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Georgetown Law Library

Congressional Investigations Research Guide

This guide introduces the chief sources of information related to Congressional investigations, including impeachments and other notable investigations throughout U.S. history.

Contents

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Introduction

This page discusses books, journal articles, news articles, and CRS reports which might be useful when researching Congressional investigations. It includes lists of some specific titles and articles that might be of general interest, and also provides guidance on locating additional and more specific materials.  Note also the video tutorials available on the left.

For a list of resources that may be particularly useful if you are new to this topic, see the Getting Started box on the Introduction page of this guide.  You may find the following book in our collection particularly useful as a starting place:

News & Analysis

For news sources containing articles relevant to a particular event or to the circumstances surrounding a particular Congressional investigation, refer to our research guide on finding newspaper articles.  

For authoritative analysis on the major legislation and actions of Congress for each year since 1945, refer to the CQ Almanac, available via the CQ Press Library, which also includes CQ Magazine (a weekly news magazine featuring detailed reporting on public policy, politics, congressional legislation, and elections) back to 1983.  Additional sources for legislative news are available on our Legislative History Research Guide.

Journal Articles

This section lists some significant academic articles written about various aspects of Congressional investigations.  Keep in mind that this is only a small number of the articles written on the subject.There are many more available by searching the library catalog. Be sure to limit your search by selecting the Articles button.

CRS Reports, Generally

Congressional Research Service (CRS), the research arm of the Library of Congress, provides authoritative, objective, and nonpartisan research and analysis to committees and members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, regardless of party and affiliation. CRS produces new research as issues develop or are anticipated, and their reports are designed specifically to meet the needs of Congress. CRS research, while on a variety of topics, falls under five divisions: American Law; Domestic Social Policy; Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade; Government and Finance; and Resources, Science, and Industry.

CRS Reports, Specific Reports

The following are some specific CRS Reports that address this topic.  (Note that some CRS reports are updated periodically; you may want to check to see if there are more recent versions available.)

U.S. Presidential Impeachment Library

Secondary Sources Research Tutorial

Includes videos covering treatises, law reviews, encyclopedias, American Law Reports (ALR), Restatements, and news sources.

Subject-Based Searching Tutorial