LibGuides: Source Collection for Law Reviews and Journals: Cases & Court Documents

U.S. Reports & Supreme Court Reporter - U.S. Supreme Court

United States Supreme Court Library - HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Includes: U.S. Reports bound volumes from v. 1 to v. 564 (2011) (as of 3/2/2017) and U.S. Reports Preliminary Prints through v. 566 (June 2012) (as of 3/2/2017).

U.S. Supreme Court Cases - Westlaw
Use for cases not yet published in United States Reports. PDFs of the "Original Image" of the case (as it appeared in Supreme Court Report) are available.

Federal and State Cases

Westlaw This link opens in a new window
Westlaw has PDFs for many — though not yet all — federal and state cases. Use "Find by citation" to bring up the text of the case. Then, look for the "West Reporter Image (PDF)" link [ West Reporter Image (PDF)] in the top, left-hand portion of the page.
LLMC Digital This link opens in a new window
LLMC Digital is a good source for older (pre-20th century) state cases. It also has some pre-1924 federal case reporters. (Tip for Mac users: try Safari or Chrome.)
Early American Case Law - HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Includes: Federal Cases (1894-1897) and the so-called "Trinity Series" — American Decisions (1760 to 1869), American Reports (1870-1887), and American State Reports (1888 to 1911). Also includes: Mining Reports (1883-1906), Abbott's National Digest (1884-1889), and American Leading Cases (1872).

American Maritime Cases, 1923 - (in print at Zief Library)
Zief Library call number: KF 1100 .A2 A43
This is the print version of AMC, a reporter specializing in maritime cases. (AMC is on Lexis and Westlaw, but neither version has PDFs of the cases.)

English & Welsh Cases - Law Reports & English Reports

For cases from 1865 to the present, the Bluebook prefers citation to the Law Reports. Zief Library has the Law Reports via the ICLR Online database, and in print through 2016.

For pre-1865 cases, the Bluebook prefers citation to the English Reports, if the case appears therein. Zief Library has the English Reports via HeinOnline, and in print.

ICLR Online This link opens in a new window
Official case reports from the courts of England and Wales. Covers 1865 to the present. PDFs are available. Also includes a citator, plus access to the official U.K. government archive of currently in force legislation. [On-campus link for ICLR Online.]
ICLR is the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. It is "a not for profit organisation that was established in 1865 as the authorised publisher of the official series of The Law Reports for the Superior and Appellate Courts of England and Wales."
English Reports, Full Reprint (1220-1867) - HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
More than 100,000 English cases, spanning seven centuries, plus Statutes of the Realm, (1235-1713).

Court Records, Filings & Documents

For recent federal court records and filings, start with Bloomberg Law (or PACER, if Bloomberg Law is unavailable), and then try Lexis or Westlaw if you are unsuccessful.

For recent state court records and filings (which are much harder to find), try either Lexis or Westlaw, both of which have selected state court documents.

Bloomberg Law This link opens in a new window
Select "Litigation & Dockets," then "Search Dockets." Bloomberg Law (which offers a front end for PACER) is a much more user-friendly way to retrieve federal court dockets and documents than PACER itself.
PACER - Federal Court Records & Documents This link opens in a new window
PACER offers access to relatively recent federal district and appellate court documents. The search interface can be cumbersome and it is very helpful to know which court the case was in, and the case's docket/filing number.
Contact any of the Zief Law Library's reference librarians for the library's PACER password and a brief PACER orientation.
Supreme Court Records and Briefs (1832-1978) This link opens in a new window
Searchable, exact page images of U.S. Supreme Court petitions, briefs, and other documents. (From Gale Cenage Learning.)

U.S. Supreme Court Briefs, Petitions & Joint Appendices - Westlaw
"Selected coverage begins with 1930 (Briefs), 1985 (Petitions), & 1982 (Joint Appendices)." You can browse or search by key word, docket number, case name, etc. Follow these examples for docket number or case name searches:
adv: dn(10-63)
adv: title(maples and thomas)
U.S. Courts of Appeals Briefs - Westlaw
Selected coverage from 1972 through current.
Westlaw Briefs Sources
"Selected briefs from the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, U.S. Tax Court, 51 state courts and the District of Columbia. Selected Petitions for Writ of Certiorari are also included."

Examples - Supreme Court Cases

Hoffman Plastic Compounds Inc. v. NLRB, 535 U.S. 137 (2002)

Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 130 S.Ct. 2705 (2010)

Examples: Federal & State Cases

Cebebe v. Acheson, 183 F.2d 795 (9th Cir. 1950)

EEOC v. Tortilleria “La Mejor,” 753 F. Supp. 585 (E.D. Cal. 1991)

Jones v. Hallahan, 501 S.W.2d 588 (Ky. 1973)

Example - Court Document

Complaint for Damages and Declaratory Judgment at 4-5, California v. Gen. Motors, No. C06-05755 MJJ (N.D. Cal. Sept. 20, 2006)