> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vaquill.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Status & Currency

> Tell whether a statute section is still good law: actStatus, goodLawStatus, currency notes, and renumbering pointers

Every statute result carries status and currency metadata so you can tell, before you rely on a section, whether it is still in force, has been repealed or moved, and how current the text is. These fields appear on `POST /statutes/search`, `GET /statutes/section/{actId}`, and `POST /statutes/sections`.

## actStatus

The raw status of the section, straight from the source structure.

| Value              | Meaning                                                               |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `in_force`         | The section is currently operative.                                   |
| `repealed`         | The section has been repealed.                                        |
| `renumbered`       | The section moved to a new number (see `renumberedTo`).               |
| `transferred`      | The section moved to a different code or title (see `transferredTo`). |
| `omitted`          | Omitted from the code (often editorially, without repeal).            |
| `reserved`         | A reserved or held-open placeholder with no current text.             |
| `vacant`           | A vacant number with no content.                                      |
| `unconstitutional` | Held unconstitutional.                                                |

## goodLawStatus

A derived, conservative verdict that answers "can I rely on this section today?" It is computed on top of `actStatus` and jurisdiction-specific repeal signals.

| Value           | Meaning                                                                           |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `good_law`      | Operative and current, with a reliable repeal signal for its jurisdiction.        |
| `not_good_law`  | Repealed, unconstitutional, or otherwise no longer operative.                     |
| `not_operative` | Structurally present but with no operative text (reserved, vacant, omitted).      |
| `unknown`       | The jurisdiction has no reliable repeal signal, so we do not claim it is current. |

<Warning>
  `goodLawStatus` is deliberately conservative. Some jurisdictions do not
  publish a reliable repeal signal, so their sections resolve to `unknown`
  rather than over-claiming `good_law`.

  Treat `unknown` as "verify against the official source," not as "current."
  The field is `null` when currency checking is disabled.
</Warning>

## Currency and move pointers

* **`currencyNote`**: the source's own "current through ..." line, when the publisher provides one. Use it to show how fresh the text is, rather than a bare fetch date.
* **`renumberedTo`**: when `actStatus` is `renumbered`, a pointer to the new location.
* **`transferredTo`**: when `actStatus` is `transferred`, a pointer to the new code or title.

Follow `renumberedTo` / `transferredTo` to fetch the section's current home.

## Using it

Gate your product on `goodLawStatus`, surface `currencyNote`, and follow a move pointer when a section has been relocated.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
  import requests

  BASE_URL = "https://api.vaquill.ai/api/v1"
  HEADERS = {"Authorization": "Bearer vq_key_..."}

  def section(act_id: str) -> dict:
      resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/statutes/section/{act_id}", headers=HEADERS)
      resp.raise_for_status()
      return resp.json()["section"]

  sec = section("USC_T42_C21_S1983")

  if sec.get("goodLawStatus") == "not_good_law":
      print(f"Do not rely on {sec['citation']}: {sec.get('actStatus')}")
  elif sec.get("goodLawStatus") == "unknown":
      print(f"Verify {sec['citation']} against the official source before relying on it.")

  # Follow a section that moved.
  if sec.get("actStatus") == "renumbered" and sec.get("renumberedTo"):
      sec = section(sec["renumberedTo"])

  print(sec.get("citation"), "-", sec.get("currencyNote") or "no currency note")
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
  const BASE_URL = "https://api.vaquill.ai/api/v1";
  const HEADERS = { Authorization: "Bearer vq_key_..." };

  async function section(actId) {
    const r = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/statutes/section/${actId}`, { headers: HEADERS });
    if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}`);
    return (await r.json()).section;
  }

  let sec = await section("USC_T42_C21_S1983");
  if (sec.goodLawStatus === "not_good_law") {
    console.warn(`Do not rely on ${sec.citation}: ${sec.actStatus}`);
  }
  if (sec.actStatus === "renumbered" && sec.renumberedTo) {
    sec = await section(sec.renumberedTo);
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Section Identifiers" icon="hashtag" href="/docs/api-guide/concepts/section-ids">
    The `actId` handle and the search then section then body workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Corpus Types" icon="layer-group" href="/docs/api-guide/concepts/corpus-types">
    The corpora you can query and how to scope with `corpusType`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Grounding LLMs" icon="shield-halved" href="/docs/api-guide/grounding-llms">
    Cite only good-law sections and link back to the official source.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Coverage" icon="table" href="/docs/api-guide/coverage">
    Which corpora are ingested and how often each refreshes, per jurisdiction.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>