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HOW TO FIND A COURT CASE |
LexisNexis Legal Research Library web page, Research by Subject, Government
Click on “Federal & State Cases” in the right side menu. Enter either a name in the “Case Name” box or a citation in the “Citation Number” box. A citation is more precise. There may be multiple cases of the same name. If entering a citation click on “Citation Help” next to the box and be sure to enter the citation in the correct format, including use of periods.
Print Copies
Print copies of most U.S. and Ohio cases are also available in the Gov Law collection. A citation is required to find a print copy. Citations may be obtained by doing a name search in LexisNexis Legal Research as described above. Citations are displayed in the results list and at the beginning of each case, after the case name.
CITATIONS TO COURT CASES
A citation to a court case consists of an abbreviation indicating a particular court reporter plus numbers indicating the volume and page number:
94 S Ct. 1009 = Volume 94 of Supreme Court Reporter, page 1009
113 N.E.2d 321 = Volume 113 of Northeastern Reporter 2d series, page 321
| F., F.2d, F.3d | Federal Reporter ( U.S. appellate courts) | LAW KF 105 .F432 |
| F Supp., F Supp. 2d | Federal Supplement ( U.S. district courts) | LAW KF 120 .F42 |
| L. Ed., L. Ed. 2d | Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition ( U.S. Supreme Court) | LAW KF 101 .A313 |
| N.E., N.E.2d | Northeastern Reporter ( Ohio state courts plus NY, Mass., and IL) | LAW KF 135 .N6 |
| S Ct. | Supreme Court Reporter ( U.S. Supreme Court) | LAW KF 101 .A322 |
| U.S. | United States Reports ( U.S. Supreme Court) | LAW KF 101 .A212 |
LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS
American Jurisprudence (AmJur) GOV LAW KF 154 .A42.
Ohio Jurisprudence (OJur) GOV LAW KFO 65 .O35 1977.
Use these legal encyclopedias to locate citations for court opinions dealing with a particular subject. Encyclopedias summarize what courts and laws have said and list selected court cases and laws in footnotes. Since they take a broad view of all jurisdictions and select the most relevant cases, these sources are likely to provide a more accurate result than other sources.
Encyclopedias are arranged alphabetically by broad legal subject areas (such as Civil Rights or Constitutional Law). Start with the general index. Look up your subject (experiment with different terms – concentrate on the principle or concept involved rather than the facts of the situation).
The index gives you a subject chapter name and a section number. To find out what the abbreviations used in the index mean look in the table of abbreviations in the front of any index volume. Look up the chapter name alphabetically in the main volumes of the encyclopedia. Each chapter is divided into numbered sections. There is a detailed outline at the beginning of each chapter for further help in finding what you want. There are also chapter indexes at the end of the volume.
ALWAYS LOOK IN THE POCKET SUPPLEMENTS to each volume for the latest material and case notes.
Specific court decisions are cited in extensive footnotes to the more general discussion. Once cases have been identified, copies may be found through LexisNexis Legal Research as described under Find a Court Case by Name or Citation above.
DIGESTS
Supreme Court Digest GOV LAW KF 101 .U522
Federal Practice Digest GOV LAW KF 127 .W48
Ohio Digest GOV LAW KFO 57 .W4
Comprehensive indexes to federal and Ohio court decisions, but without the overview and evaluation of cases provided by legal encyclopedias. Each individual decision does have a very short description or “digest.” Follow the instructions for using legal encyclopedias above.
ONLINE DATABASES
LexisNexis Legal Research. Library web page, Research by Subject, Government.
Click on the Sources tab, choose Treatises & Analytical Material, then select title(s) for legal encyclopedias and other analytical sources.Click on “OK-Continue” to search. Encyclopedias also have a browse option.
To search full text of all court decisions, choose “Federal & State Cases” in the right side menu. Use the “Select Sources” box on the search form to choose a particular court, groups of courts or subject area. For an individual state, click on “Sources” tab. Select country = United States. Select desired state in the All Regions box. Select the “Cases” category. Select desired source(s), then click on “OK-Continue” to search.
FOR FURTHER HELP:
Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law. GOV REF KF 240 .E35 2001
Black's Law Dictionary. GOV REF KF 156 .B53 1999
The Bluebook A Uniform System of Citation. GOV REF KF 245 .B58 2000
