The Law Library of Congress produces reports primarily for members of Congress. The legal research reports listed below by topic provide commentary and recommended resources on issues and events. These reports are provided for reference purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. The information provided reflects research undertaken as of the date of writing, which has not been updated unless specifically noted.
The most recent reports are highlighted on our Current Legal Topics page. Historical reports can be found in the “Publications of the Law Library of Congress” collection.
- Adoption, Custody, and Parentage
- Aeronautics and Space
- Armed Forces
- Banking and Finance
- Communications
- Constitutional Issues
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Education, Family, and Children's Rights
- Elections and Campaign Finance
- Emergency and Disaster Relief
- Extradition
- Government Powers and Litigation
- Government Spending
- Gun Control and Firearm Possession
- Healthcare, Safety, and Bioethics
- Immigration, Nationality, and Citizenship
- Import-Export, Trade, Contracts, and Investment
- Indigenous and Cultural Property
- Insurance, Social Security, and Retirement
- Intellectual Property
- Labor Law
- Law Library of Congress
- Lawyers, Judiciary, and Legal Training
- Legal History, Traditions, and System
- Marriage, Divorce, and Estates
- Minority and Human Rights
- Motor Vehicles and Road Infrastructure
- Plants, Animals, and the Environment
- Privacy Rights and Data Protection
- Property and Land Rights
- Religion and the Law
- Science and Technology
- Taxation and Corporations
- Travel Requirements, Visas, and Foreigners' Rights
- Treaties and International Agreements
- War Crimes, Terrorism, and National Security
Adoption, Custody, and Parentage
Adoption Law | May 2013 | Turkey; United States | PDF, 161KB |
Hague Convention on International Child Abduction | June 2004 | 51 jurisdictions; European Union | PDF, 1.77MB |
Provisions on Child Abduction in Non-Hague Countries | May 2015 | 38 countries | PDF, 259KB |
Aeronautics and Space
Airport Noise Regulations | Feb. 2020 | European Union; France; Germany; Italy; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom | PDF, 238KB |
Privatization of Air Traffic Control | May 2015 | Germany | PDF, 177KB | Regulation of Drones | April 2016 | 13 Countries; European Union | PDF, 1.27MB |
Armed Forces
Article 9 of the Constitution | Feb. 2006 | Japan | PDF, 418KB |
Military Draft Law and Enforcement | Nov. 2019 | Israel | PDF, 644KB |
Family and Medical Leave Benefits Provided by the Military | June 2014 | Denmark; Israel; Norway; Sweden | PDF, 205KB |
Interpretations of Article 9 of the Constitution | Sept. 2015 | Japan | PDF, 954KB |
Military Court Decision on Killing Neutralized Palestinian Assailant |
Jan. 2017 |
Israel |
PDF, 368KB |
Military Justice | July 2013 | Australia; Canada; France; Germany; Israel; United Kingdom | PDF, 1.08MB |
Sentencing of Soldier Convicted of Killing Neutralized Palestinian Assailant | Mar. 2017 | Israel | PDF, 257KB |
Supreme Court Decision Invalidating the Law on Haredi Military Draft Postponement | Mar. 2012 | Israel | PDF, 130KB |
Veteran’s Benefits for Non-Citizens | May 2009 | France; Israel | PDF, 192KB |
Veterans’ Benefits for Noncitizens | Oct. 2016 | France; Israel | PDF, 202KB |
Banking and Finance
History of Corruption and the Stanford Case | Jan. 2011 | Antigua and Barbuda | PDF, 104KB |
New Law on Banking and Financial Regulation | Feb. 2010 | France | PDF, 106KB |
Regulation of Bitcoin in Selected Jurisdictions | Jan. 2014; updated June 2014 | 40 countries; European Union | PDF, 129KB |
Regulation of Cryptocurrency | June 2018 | 14 jurisdictions | PDF, 512KB |
Regulation of Cryptocurrency Around the World | June 2018 | 130 countries; Regional Organizations | PDF, 1.40MB |
Regulatory Approaches to Cryptoassets | Apr. 2019 | 45 countries; European Union | PDF, 1.49MB |
Communications
Government Responses to Disinformation | Sept. 2019 | 16 jurisdictions | PDF, 984KB |
Initiatives to Counter Fake News | Apr. 2019 | 11 countries | PDF, 869KB |
Laws Protecting Journalists from Online Harassment | Sept. 2019 | 12 countries; International law | PDF, 1MB |
Constitutional Issues
Crime and Law Enforcement
Education, Family, and Children's Rights
Child Protection Law and Policy | May 2019 | 16 countries | PDF, 2.25MB |
Children's Rights | Aug. 2007 | 16 countries | PDF, 1.58MB |
