DC Courts Libraries

NEW! The DC Courts Libraries are thrilled to announce you can now search our scanned collection of DC Legislative Histories. Browse our collection to see the Legislative Histories we have available to view. Be sure to check out this chart listing all DC Laws passed between 1975 and 1984.

The PDFs for the Committee Reports are slowly being added to this collection but if you email Ask a Librarian and list the DC Law number you need, one of our librarians will email it back to you within 2 business days.

Remember you can look for archived DC Council hearings at the DC Council’s Video Archive collection.

We are so pleased to offer this collection to our patrons. If you have questions, or suggestions, on this new service, please email us!

The District of Columbia Courts* have two libraries:

• D.C. Court of Appeals (DCCA) Library, located at the Historic Courthouse (Court of Appeals), is not open to the public but their librarian is available via email for reference help.
• D.C. Superior Court Library, located in Room 6735 at the Moultrie Courthouse, is open to the public.

The libraries offer the following resources to assist the public with legal research.

For more information on the legislative process in D.C., be sure to check out this resource on how a bill becomes a law and the legislative process from the D.C. Council.

Legal Resources

The libraries have compiled links to local and federal resources you may find helpful while navigating our courts system. Included are links to D.C. law, the D.C. Code, regulations (local and federal), court case locators, reference materials and links to other local resource agencies. These external resources can assist you in finding information whether you're an attorney or a party without an attorney.

If you need help with these resources, please complete the Ask the Librarian form below.

Please note: 

• This page provides access to legal information and resources, not legal advice. 

• Most links are to outside resources (not maintained by the D.C. Courts).

Ask a Librarian

The Superior Court Library and Court of Appeals Library are pleased to launch a collaborative service for patrons — Ask a Librarian. Do you need help with a legal research question? Are you looking for a legal source of information? If so, Ask a Librarian at the DC Courts Libraries is here to help!

What we can provide help with:

• Basic legal research assistance, e.g., how to locate treatises, how to get started on a research project.
• Locating sources of information.
• Within copyright permissions, sharing of print materials housed in the Superior Court Library.

What we can't provide:

• Review or provide understanding of sources.
• Legal advice of any kind or interpretation of law.
• Extensive or ongoing research.
• Request for help on a current case.
• Assistance filling out forms that will be submitted to the Courts.

*PLEASE NOTE: The DC Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of DC are the equivalent to state courts for the District of Columbia—not federal courts. If you are looking for information about federal court cases or federal docket information, please visit the PACER, the United States District Court for DC, or the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit websites. Thank you!