it became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. All through the summer, in closed sessions, the delegates debated, and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution. Among the chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected directly by the people or by the state legislators.
Q: How many courts of appeals are there?
Q: How many district courts are there?
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Federal Agencies
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of the Treasury whose unique responsibilities include protecting the public and reducing violent crime by enforcing Federal laws and regulations relating to alcohol, tobacco products, firearms, explosives, and arson.
Drug Enforcement Administration for news about the latest statistics on drug use and abuse, including state-by-state trends, innovative new programs in fighting addiction, and to find out what Congress is doing in the fight against drugs.
Federal Bureau of Investigation for the latest news on the war against terrorism and FBI's most wanted.
Federal Bureau of Prisons National Institute of Corrections
U.S. Department of Justice for the latest homeland security news, alerts, threats, or for emergency planning information.
U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for providing protection for the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners, protecting endangered federal witnesses and managing assets seized from criminal enterprises.
Code of Federal Regulations
(Rules made by federal agencies and executive departments)
U.S. Code
Search the U.S. Code, which is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States
Browse the U.S. Code at Cornell Law School
U.S. Constitution
The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise.
Search the Constitution - find out about its history and interpretation, as well as the history and interpretation of other historical documents
Browse the Constitution - read the Constitution
Browse the Bill of Rights - read the Bill of Rights