We recently completed a project to make historical legal research more efficient. Old volumes of Vernon’s Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated and the corresponding pocket parts were moved to a publicly accessible area of the library mezzanine.

These key resources are now housed in one location, making it easier to trace the development of Texas law. This has also freed up shelf space for heavily used volumes like Texas Jurisprudence, case reporters, and session laws.

We hope to see you at the library for some historical legislative research!

Vernon’s Statutes

Vernon’s has been compiling Texas statutes since 1914. People often use these volumes for historical research and practical legal work to:

• find older statutes
• see what the law said at a specific date
• track changes in law over time
• find relevant court decisions, cross-references, and commentary

Though Texas has no official print publisher of its codes, Vernon’s has become a quasi-official publication. The Legislative Reference Library describes the evolution of Vernon's in their article Who Is... Vernon?

You can find digitized copies of Texas statutes from 1879 through 1984 on our website. 

Historical Guides

See our guides for more information about historical research materials at the library.

• Historical Administrative Rules & Regulations
• Historical Texas Case Law
• Historical Texas Court Rules and Intent
• Historical Texas Statutes & Constitutions