Rules and regulations are an important part of the legal landscape. A form of delegated legislation, a regulation has the same legal effect as a statute. In the American legal system, the three primary sources of law often need to be considered together. Statutes and regulations, as well as the appellate court opinions interpreting them, provide the legal researcher with a complete picture of the law.

I. The Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations

Through the informal rulemaking...