Keith Mack
There are several ways to find case law online, including through the Library of Congress, FindLaw, HeinOnline, Westlaw, and PACER. The Library of Congress provides access to digitized bound volumes of the U.S. Reports from 1754 to 2012, as well as links to state-related online resources. FindLaw offers a searchable database of United States Supreme Court decisions, as well as informational articles and resources for finding attorneys. HeinOnline includes case law from the U.S. Supreme Court and Early American Case Law, but access is limited to patrons in the Law Library Reading Room. Westlaw provides access to copies of cases as they appear in bound volumes, but users must click the Original Image icon to obtain a copy that is identical to the bound volume. PACER allows users to search and locate federal court case and docket information, but there is a fee for accessing documents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Database | FindLaw, HeinOnline, Westlaw, Nexis Uni, PACER, Caselaw Access Project, Google Scholar, Ravel Law, Lexis |
| Court | U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, Federal District Court, Federal Court, Washington Supreme Court, Washington Court of Appeals |
| Case Type | Summaries, Opinions, Decisions |
| Format | Electronic copies, Bound volumes, PDF copies, Scanned copies |
| Additional Resources | Research guides, Law Library of Congress, United States Reports, Federal Reporter, Federal Supplement series, Bluebook T1, T2 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Search for case summaries
There are several freely available options for finding case summaries online. The Library of Congress provides access to digitized bound volumes of the U.S. Reports from 1754 to 2012, as well as the United States Reports from 1759 to the present. The Library of Congress also has research guides to help locate free case law on the internet using Google Scholar, CourtListener, Caselaw Access Project, FindLaw, and Justia. FindLaw offers a database of case law from the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as several state supreme courts. It includes U.S. Supreme Court Opinions, U.S. Federal Appellate Court Opinions, and U.S. State Supreme, Appellate and Trial Court Opinions.
The Caselaw Access Project also has PDF images of the Federal Reporter and Federal Appendix, including the Federal Reporter (1802-2019) and the Federal Appendix (1996-2018). The Federal Supplement series is published by West Publishing and is available to download in PDF on Westlaw. The University of Washington Law Library offers research guides to assist with conducting research about foreign and international law and citing foreign and international law. The Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington Law Library has scanned, electronic copies of cases from reporters through HeinOnline or Westlaw.
Additionally, many individual federal and state appellate courts' websites provide access to recent decisions issued by that court. Government websites are increasingly offering free access to court decisions online. The U.S. Government Publishing Office's govinfo website provides access to select federal court decisions from 2004 to the present.
Rogers vs. Koons: Copyright Laws Violated
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Criminal Law: Cases and Materials [Connected eBook with Study Center] (Aspen Casebook)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mzAfQN7fL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Browse by jurisdiction
Browsing case law by jurisdiction is a great way to find the volume source page in case law online. Here are some tips and resources to help you get started:
United States Jurisdiction
The Library of Congress provides access to digitized bound volumes of the U.S. Reports from 1754 to 2012 through its Law Library. The Library of Congress also offers free access to case law online through its research guides. This includes a bibliography of links to state-related online resources. By opening the individual state, you can find links to state court websites and online repositories of decisions issued by the state's courts.
The University of Washington's Gallagher Law Library is another useful resource. It offers numerous research guides to assist with conducting research about U.S. federal law and citing to federal law. The library has an extensive print collection of reporters, but electronic copies of cases can often be found through HeinOnline or Westlaw. The Federal Reporter and Federal Appendix are published by West Publishing, and copies of the cases as they appear in the bound volumes can be downloaded as PDFs on Westlaw. The Caselaw Access Project also provides PDF images of the Federal Reporter and Federal Appendix.
FindLaw offers a database of case law from the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as several state supreme courts. It includes U.S. Supreme Court Opinions, a blog regarding recent Supreme Court events, U.S. Federal Appellate Court Opinions, and U.S. State Supreme, Appellate and Trial Court Opinions.
Justia is another website that provides access to U.S. case law, court opinions, and decisions. It covers the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Claims, and other lower federal courts.
Foreign Jurisdiction
Foreign law refers to the national, domestic, or internal law of any country other than the United States. The research methods for foreign law will vary depending on the country. The University of Washington's Gallagher Law Library provides research guides to assist with foreign law research and citing to foreign law. Additionally, the Georgetown Law Library offers a Foreign and Comparative Law Research Guide to help with finding case law by jurisdiction outside of the United States. When encountering citations to non-U.S. sources, Bluebook T2 can provide helpful guidance and links to authoritative versions of sources online.
