Article Feedback      Printer Friendly

Case Law

Other Useful Searches for Case Law

• Finding References that Define Terms or Phrases
• Finding References to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP)
• Search Tips and Samples for LexisNexis^® at lexis.com^®

On the LexisNexis research services, you can search case law sources by jurisdiction and time periods. The following are just a few of the available sources:

• Federal & State Court Cases - After 1944, Combined
• Most Recent Year Federal & State Court Cases, Combined
• Federal Courts Cases Before 1945, Combined
• US District Court Cases, Combined
• State Court Cases, Combined
• Highest Courts, All States

For additional details about case law sources, view their source descriptions. Refer to your LexisNexis Help for instructions on viewing source descriptions.

Case Citation

Use the Get a Document tab to retrieve a case by reporter citation.

[Top]

Counsel

Use the COUNSEL segment to retrieve cases when you know the name of the attorney or law firm representing one of the parties. For example, take the following steps to retrieve all Illinois Court of Appeals cases that list Davis Polk & Wardwell as counsel:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search Illinois Court of Appeals cases:
   States Legal - U.S. / Illinois / Find Cases / IL Court of Appeals Cases from 1877
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter counsel ( davis polk ) in the search field.
   NOTE: You do not need to use the law firm's complete name. If the law firm name includes the word AND or an ampersand ( & ), omit it from your search. In this example, you could enter: counsel ( davis polk wardwell )
6. Click Search.

For example, take the following steps to retrieve all Supreme Court of Tennessee cases that list Clarence Darrow as counsel:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search Supreme Court of Tennessee cases:
   States Legal - U.S. / Tennessee / Find Cases / TN Supreme Court Cases from 1791
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter counsel ( darrow ) in the search field.
   NOTE: When the attorney's name is unique, use only the last name. If the attorney's name is more common, use the w/3 connector to join the attorney's first name and last name. For example, to find cases listing John Doe as counsel, enter: counsel ( john w/3 doe ).
6. Click Search.

[Top]

Court

Use the COURT segment to retrieve cases from a particular court when you use a source that includes more than one court. For example, take the following steps to find cases decided in the previous month by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search United States District Court for the Southern District of New York cases:
   Federal Legal - U.S. / District Court Cases - By State / NY Federal District Courts
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter court ( southern ) in the search field.
6. Select Previous Month from the Restrict by Date drop-down list.
   
7. Click Search.

The COURT segment also works with group sources. For example, take the following steps to retrieve cases from Alabama, Georgia, and Florida courts that discuss freedom of information:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search state court cases:
   States Legal - U.S. / Combined States / Find Cases / By Court / State Court Cases, Combined
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter court ( alabama or georgia or florida ) and foia or f.o.i.a. or freedom information in the search field.
6. Click Search.

[Top]

Docket Number

A docket number is a series of alpha and/or numeric characters assigned by the court to identify a case.

Use the NUMBER segment to retrieve a case when you know the docket number. For example, take the following steps to retrieve the full text of an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals case with docket No. 93-2314:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search 11th Circuit Court of Appeal cases:
   Federal Legal - U.S. / Find Cases / Federal Courts by Circuit / Federal Cases by Circuit / 11th Circuit - US Court of Appeals Cases
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter number ( 93 and 2314 ) in the search field.
   NOTE: Docket number formats vary and may have intervening characters, such as cv, civ, cr, and crim, that appear between the first set of numbers and the last set of numbers. Use the AND connector to find docket numbers containing these intervening characters.
6. Click Search.

The following list illustrates some docket number variations:

[Top]

Judge

Use the WRITTENBY segment in a specific jurisdiction source to find decisions written by a judge. For example, take the following steps to retrieve decisions written by the Honorable J. Vincent Aug, Jr. from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search Ohio Bankruptcy cases:
   Area of Law - By Topic / Bankruptcy / Find Cases / USAPP, DIST and Bankruptcy Court Cases - 6th Circuit
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter writtenby ( aug ) in the search field.
   NOTE: Use only the judge's last name, because many opinions do not include the judge's first name. The WRITTENBY segment includes majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions.
6. Click Search.

If you want to search for the judge who authored a particular type of opinion, use one of the following segments:

• OPINIONBY - Finds the judge authoring the majority opinion.
• CONCURBY - Finds the judge authoring the concurring opinion.
• DISSENTBY - Finds the judge authoring the dissenting opinion.

For example, take the following steps to retrieve dissenting decisions written by Judge Ciparick of the Court of Appeals of New York:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search New York Court of Appeals cases:
   States Legal - U.S. / New York / Find Cases / NY Court of Appeals Cases from 1794
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter dissentby ( ciparick ) in the search field.
6. Click Search.

[Top]

Party Name

Use the NAME segment to retrieve cases when you know the parties' names. For example, take the following steps to retrieve the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Wright v. Universal Maritime Serv. Corp.:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search US Supreme Court cases:
   Federal Legal - U.S. / Find Cases / U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Lawyers' Edition
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter name ( wright and universal maritime ) in the search field.
   NOTE:Use unique terms from the case name. Always use the AND connector to join party names in NAME segment searches. You do not need to include v., vs., or versus.
6. Click Search.

[Top]

Statute Citation

Use a free-text search to find cases that refer to a specific United States Code (USC) section.

When you search a code section number, include the title and section numbers:

For example, take the following steps to find references to 18 USCS 215 in any federal court opinions issued during the most recent two year period:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search federal cases during the most recent two year period:
   Federal Legal - U.S. / Federal Court Cases Within 2 Years, Combined
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter 18 USC 215 in the search field.
   NOTE:If your search retrieves a large number of documents, use the FOCUS™ feature to add additional search terms. View search results in the KWIC™ format to see the portion of the document that contains your search terms.
6. Click Search.

When you search a code section number for a code section, run a free-text search for the title, section and subsection. Do not include parentheses.

For example, take the following steps to find references to 18 USCS 215 a in any federal court opinions issued during the most recent two year period:

1. Click the Search tab.
2. Click the Legal source tab.
3. Click the following links in the order listed to search federal cases during the most recent two year period:
   Federal Legal - U.S. / Federal Court Cases Within 2 Years, Combined
   NOTE: Because the LexisNexis^® services list some of the most popular sources on the main search page, you can often link to the source you want directly from the Look for a Source box.
4. Click the Terms and Connectors link if it is not already selected.
5. Enter 18 w/5 215 a in the search field.
   NOTE: If your search retrieves a large number of documents, use the FOCUS™ feature to add additional search terms. View search results in the KWIC™ format to see the portion of the document that contains your search terms.
6. Click Search.

[Top]