How to Use Search for Dockets & Documents on Lexis CourtLink

 

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Using Search for Dockets & Documents is the most comprehensive search feature on Lexis^® CourtLink^®.
 

Generally	How to Run a Search for Dockets & Documents
Search Rules	Litigant Name Tips
Noise Words

 

 Generally

This feature allows users to search in dockets and documents at the same time with only one search. It searches the dockets and documents within the Lexis^® CourtLink^® database. It does not search a court's website. This means that Search for Dockets & Documents only searches for documents previously ordered and added to the Lexis^® CourtLink^® database. Search results can include dockets and documents from the following courts:

• United States Federal District Courts
• United States Court of Appeals
• United States Bankruptcy Courts
• Other Selected Federal Courts and Agencies
• Selected State Courts

All items remain in History for 90 days. While you cannot delete items from your History, items are removed after 90 days. Items, such as searches, documents, and email deliveries
are accessible for 90 days. Items you printed, downloaded, or emailed are available for 1 day. 

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 How to Run a Search for Dockets & Documents

Take the following steps to run a search using Search for Dockets & Documents:

1. Select Dockets & Documents from the Search for drop-down. 
2. Select the court you want to run the search in.
3. Enter your search terms in the Keywords field.
4. Click Search. 

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 Search Rules

Running a search using Search for Dockets & Documents uses Lexis^® search logic. It supports Terms and Connectors searching as well as Natural Language searching. You can use wildcards as well. For more information see, Connectors on Lexis CourtLink .

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 Litigant Name Tips

Specific Litigant Name
To search for a litigant name, enter the first name of the litigant within 3 words of the litigant's last name(e.g. mark w/3 dreher).

Multiple Litigants
To search for multiple litigants, enter the first name of each litigant within 3 words of each of their last names. Each litigant is separated by an OR connector (e.g., (mark w/3 dreher)  or (david w/3 beher) or (harley w/3 smith)).

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 Noise Words

Noise words, also called stop words or unsearchable words, are commonly used English words such as any, of, and all. When you run a Terms and Connectors search, the service searches for noise words. When you run a plain language Natural Language search, you can only search noise words when you include the term in quotation marks. The following list includes the most common noise words:
 

a	any	at
as	the	my
are	when	so
of	there	his
is	it	if

Note:  The letter A is considered a stop word in Natural Language searches unless one of the following conditions are met:

• The letter is found within a legal phrase (e.g., a priori).
• The letter is found as part of an entity name (e.g., Jos. A. Bank)
• The letter is found within a quoted phrase (e.g., "file a complaint").

For additional information about noise words, see Noise Words on Lexis CourtLink . 

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