Opening Law: How to Find and Read the Law Yourself for Free

Can you open and read the law yourself?

Yes. Anyone can read the law for free, because statutes, court rules and judges' opinions belong to the public. This idea is called open law: the principle that the rules that bind people must be freely available to the people they bind.

The U.S. Supreme Court backed this up in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., decided April 27, 2020 by a 6-3 vote. It held that works created by judges and legislators in their official duties cannot be copyrighted, even the annotations in Georgia's official code. In the Court's words, "Because legislators, like judges, have the authority to make law, it follows that they, too, cannot be 'authors.'"

Reading the law yourself may be enough when:

• You want to know your rights before you call anyone (a lease, a ticket, a final paycheck).
• You are checking a deadline or a rule someone quoted to you.
• Your court has a self-help form for your exact situation, such as a small claims case.
• You want to prepare good questions for a consultation with a lawyer.

Talk to a lawyer first when:

• You have been charged with a crime, or could be.
• You have been served with a lawsuit and a response deadline is running.
• Large sums, your home, custody of a child or your immigration status are at stake.
• The statute points to other statutes, regulations or case law you cannot reconcile.
• The other side already has a lawyer.

Who can use open law sources?

Everyone. No license, account or bar membership is needed to read the law; only some court record systems ask you to register.

• Any member of the public: may read statutes, regulations and published court opinions.
• Federal works: works of the U.S. government are not protected by copyright under 17 U.S.C. § 105.
• State laws and annotations: under the government edicts doctrine applied in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org (2020), works made by legislators and judges in their official roles cannot be copyrighted.
• Court records: most are public, but sealed cases, juvenile matters and some family records are restricted.
• Federal court documents: you need a free PACER account to search and download; fees apply above a quarterly threshold (see Step 4).

Step 1: Name your legal issue and your state

Write down, in one sentence, what happened, where and when. The outcome of this step is the right body of law to open.

• State or federal: most everyday problems (divorce, leases, car accidents, wills, traffic tickets) are governed by state law. Federal law covers areas like bankruptcy, immigration, Social Security and federal crimes.
• Where: the state, and often the county, where the event happened or where you live decides which code and which court apply.
• When: write the date. Many claims have filing deadlines, called statutes of limitations, that start running from that date.

Form: none. Fee: none. Deadline: do this right away, because legal deadlines can be short.

Step 2: Read the statute on the official code website

Find the statute on the government's own website, not a copy. The outcome is the actual text of the rule that applies to you.

• State law: your state legislature publishes its code (often called the statutes, revised code or general laws) free online. Search by topic words, then read the definitions section at the start of the chapter.
• Federal law: the United States Code is prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives and is free to search and download at uscode.house.gov.
• Federal regulations: agency rules are in the Code of Federal Regulations, published online at ecfr.gov.

Check the version date on the page. Laws change, and an old copy from a blog or search snippet may be outdated.

Form: none. Fee: free. Deadline: none, but note any deadline the statute itself sets.

Step 3: Find the court rules and self-help forms

Your state court system's website has the procedural rules and, in most states, a self-help center with fill-in forms. The outcome is the correct form for your case and the rules for filing it.

• Look for a page named "Self-Help," "Forms" or "Representing Yourself" on your state judicial branch site.
• Each form lists its number and revision date at the bottom; use only the current revision.
• The filing fee is set by your state and county. Check the clerk of court's fee schedule, and ask the clerk about a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.

LawHelp.org, run by Pro Bono Net with legal aid and court partners, links to free forms and its LawHelp Interactive tool builds documents for housing, family and debt cases.

Form: your state's form for your case type. Fee: set by your state and county. Deadline: the one in the court rules or on the summons you received.

Step 4: Look up court opinions and case records

Court decisions show how judges read the statute you found. The outcome is real examples of how the law has been applied.

• Federal court records (PACER): as of October 2026, PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document. You are billed only if charges exceed $30 in a quarter; at $30 or less the fees are waived. Court opinions are always free, and viewing records at a federal courthouse costs nothing.
• Fee exemptions: courts may exempt indigent people, pro bono attorneys, academic researchers and nonprofits on request.
• CourtListener: the nonprofit Free Law Project runs CourtListener, a free archive of state and federal opinions and the largest free collection of federal court documents and dockets online. Its free RECAP browser extension shows you documents someone else has already bought from PACER.
• State court records: most states offer a case search on the court or county clerk website; fees for copies vary by state.

Form: PACER registration (free). Fee: see above. Deadline: none.

Step 5: Get free or low-cost legal help if the law is unclear

If the statute and cases leave you unsure, get a lawyer's view before a deadline passes. The outcome is a clear answer for your facts.

• Legal aid: the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funds 129 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations in every state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Its online tool finds the nearest one by address or city.
• LawHelp.org: find free and low-cost legal help by state.
• Paid consultation: bring your one-sentence summary from Step 1, the statute you found and any papers you were served.

Form: the legal aid intake application. Fee: free if you qualify. Deadline: before your court or filing deadline.

What if the law conflicts, or you are in danger?

Get help right away in either case. Reading the law is not a substitute for protection or advice when the stakes are high.

• Statute and case law seem to disagree: courts' interpretations control how a statute applies. A lawyer or legal aid office can tell you which rule wins.
• State and federal law both apply: this happens in employment, housing and benefits cases, and the stricter rule often governs.
• Domestic violence or safety risk: call 911 in an emergency. Your state court's self-help page lists the protective order forms, and legal aid programs often prioritize these cases.

What are common mistakes when reading the law yourself?

The most common mistake is relying on an outdated or unofficial copy of the law. Others are easy to avoid once you know them.

• Reading another state's law because it ranked first in search results.
• Skipping the definitions section, where everyday words get legal meanings.
• Missing a filing deadline while researching.
• Using an old form revision the clerk will reject.
• Paying for PACER documents that are free on CourtListener or as court opinions.

Where are the official resources?

Start with these free, official or nonprofit sources:

• United States Code, Office of the Law Revision Counsel
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
• PACER pricing: how fees work
• CourtListener by Free Law Project
• LawHelp.org, by Pro Bono Net
• Legal Services Corporation: get legal help
• Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc. (April 27, 2020), Legal Information Institute