Find the criminal statute that applied on a given date
For readers checking the source of a criminal-law claim.
How can I identify which statute an article or charging document is talking about?
Start with the cited jurisdiction, section, subsection and date of the alleged conduct. Read the legislature’s own text, including definitions, amendments and effective-date notes. Use the charging document as a starting point where available, and distinguish an allegation from a proven fact.
Identify the lawmaking body
Record the exact court or government named, place of the alleged conduct, event date and section number as written. Federal, state and local codes can use similar offense labels. A city name in a news report does not resolve which government enacted the relevant law. If the source gives only a nickname, treat proposed matches as candidates.
Find the legislature’s code or official ordinance publication. Open the full section and record its heading and subsection. Read definitions and cross-references before paraphrasing. Separate the act described, any required mental state, jurisdictional facts and penalty provisions. Some of these may appear in different sections.
Check which version applied
Look for amendments and effective-date notes. The U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel explains how to check the currency of a federal Code section and how effective dates can appear in notes. If the event predates the current text, pull the historical version and the amending law. A law’s publication date can differ from the date a particular amendment takes effect.
Save the exact version, source URL, relevant conduct date and unresolved question. For state and local law, check the corresponding government’s own archives and amendment history. Flag any uncertainty about jurisdiction or the operative version before drawing a conclusion.
Read past the heading
The House publishes 18 U.S.C. § 1705 under the heading “Destruction of letter boxes or mail.” The text distinguishes conduct involving a mail receptacle and conduct involving mail deposited in it. The purpose or use of the receptacle matters. Reading only the heading loses those distinctions. The section alone cannot establish what happened in a particular incident.
Worked example
Illustrative example. A report mentions a damaged box beside a loading dock. A researcher finds § 1705 but cannot tell whether the box was used or intended to receive or deliver mail on a mail route. The note lists that factual question, the date to research and the official section. It leaves the offense determination open.
Primary sources
Related work at Agentic Attorney
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