50 State Surveys

Listen to this article

Over at the Law Librarian Blog and the Adjunct Law Prof Blog, are two great posts about the Open Government Guide. The guide is described as “a complete compendium of information on every state’s open records and open meetings laws.” I used it a couple times already in some recent research.

The website reminded me of how much I value 50 state surveys! Anyone who has had to compile one, knows the amount of work involved. So when I find one by a reliable source, I rejoice. Both LEXIS and Westlaw offer 50 state surveys on numerous topics. This might be a great approach in lieu of conducting the research yourself.

Another great state by state survey worth mentioning is the 2007 Authentication of Online Legal Resources by the American Association of Law Libraries. This is a state by state report of the trustworthiness of state level legal resources on the Web.

The following are a few other online surveys I have used in the past (please note that some of these are a couple years old and might require updating):

1. Environmental Justice (2004) — ABA

2. Medicaid Benefits (2003-2006) — Henry Kaiser Family Foundation

3. Punitive Damages (2004) — Hinshaw & Culbertson

4. Long Arm Statutes – (2003) — Vedder Price