ley-ar — Argentine Legal Database Search
Search jurisprudence, legislation, and doctrine from 4 public Argentine legal databases.
Installation
cd {baseDir}/scripts && pip install -e . --break-system-packages -q
Requires Python 3.10+. Dependencies: typer, httpx, rich.
Databases
| DB | Source | Best For | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| saij | saij.gob.ar | National jurisprudence, legislation, doctrine | ✅ Clean JSON API |
| csjn | sjconsulta.csjn.gov.ar | Supreme Court summaries | ✅ HTML+JSON |
| juba | juba.scba.gov.ar | Buenos Aires Province decisions | ⚠️ HTML scraping |
| juscaba | eje.juscaba.gob.ar | CABA court cases/expedientes | ⚠️ Poor free-text |
Default strategy: Start with --db saij,csjn. Add juba only for PBA-specific queries. Use juscaba only with case IDs.
Commands
# Search all databases (parallel)
ley search "prescripción adquisitiva"
# Filter by database(s)
ley search "daño moral" --db saij,csjn
# Limit results
ley search "phishing bancario" --db saij --limit 5
# JSON output for scripting
ley search "responsabilidad civil" --db csjn --json
# Plain text
ley search "contrato de locación" --text
# Status check
ley status
ley --version
Search Tips
- Use legal terminology: "daños y perjuicios" not "accidente de auto"
- Be specific: "prescripción adquisitiva inmueble" > "prescripción"
- "Patentes" ambiguity: returns IP patents, not vehicle tax. Use "impuesto automotor" or "radicación automotor" instead.
- For current tax rates or alícuotas, use web search — these databases index case law, not regulatory info.
Output
Each result: db, id, title, date, snippet, url. Default: Rich table. --json for structured data.
Limitations
- JUBA depends on ASP.NET WebForms scraping — breaks if site changes
- CSJN full case text may need reCAPTCHA (summaries work)
- JUSCABA works best with case identifiers, not free-text
- No auth required — all public APIs
- Respect rate limits: avoid rapid-fire queries