Civic Education Models | June 2020 | 22 countries | PDF, 2.48MB |
Constitutional Right to an Education | May 2016 | 20 countries | PDF, 633KB |
The Education of Non-Native Language Speaking Children | Apr. 2009 | European Union; France; Israel; Japan; United Kingdom | PDF, 264KB |
Higher Education Reforms and University Asylum | Nov. 2019 | Greece | PDF, 243KB |
Laws on Children Residing with Parents in Prison | July 2014 | 97 countries; United Nations; Council of Europe; European Union | PDF, 767KB |
Elections and Campaign Finance
Campaign Finance | May 2009 | Australia; France; Germany; Israel; United Kingdom | PDF, 363KB |
Citizens United v. FEC and the Future of Federal Campaign Finance Reform | n/a | United States | n/a |
Election Laws | Apr. 2011 | Nigeria | PDF, 268KB |
General Election | May 2010 | United Kingdom | n/a |
General Elections | Nov. 2011 | New Zealand | n/a |
Lobbying Disclosure Laws | Mar. 2017 | France; Germany; United Kingdom | PDF, 163KB |
Parliamentary Elections | Nov. 2007 | Russia | PDF, 155KB |
Presidential Election and the Conflicting Constitutional Interpretations | Oct. 2007 | Lebanon | n/a |
Regulation of Campaign Finance and Free Advertising | Mar. 2016 | Austria, Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom | PDF, 833KB |
Regulation of Foreign Involvement in Elections | Aug. 2019 | 13 countries | PDF, 696KB |
Emergency and Disaster Relief
Continuity of Legislative Activities during Emergency Situations | Mar. 2020 | 36 jurisdictions; United States | PDF, 1.29MB |
Federal, State, and Local Government Responses to COVID-19 | Nov. 2020 | United States | PDF, 264KB |
Legal Responses to the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 | Sept. 2013 | Japan | PDF, 1.92MB |
Extradition
Extradition of Citizens | July 2013 | Brazil and 157 Jurisdictions | PDF, 397KB |
Government Powers and Litigation
Government Services Feedback Practices | Oct. 2017 | 17 countries | PDF, 436KB |
Government Spending
Bond Requirements in a Procurement Protest Procedure | June 2014 | 21 countries | PDF, 362KB |
Regulation of Foreign Aid | Mar. 2012 | 18 countries; European Union | PDF, 2.18MB |
Government Procurement Law and Policy | Mar. 2010 | Brazil; Canada; China; India; Japan; Russia; European Union | PDF, 375KB |
National Funding of Road Infrastructure | Mar. 2014 | 14 countries | PDF, 640KB |
Stimulus Plans: Recent Developments | Mar. 2009 | 17 countries; European Union | n/a |
Switzerland: Implementation of Article 126 of the Swiss Constitution – The “Debt Brake” | June 2016 | Switzerland | PDF, 156KB |
Welfare Reform Act 2012 | May 2012 | Great Britain | PDF, 128KB |
Gun Control and Firearm Possession
Firearms-Control Legislation and Policy | Feb. 2013 | 18 countries; European Union | PDF, 1.54MB |
Healthcare, Safety, and Bioethics
Immigration, Nationality, and Citizenship
Import-Export, Trade, Contracts, and Investment
Forthcoming
Indigenous and Cultural Property
Destruction of Cultural Property | Apr. 2009 | Cyprus | PDF, 445KB |
Mâori Culture and Intellectual Property Law | Dec. 2010 | New Zealand | PDF, 422KB |
Preservation of Historical Cemeteries | Apr. 2014 | 18 countries; United States | PDF, 291KB |
Protection of Indigenous Heritage | Mar. 2019 | 11 countries | PDF, 805KB |
Repatriation of Historic Human Remains | July 2009 | Australia; New Zealand; United Kingdom | PDF, 295KB |
Insurance, Social Security, and Retirement
Forthcoming
Intellectual Property
Digital Legal Depost | July 2018 | 15 countries | PDF, 2.02MB |
Mandatory Deposit Laws | Dec. 2017 | 131 countries | PDF, 461KB |
Patent Term Extensions and Adjustments | Mar. 2016 | 8 countries; European Union | PDF, 279KB |
Protection of Trade Secrets | Aug. 2013 | Brazil; China; India; Russia; South Africa | PDF, 475KB |
Labor Law
Forthcoming
Law Library of Congress
Forthcoming
Lawyers, Judiciary, and Legal Training
Forthcoming
Legal History, Traditions, and System
Access to the Justice System and to Legal Aid | Dec. 2017 | Egypt | PDF, 334KB |
Features of Parliamentary Websites | July 2017 | 50 countries | PDF, 842KB PDF, with maps, 8.75MB |
National Parliaments | Jan. 2016; Feb. 2017; Feb. 2018 | 19 countries; European Parliament; Gulf Cooperation Council countries | see report |
Parliamentary Oversight of the Executive Branch | Aug. 2017 | Canada; Germany; Italy; Japan; Poland; Sweden; United Kingdom; and the United States. | PDF, 445KB |
Service of Process | Sept. 2020 | 17 countries; European Union | PDF, 1.98MB |
Virtual Civil Trials | Apr. 2020 | 25 jurisdictions | PDF, 1.05MB |
