Code Words

Abstract

The study of law is a study of text, to one extent or another. This essay illustrates one approach to that study. It charts the extent to which two bodies of law — federal statutory and regulatory law — have increased over time. It does so by counting the pages in the United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations from first through current edition.

The general idea is not new: trace the growth of federal law over time. Never before, however, has a side-by-side measurement of federal statutory and regulatory text been compiled from first through current edition. The essay also provides background on the development of the two federal codes, a note on the method used to compile the data, a few observations, and the data itself.

Keywords: federal law, federal statutes, federal regulations, administrative law, legal history, textualism, empirical legal research

JEL Classification: K10, K20, K23, K40