Editorial & Sourcing Policy
OpenJurist is a free legal-research portal. Our practice-area and jurisdiction pages explain the law for ordinary readers, built on the same primary legal sources that lawyers and courts rely on. This page explains where that information comes from, how we compile and review it, and its limits.
Primary sources
Our legal content is grounded in primary law: the United States Code, federal and state court opinions in our corpus, the U.S. Constitution and founding documents, and the named federal statutes we host. State-specific facts (deadlines, agency information, and the state statutes that apply) are sourced from the relevant statutes and official government agencies, and each carries its citation.
How pages are compiled and reviewed
Explanatory summaries are drafted with the help of AI grounded in those primary sources, then checked for accuracy against the sources before publication. Statutory deadlines and other time-sensitive facts are hand-verified against the cited statute. Directory entries (government agencies and non-profit legal-help organizations) are verified against official sources.
Currency
The law changes. Each jurisdiction page shows a “Last reviewed” date reflecting when its sourced facts were last checked. A review date is not a guarantee that the law has not changed since — always confirm against the current statute or with a licensed attorney.
Not legal advice
OpenJurist provides legal information, not legal advice. Using the site does not create an attorney–client relationship. Deadlines and rules can be shorter than they appear, can be paused or extended, and turn on the specific facts of your situation. For advice about your own case, consult a licensed attorney — and if a deadline may be near or passed, do so right away.