LibGuides: Fifty-State Law Surveys: 50 State Law Surveys

Finding the Law in the 50 States - Fast!

Why?

Finding the law in each of the 50 states is a typical law firm research assignment for summer associates.
You may be writing a paper and want to discuss and compare the law in the 50 states.

Sure, you could search databases of state statutes, regulations and/or cases. But there may be sources that already compile the results for you!

State Comparison Charts and State Chart Builders - Bloomberg Law
National Survey of State Laws - Hein Online
Side-by-side comparisons in chart form of noteworthy state laws as well as those of popular interest.
50 State Surveys - Statutes and Regulations - Lexis
Lexis Practice Advisor - State Law Comparison Tool
Create state by state charts for the states you select.
Subject Compilations of State Laws [HeinOnline]
Search for a topic and find law review and other articles that list out the law in the 50 states.
50 State Statutory Surveys - Westlaw
50 State Regulatory Surveys - Westlaw
Jurisdictional Surveys - Westlaw
Create a customized compilation of state and/or federal law on any topic. Find statutes in other states/federal by starting with a state/federal code section or starting with search terms.
Practical Law - State Q & A Comparison Tool (Westlaw)
Compare laws across multiple states on certain topics, including labor law, IP & Technology, Litigation and Real Estate.

American Law Reports (ALR) - Westlaw
Also on Lexis. Look at the Table of Cases at the beginning of the article to see cases from the different states.
Restatements of the Law Annotated
For various restatements (torts, contracts, etc.), contains case summaries from the 50 states.
Uniform Laws Annotated - Westlaw
For uniform laws, such as the UCC, Uniform Partnership Act, etc., has case annotations for many states.

Of course, you can just Google, eg. marijuana laws by state. Here are some websites that contain numerous 50 state surveys:

National Conference of State Legislatures
Lists of legislation in the fifty states on certain topics, as well as pending legislation in the fifty state on hot topics. (Look under Research>Topics)
Topical Index: State Statutes - Legal Information Institute
National Association of Secretaries of State
For state election laws.
Justia - 50 State Surveys
Drunk driving laws by state, child custody forms by state, lots more.

Westlaw - State Bill Tracking
Summaries and status of legislation introduced in the current session of fifty state and DC legislatures.
Lexis - Bill Text
Search the full text of bills for all the states and DC. Will have to limit by date.
NCSL Bill Tracking Database
National Conference of State Legislatures
Open States - State-by-State Bills Search
Free. Use the box - search for bills and legislators in each states. Unable to save all results, though.
Legiscan
Free to track bills in your home state, but costs money to track multiple states.

Abortion under State Constitutions by Paul Benjamin Linton
Publication Date: 2020
On June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the United States Supreme Court overruled its earlier decisions in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) that had recognized a right to abortion under the federal constitution. The Court's decision in Dobbs returns the issue of abortion to the States. Before the Court's decision in Dobbs, state constitutional analysis was important as it related to the validity, under state constitutions, of abortion regulations that met federal constitutional standards.