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The Curious Bag
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A federal law is one that is created for and applicable to all states and U.S. territories. Federal law includes both administrative/civil code and criminal code. Federal law consists of code, case precedents and the Constitution.
Administrative/Civil Code
Administrative code is civil law that governs how federal agencies operate, and their duties and responsibilities.These codes also include agencies such as the IRS, and all things that are not part of criminal law.
Criminal Code
Criminal code is that portion of the law that defines crimes and affixes penal parameters.
Case Precedents
Case precedents are created whenever a higher court in the case of federal law, either the circuit court for a specific region or the U.S. Supreme Court, makes a defining decision. In these cases, the court will issue the opinion to be published as case law.
Constitutional Law
The constitution supersedes all other laws. Case law is used to define constitutional principles, however, and therefore becomes the standard until or unless a new standard is set.
Federal Courts
There are two divisions of courts within federal law: The circuit courts are regional and their precedents only valid within their individual districts; the Supreme Court's rulings are valid nationwide.
Source:
The Legal Research Manual: A Game Plan for Legal Research and Analysis, Wren and Wren, 1986
Resource:
Rutgers University: United States federal law
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