Encyclopedic Works
Both American Jurisprudence [FN5] and Corpus Juris Secundum [FN6] have useful topical sections on federal Indian law under “ Indians.” These works offer a good starting point for researchers unfamiliar with Indian law and are both available on Westlaw®.
Handbooks, Treatises, and Casebooks For background information on different areas of federal Indian law, there are a few books worth considering. The best source, often considered the “ bible” on Indian law, is Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law. [FN7] The most recent edition was published in 2005, and a supplement in 2007. Researchers will find both the 1982 as well as a 1942 edition useful as well. LexisNexis™ also provides electronic database access to the Handbook under the “ Treatises & Analytical Materials” topic. Other useful titles include: Cases on Federal Indian Law; [FN8] American Indian Law; [FN9] The Rights of Indians and Tribes: the Authoritative ACLU Guide to Indian and Tribal Rights; [FN10] and, as noted above, American Indian Law in a Nutshell. [FN11] Law Review Articles Two major bibliographic indices provide access to Indian law articles. The Index to Legal Periodicals, offered in print and through a variety of electronic services, including Westlaw and LexisNexis, categorizes Indian law-related articles under “ Indians.” [FN12] Add “ Indians” to your search terms to find pertinent articles. The Legal Resource Index is another resource, and is available on Westlaw and LexisNexis. [FN13] It also is offered in print as the Current Law Index [FN14] or in a Web-based format called LegalTrac. [FN15] LegalTrac is available at the University of Colorado and University of Denver law libraries. To limit the results of a search, the searcher should add the index term “ Native American.” [FN16] Lee Ryan, at the University of San Francisco Law Library, wrote a research “ cheat sheet” on how to search the Legal Resource Index. [FN17] If you want to search full-text journals and texts, the topical “Native American Law–Texts and Periodicals” database on Westlaw (NAM-TP) is your best bet.