Marriage, Divorce, and Estates
Extrajudicial Sanctions Against Husbands Noncompliant with Rabbinical Divorce Rulings | May 2017 | Israel | PDF, 420KB |
Inheritance Laws in the 19th and 20th Centuries | Mar. 2015 | France; Germany; United States; England and Wales | see report |
Spousal Agreements for Couples Not Belonging to Any Religion—A Civil Marriage Option? | Sept. 2015 | Israel |
PDF, 407KB |
Minority and Human Rights
Constitutional Provisions on Women's Equality | July 2011 | 111 countries | PDF, 171KB |
Laws on Homosexuality in African Nations | Feb. 2014 | 49 countries | PDF, 265KB |
Legal Provisions on Gender Equality | Feb. 2020 | Israel; Iran; 16 Arab countries | PDF, 394KB |
Status of Minorities | Oct. 2012 | Greece | PDF, 668KB |
Motor Vehicles and Road Infrastructure
Forthcoming
Plants, Animals, and the Environment
Crude Oil Royalty Rates | Jan. 2015 | 22 countries | PDF, 277KB |
Laws on Leg-Hold Animal Traps Around the World
Animal Trap Laws: Supplemental Report (included above) |
Aug. 2016
Oct. 2016 |
108 Jurisdictions
22 Jurisdictions |
PDF, 864KB PDF, 245KB |
Legislation on Use of Water in Agriculture | Oct. 2010 | 19 countries | PDF, 734KB |
Measures to Implement MARPOL Convention Annex VI, Chapter 4 | June 2014 | United Kingdom | PDF, 103KB |
Oil Spill Liability and Regulatory Regime | June 2010 | Australia; Brazil; Canada; Norway; United Kingdom | PDF, 343KB |
Plant Protection: Edelweiss | Oct. 2012 | Austria; France; Germany; India; Slovenia; Switzerland | PDF, 248KB |
Protection of Environmental Defenders in Latin America | Nov. 2019 | Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Venezuela | PDF, 344KB |
Regulation of Air Pollution | June 2018 | 10 countries; European Union | PDF, 1.38MB |
Regulations Concerning the Private Possession of Big Cats | June 2013 | 21 countries; European Union | PDF, 1.08MB |
Restrictions on Genetically Modified Organisms | Mar. 2014 | 21 countries; United States; European Union; International Protocols | PDF, 1.28MB |
Slaughter of Domestic Animals | May 2014 | Sweden | PDF, 92KB |
Sustainability Criteria for Bio-fuels | Jan. 2008 | Australia; France; Germany; Switzerland | PDF, 211KB |
Wildlife Trafficking and Poaching | Jan. 2013 | Botswana; Central African Republic; Kenya; Mozambique; South Africa; Tanzania | PDF, 384KB |
Privacy Rights and Data Protection
Biometric Data Retention for Passport Applicants and Holders | Mar. 2014 | 14 countries; United States | PDF, 177KB |
Collection of Personal Data of Hotel Guests | Feb. 2019 | European Union | PDF, 134KB |
ECJ Invalidates Data Retention Directive | June 2014 | European Union | PDF, 212KB |
Foreign Intelligence Gathering Laws | Dec. 2014 | France; Netherlands; Portugal; Romania; Sweden; European Union | PDF, 354KB |
Foreign Intelligence Gathering Laws | June 2016 | Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, European Union | PDF, 887KB |
Government Access to Encrypted Communications | May 2016 | Australia, Belgium |
PDF, 757KB |
Laws on Erasure of Online Information | November 2017 | Canada, France, European Union, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom |
PDF, 839KB |
-European Union Update
-Update 2017 |
June 2012
May 2014
December 2017 |
Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom | PDF, 2.47MB PDF, 439KB
PDF, 872KB |
Dec. 2020 | Israel | PDF, 226KB |
Property and Land Rights
Law for the Regulation of Settlement in Judea and Samaria, 5777-2017 | Feb. 2017 | Israel | PDF, 184KB |
Legal Aspects of Ceding Israeli Territory | Oct. 2018 | Israel | PDF, 145KB |
Real Property Law | Oct. 2014; updated Mar. 2015 | China | PDF, 111KB |
Religion and the Law
Science and Technology
Regulation of Artificial Intelligence | Jan. 2019 | 63 jurisdictions | PDF, 3.09MB |
Taxation and Corporations
Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership | July 2017 | European Union; 29 countries | PDF, 390KB |
Travel Requirements, Visas, and Foreigners' Rights
European Union: Status of Unaccompanied Children Arriving at the EU Borders | Sept. 2014 | European Union | PDF, 390KB |
Legal Requirements for Travel by Unaccompanied Minors | July 2014 | El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Mexico | PDF, 102KB |
Treaties and International Agreements
Trade Implications of Brexit: Lessons from Austria’s Accession and Greenland’s Withdrawal | Apr. 2017 | Austria; Greenland | PDF, 177KB |
War Crimes, Terrorism, and National Security
Last Updated: 12/09/2020