Case Law: Security Operations' Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Use a database like FindLaw
FindLaw is a free online database that offers thousands of informational articles on U.S. case law, state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. It is a useful resource for legal research, providing access to case law from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and several state supreme courts.
The FindLaw database includes U.S. Supreme Court Opinions, the U.S. Supreme Court Centre, U.S. Federal Appellate Court Opinions, and U.S. State Supreme, Appellate, and Trial Court Opinions. It offers two primary ways to access its collection of case law: by running a search for case summaries or by selecting a jurisdiction to browse applicable laws.
FindLaw's Learn About the Law feature provides a wealth of resources for legal research, including explanations of legal concepts addressed by cases and statutes. It also offers a searchable database of Supreme Court opinions since 1893 and an archive of opinion summaries from 2000 onwards. Additionally, FindLaw provides access to some U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals decisions from 1995 to the present.
When using FindLaw, it is important to note that the platform does not provide PDF versions of the cases. For official PDF copies of cases, researchers can refer to HeinOnline, Westlaw, or the Library of Congress, which offers digitized volumes of the United States Reports as part of its digital collections.
To locate a specific case, it is recommended to search by citation, which is the easiest way of finding a case. If you do not have a specific case in mind, you can refer to secondary sources to locate relevant cases. Additionally, FindLaw offers a Table of Cases, which is useful when you only have the name of one party and need to find the full citation.
Understanding Case Law: Vital for Justice
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Access HeinOnline or Westlaw
HeinOnline is a premier online research platform that provides access to authoritative, true-to-print digital material. It offers more than 238 million pages of multidisciplinary periodicals, essential government documents, international resources, and case law. It is a user-friendly platform that is constantly improving its interface. HeinOnline offers tailored database packages for seamless research, priced by institution, and provides short-term subscription options. It also offers free databases, and users can request digital or print copies for review.
To access HeinOnline, users can contact the company via phone, email, or fax to learn about subscription options. Alternatively, access to HeinOnline is available at the Law Library Reading Room.
Westlaw is another platform that provides access to case law. It offers downloadable PDF copies of cases as they appear in bound volumes. To obtain an identical copy of the case in PDF format, users should click the "Original Image" icon. Westlaw is accessible to patrons in the Law Library Reading Room.
Both HeinOnline and Westlaw are useful tools for researchers, providing access to case law and other legal resources.
Georgia's Open DCFS Cases: Understanding Your Legal Rights
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Refer to Bluebook T2 for non-US cases
When you come across non-US cases and sources, you may be unsure where to start to track down the source. In such cases, it is always advisable to refer to Bluebook T2, which is available online and not in the print book. Bluebook T2 covers international case law and other foreign and international law sources, providing helpful guidance for each country, including links to authoritative versions of sources online.
Bluebook T2 is a valuable resource for navigating the citation of foreign materials according to Bluebook rules. It includes examples from 44 different countries or states, providing guidance on the components of citations. For instance, Table T2 outlines the rules for citing resources containing Chinese, and other languages that do not use the Roman alphabet.
When citing foreign materials, it is important to follow the rules outlined in Bluebook T2, including jurisdiction, transliteration, and abbreviations. For example, when citing a case from a non-US jurisdiction, the jurisdiction should be included at the end of the citation but before any parallel citations, using the abbreviations in Table 10.
It is worth noting that Bluebook T2 is no longer included in the print version of The Bluebook, but it can be accessed for free at legalbluebook.com. Additionally, the Gallagher Law Library offers numerous research guides to assist with conducting and citing research related to foreign and international law.
Foreseeability in Negligence: NJ Case Law Explained
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You can find case law online through the Law Library of Congress research guides. You can also use FindLaw's searchable database of United States Supreme Court decisions, which offers a collection of case law from the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
FindLaw allows you to explore cases by calendar year and find decisions published after June 2009 in volumes 558 and higher. You can browse by year to find the relevant volume.
You can find scanned, electronic copies of cases from reporters through HeinOnline or Westlaw. These PDF copies should be used to verify the support in the citations.
The Federal Reporter and Federal Appendix are published by West Publishing and are available to download in PDF format on Westlaw.
You can locate a federal court case by using the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) or by visiting the Clerk's Office of the courthouse where the case was filed.
![Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies, Revised 8th Edition [Connected eBook with Study Center] (Aspen Coursebook Series)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81t2iaBh45L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
