Cameron Miranda
Case law, also known as precedent or common law, refers to the body of prior judicial decisions used by judges to decide on similar issues. Case law can be binding or merely persuasive, depending on the relationship between the deciding court and the precedent. In the US, federal case files are maintained electronically and can be accessed through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service, which allows users with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court cases. Free case law can also be found online using Google Scholar, CourtListener, Caselaw Access Project, FindLaw, and Justia. In the UK, case law from 2003 onwards can be found on The National Archives website.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Websites | FindLaw, Google Scholar, CourtListener, Caselaw Access Project, Justia, PACER, Georgetown Law Library, The National Archives |
| Features | Free collection of state and federal court opinions, case summaries, articles to understand your options, telephone information system, informational articles, case data |
| Requirements | PACER requires an account |
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What You'll Learn
Using Google Scholar, CourtListener, Caselaw Access Project, FindLaw, and Justia
Google Scholar allows users to search through a wide variety of legal documents and case opinions. It is a powerful tool for finding case law, with a simple search function.
CourtListener is a great resource for those looking for case law and other legal documents. The website offers an advanced case law search function, allowing users to search through the latest case law, PACER documents, judges, and oral arguments. It is automatically updated with the latest court documents.
The Caselaw Access Project is another useful tool, offering a free database of published U.S. court cases. The project includes a user-friendly search function, allowing users to search by party name, court, judge, or date.
FindLaw provides a free collection of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. The website also features thousands of informational articles to help users understand their legal options.
Justia is a comprehensive resource for U.S. case law, court opinions, and decisions. It covers both federal and state law, with a particular focus on the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the country. The website also provides information on the lower federal courts, such as the U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. District Courts.
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Accessing federal case files through PACER
The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service provides the public with electronic access to federal court records. PACER offers information on accessing and filing federal court records electronically. It provides access to more than 1 billion documents filed at all federal courts.
To access federal case files through PACER, you will need to register for a PACER account. The PACER Service Center can assist with any queries between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, by telephone or email.
The cost to access a single document is capped at $3.00, which is the equivalent of 30 pages for documents and case-specific reports. There is a $0.10 per-page charge, based on the number of pages that result from each search and accessing each requested report or document online. If you accrue $30 or fewer charges in a quarter, fees are waived for that period.
If you are unable to locate a case when searching a federal court's case records by case number or party name, you can use the PACER Case Locator. This will generate a listing of nationwide court locations and case numbers where a party is involved in federal litigation. If you still cannot find the case party, you can contact the federal court where you think the case was filed for assistance.
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Using the Voice Case Information System
The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) is a system that allows users to access basic bankruptcy and adversary case information via a touch-tone telephone. The system uses a computer-synthesized voice device to read case information directly from the court's computer. This means that users can obtain case information without the assistance of a deputy clerk.
To access the system, users must call the VCIS number listed under the clerk's office for the appropriate court. Once connected, users can press "1" to hear instructions on how to use the system. The system can be searched by name, case number, social security number, or tax ID number. When searching by name, the individual's surname must be entered first, followed by their first name. It is important to note that spaces, punctuation, and characters such as apostrophes and dashes should not be included when entering names.
If there is more than one case with the same name, the system will list them and allow the user to choose the desired case. If there are 11 or more cases, the system will only read the information for the first ten matching cases. Users can press "5" to hear the information for the next matching case or "3" to skip the remaining cases. If the desired case is not listed, users can call the clerk's office for assistance.
In addition to basic case information, VCIS provides the following information for bankruptcy cases:
- Case number
- Name(s) of debtor(s) or parties
- Social Security number or tax identification number
- Case filing date
- Case chapter
- Conversion date, if any
- Name and telephone number of the debtor's attorney
- Trustee's name
- Assigned judge's name
- Discharge and closing dates
- Case status
- Case assets
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Free or low-cost legal research
There are several free and low-cost legal research tools available to search case law. These include:
Free Legal Research Tools
- Google Scholar provides access to state supreme court and appellate decisions from 1950 onwards. It also offers an extensive database of state and federal cases.
- Legal Information Institute (LII) is a global resource that offers open access to law knowledge. The LII at Cornell Law School provides access to most US laws online for free, as well as a legal encyclopedia called Wex.
- CourtListener is a free legal research website containing millions of legal opinions from federal and state courts. It is sponsored by the Non-Profit Free Law Project, which also sponsors Juriscraper and RECAP.
- LawHelp.org provides referrals to local legal aid and public interest law offices, basic information about legal rights, court forms, self-help information, and court information.
- FindLaw provides searchable Supreme Court decisions.
- Justia offers an extensive, free database to research case law, codes, statutes, regulations, and articles related to federal and state cases. It also sends the latest summaries straight to your inbox.
- The Caselaw Access Project (CAP) makes all published U.S. court decisions freely available to the public online, digitized from the collection of the Harvard Law Library.
- The Law Library of Congress Guide to Law Online includes links to resources on U.S., foreign, and international law.
- GovInfo offers free virtual access to congressional reports, official federal government publications, public laws, congressional records, hearings, and more.
- Zimmerman's Research Guide (LexisNexis) is an online encyclopedia and collection of research guides.
- The Library of Congress has a guide on searching for case law using Google Scholar.
Low-Cost Legal Research Tools
- Casetext utilizes artificial intelligence to provide relevant case law and legal research resources. It offers a free 14-day trial.
- Fastcase offers a comprehensive legal research database with unique visualization tools. Each state bar association pays for licensed lawyers to have access to Fastcase.
- Westlaw is known for its extensive case law database and advanced search features.
- LexisNexis offers a vast collection of legal resources, including statutes, case law, and secondary sources.
- Bloomberg Law provides integrated legal research, news, and business intelligence tools.
- HeinOnline is known for its extensive collection of legal journals, historical legal documents, and government publications.
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Find Case Law via the National Archives
The National Archives' Find Case Law service provides access to court judgments and tribunal decisions from 2003 onwards. The judgments are individually authored and formatted and are received as digital records in the form of Word documents. These are then transformed into XML, HTML, and PDF formats to ensure accessibility and ease of reading for users.
The website offers a search box on its homepage, allowing users to search the full text of every judgment or decision available. Advanced search options enable users to filter results by specific dates, courts or tribunals, party names, or judge names. It is important to note that the search function does not support Boolean operators or spell-checking, and it is not a smart search that matches similar words or concepts.
Users can search for specific phrases by enclosing them in double quotation marks. The search results will include judgments or decisions containing the searched words, regardless of their proximity to each other. Each judgment or decision also displays the court or chamber information and the names of those involved in the case.
The Find Case Law team at The National Archives works to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the records while ensuring accessibility and ease of reading for users.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several online resources that can be used to search for case law in the US. FindLaw, for example, offers a free collection of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. Similarly, Justia provides access to U.S. Case Law, Court Opinions & Decisions. Other resources include Google Scholar, CourtListener, Caselaw Access Project, and PACER.
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is an internet-based service that allows individuals with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court cases and docket information. It also provides access to federal case documents in real-time if you know the specific court the case was filed in.
Yes, there are several free sources of case law available online. In addition to the free resources mentioned above, individuals can also access court opinions from many appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts through a partnership with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) also provides access to court records and case files that have been transferred to them for storage and preservation.
Yes, The National Archives in the UK provides access to judgments and decisions from 2003 onwards. Additionally, individuals can use Google Scholar to locate case law from a variety of jurisdictions.
