"Public Laws" are US statutes. This citation form is most typically used to cite a newly-passed law that has not yet been codified into the US Code, but that's not the only time it's used. They are sometimes called "slip laws", and are analogous to slip opinions in case law.
Citations include the Congress number and a law number within that congress. The first Public Law of the 119th Congress would be Public Law 119-1.
References
Formats
- Pub. L. 111–260
- Pub. L. No. 109-58
- PL 119-92
Examples
- "Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594 (2005)." (https://guides.library.cornell.edu/citing_us_gov_docs/lawsStatutes)
- "This Act, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 109–58, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 594, as amended, known as the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which enacted this chapter and enacted, amended, and repealed numerous other sections and notes in the Code." (https://guides.library.cornell.edu/citing_us_gov_docs/lawsStatutes)
- "PL 119-92" (https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/119th-congress)
- "That arrangement changed in 1953, when Congress passed Public Law 280, in part to deal with what it perceived to be the “problem of lawlessness on certain Indian reservations, and the absence of adequate tribal institutions for law enforcement.” Bryan v. Itasca Cty., 426 U.S. 373, 379 (1976). Public Law 280 gave states the “consent of the United States” to voluntarily assume full jurisdiction over crimes and civil causes of action occurring on an Indian reservation, by state legislative act, “at such time and in such manner” as the state decided. Pub. L. 83-280, 67 Stat. 588, 590 (1953). A state could therefore decline to assume jurisdiction or assume only limited jurisdiction at its option. Yakima Indian Nation, 439 U.S. at 499." Yakama Nation v. Yakima County, 963 F.3d 982 (9th Cir. 2020)
- "The Export Controls Act of 2018 (ECA; P.L. 115-232, Subtitle B, Part I), which became law on August 13, 2018, provides broad, detailed legislative authority for the President to implement dual-use export controls. The law repeals the Export Administration Act EAA of 1979 (EAA; P.L. 96-72), which was the underlying statutory authority for dual-use export controls until it expired in 2001. After the EAA’s expiration, the export control system created pursuant to that law was continued by a presidential declaration of a national emergency and the invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA; P.L. 95-223).5 The ECA directs the President to implement the EAA nonproliferation sanctions provisions pursuant to IEEPA." The U.S. Export Control System and the Export Control Reform Initiative, Congressional Research Service, report no. R41916.
How to link
The GovInfo Link Service can generate authoritative links to Public Laws.
Endpoint: https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/{congress}/{lawtype}/{lawnum}
Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/119/public/1?link-type=details -> redirects to https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-119publ1
"Public Laws" are US statutes. This citation form is most typically used to cite a newly-passed law that has not yet been codified into the US Code, but that's not the only time it's used. They are sometimes called "slip laws", and are analogous to slip opinions in case law.
Citations include the Congress number and a law number within that congress. The first Public Law of the 119th Congress would be Public Law 119-1.
References
Formats
Examples
How to link
The GovInfo Link Service can generate authoritative links to Public Laws.
Endpoint:
https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/{congress}/{lawtype}/{lawnum}Example: https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/119/public/1?link-type=details -> redirects to https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-119publ1