Research Guides: Source Pulling for Law Journals: Cases, Briefs, and Court Documents

U.S. Supreme Court Cases

HeinOnline - U.S. Supreme Court Library
PDFs of U.S. Supreme Court cases can be found at the HeinOnline U.S. Supreme Court Library. There you will find preliminary prints, slip opinions, and U.S. Reports.
U.S. Supreme Court website - Opinions
The Supreme Court's website has slip opinions, pre-prints, and U.S. Reports back to 1991.
Library of Congress United States Reports
The Library of Congress has U.S. Reports from 1754-2012.

NOTE: For Supreme Court cases before 1875, the Bluebook requires the name and volume of the series in which the case appears. The list of nominative reporters is as follows:

Alexander J. Dallas (1790–1800): 1–4 (1–4 Dall.)
William Cranch (1801–1815): 5–13 (1–9 Cranch)
Henry Wheaton (1816–1827): 14–25 (1–12 Wheat.)
Richard Peters (1828–1842): 26–41 (1–16 Pet.)
Benjamin Chew Howard (1843–1860): 42–65 (1–24 How.)
Jeremiah Sullivan Black (1861–1862): 66–67 (1–2 Black)
John William Wallace (1863–1874): 68–90 (1–23 Wall.)

Other Federal Cases

For other Federal cases, search the case on Westlaw and select Download Original Image (PDF).

You can also check the hard copy reporter in the law library. Older volumes are in storage and will be retrieved upon request.

State Cases

PDFs of state cases can be found on Westlaw. Search for the case and select the Download Original Image (PDF).

LLMC Digital
PDFs of historical state reporters may be available at LLMC Digital.
LibrarySearch
The library has print copies of various reporters on the shelves and in storage. Use LibrarySearch to search by title of the reporter.

Federal Administrative Decisions

HeinOnline - U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals
Decisions for various federal agencies are available on HeinOnline under U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals. It includes agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

LLMC Digital
Selected federal administrative decisions are available in the U.S. Executive collection.

Case Briefs

Federal and state case briefs are generally available on Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law.

Look up the case, then depending on the database:

Westlaw: click on the Filings tab at the top of the case screen.
Lexis: briefs are available in the right column while viewing a case.
Bloomberg Law: when viewing a case, click on the "General Info" icon on the right margin and then the appropriate link under "Related Dockets" to get to a docket sheet with links to request or view briefs and other pleadings.

To search for dockets and briefs:

Westlaw: Select Dockets from the Content Types box on the homepage
Bloomberg: Go to the Litigation header and select Dockets Advanced Search.

Can't find the case filing?

For federal cases, check for coverage in Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law. If a document is not available on Westlaw, Lexis or Bloomberg, it may be available in PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

The law library has a subscription to PACER but because charges are incurred for accessing documents, a law librarian must mediate a PACER request. Email lawref@uoregon.edu and provide the docket number and date of the document from the article (if it's not in the article, try searching the court’s website or Google).