The University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law
For journal students, this suggested order of the checklist is based on Bluebook rules that often state a preference for certain formats when citing materials. Make sure to follow the Bluebook rules or your journal’s cite checking policies.
This suggested order is based on trying to find recreations of the print case online, then moving to ILL.
Note: Coverage will vary for unpublished cases on Westlaw.
Below is more explanation about the sources in the checklist above.
Provides access to the PDF versions of the full-text of cases as they originally appeared in West’s federal and regional reporters. Links to PDFs of printed opinions in reported cases will appear in the upper-left hand corner of the Westlaw case document.
Provides access to PDF versions of old (pre-1867) English cases appearing in English Reports as well as U.S. Supreme Court decisions published in United States Reports (until 2016) and U.S. Supreme Court slip opinions (2002-present).
Also provides access to PDF versions of many 19th-century state case reporters published prior to West’s creation of the regional reporters in the 1880s. The best way to start looking for these cases, is to look for "State Reports: A Historical Archive"
Once you've found that and opened, you will be able to narrow your results by state or by publication title. You can either use the interactive map or you can select the "State/Publication" tab and find the state you are looking for.
Provides access to British and Irish case law & legislation, European Union case law, Law Commission reports, and other law-related British and Irish material. Unless you already know what case you are looking for, it may be best to select "Case Law Search".
Selecting "Case Law Search" will allow you to do a keyword/phrase search, as well as narrow your results by courts.
