U.S. Congress
U.S. Senate – A direct link to the U.S. Senate website.
U.S. House of Representatives – A direct link to the U.S. House of Representatives
Congressional Record – Record of congressional actions and daily digests
Congress.gov – Library of Congress database of federal legislation
Committee Reports – Record of discussions in individual committees
Treaties – Record of Treaty documents
Library of Congress – Direct link to the Library of Congress where one can find free and accessible information
U.S. Federal Statutes and Regulations
U.S. Code – Internet Law Library to search all U.S. Code
Code of Federal Regulations – National Archives and Records Administration that provides search option of all Federal Regulations
Federal Register – Database for Federal Register from 1994 (Volume 59) – 2008 (Volume 73). Federal register showing year to year changes in CFR.
Legal Information Institute – Cornell University School of Law – Contains Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Freedom of Information Act Regulations and more
Qui Tam Laws
False Claims Act / Qui Tam – This qui tam law allows for whistleblowers to file a claim on behalf of the U.S. government against any entity that has defrauded the government. Whistleblowers may be eligible for a reward between 15-30 percent of the amount recovered.
Dodd-Frank Act / Securities Qui Tam – A qui tam law that allows for individuals who provide information relating to a violation of the securities laws to the SEC to be eligible for a reward of 10-30 percent of monetary sanctions.
Dodd-Frank Act / Commodities Qui Tam – A qui tam law that allows for individuals who provide information relating to a violation of the securities laws to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to be eligible for a reward of 10-30 percent of monetary sanctions.
IRS / Qui Tam – Allows individuals who provide original information to the IRS about violation of tax laws or the underpayment of taxes to be eligible for a reward conditional on the collected proceeds obtained by the IRS.
Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) / Qui Tam – Allows crew members that have witnessed an illegal discharge in violation of MARPOL to gather evidence and blow the whistle on the ship and its captain. APPS permits the U.S. government to ask a court to award whistleblowers up to 50 percent of the criminal penalties obtained by the government for APPS prosecutions.
Wildlife Whistleblower / Qui Tam – Various wildlife whistleblower laws have been passed. Many of these laws include reward provisions in order to create an effective enforcement tool.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act – In 2002, this Act was passed in order to add protections for corporate whistleblowers who are employees of publicly traded companies who have reported violations to the SEC.
U.S. State Courts and Statutes
Municipal Codes Online – A search of all municipal codes. Municipal codes are laws that are enacted and enforced by a village, town, city or county government.
U.S. Federal Whistleblower Offices
Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Whistleblower – The government office in charge of investigating whistleblower claims involving securities fraud.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Office of the Whistleblower – The government office in charge of investigating whistleblower claims of possible violations of the Commodity Exchange Act.
Internal Revenue Service Office of the Whistleblower – The government office in charge of investigating whistleblower claims of possible tax fraud violations.
Office of Safety and Health Administration Whistleblower Program – The program enforces the whistleblower provisions of more than twenty whistleblower statutes protecting employees who report violations of various workplace safety and health.
Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges – Whistleblower Collection – The OALJ’s decisions in whistleblower cases, under the more than twenty whistleblower statues that the DOL is charged with enforcing.
Council of the Inspectors General – A Council of Inspectors General from each federal agency.
Directory for all Inspectors General – Link to the contact information of every federal inspector general organized by agency.
FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Office of the Whistleblower – Investigates tips and complaints of possible fraud or other misconduct that are submitted to FINRA’s Whistleblower hotline and from other sources.
Department of Defense Whistleblower Office – Managed by the DoD Office of Inspector General. The whistleblower office handles all tips and complaints submitted by whistleblowers for the various programs managed by the DoD.
Office of Special Counsel – The OSC is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. The OSC’s mission is to protect federal employees and applicants from prohibited personal practices. This mission is especially focused on protecting whistleblowers.
Merit Systems Protection Board – The MSPB hears and decides claims of whistleblowing reprisal filed by federal employees or applicants.
Appeals Office for FBI Whistleblowers – OARM investigates and determines whether or not an unlawful reprisal for whistleblowing has occurred.
EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) – The EEOC’s purpose is to investigate claims of discrimination against a job applicant or an employee based on the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information by enforcing federal law.
U.S. Supreme Court
Official Supreme Court Website
U.S. Circuit Courts
Federal Judiciary Links – Lists all Federal Courts
Federal Circuit – Federal appeals decisions from Merit Systems Protection Board, other agencies
D.C. Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for DC
First Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for MA, ME, NH, PR, RI
Second Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for CT, NY, VT
Third Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for DE, NJ, PA, VI
Fourth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for MD, NC, SC, VA, WV
Fifth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for LA, MS, TX
Sixth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for KY, MI, OH, TN
Seventh Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for IL, IN, WI
Eighth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND,SD
Ninth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for AK, AZ, CA, Guam, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA
Tenth Circuit – Federal appeals decisions before Oct. 1, 1997 for CO, KS, NM, OK, UT, WY
Eleventh Circuit – Federal appeals decisions for AL, FL, GA
To read more about key whistleblower cases, read The New Whistleblower’s Handbook, the first-ever guide to whistleblowing, by the nation’s leading whistleblower attorney. The Handbook is a step-by-step guide to the essential tools for successfully blowing the whistle, qualifying for financial rewards, and protecting yourself.
