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Finding Cases

How to find case law, both when you do and do not know the citation.

About Reporters

Law reports or reporters are series of books that contain judicial opinions from a selection of case law decided by courts.

When a particular judicial opinion is referenced, the law report series in which the opinion is printed will determine the case citation format.

Stages of Printing

Judicial decisions go through a few stages before they are found in a reporter: 

  • Bench Opinions 
  • Slip Opinions
  • Preliminary or Advance Sheets
  • Bound Volumes (the reporters)

West's Regional Reporter Series (with abbreviations)

1. Atlantic Reporter (A., A.2d),  KF 135 .A7 A842.
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.
2. North Eastern Reporter (N.E., N.E.2d),  KF 135 .N6 N672.
Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio.
 
3. North Western Reporter (N.W., N.W.2d),  KF 135 .N7 N672.
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
 
4. Pacific Reporter (P., P.2d),  KF 135 .P2 P342. 
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
The Pacific Reporter does not contain California Courts of Appeal cases after 1959.
 
5. South Eastern Reporter (S.E., S.E.2d),  KF 135 .S6 S682.
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia.
 
6. South Western Reporter (S.W., S.W.2d),  KF 135 .S7 S682.
Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee.
 
7. Southern Reporter (S., S.2d),  KF 135 .S8 S682.
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi.

Other Frequently Cited Reporters (and abbreviations)

Law Reporters1. California Appellate Reports (Cal.App., Cal.App.2d, Cal.App.3d, Cal.App.4th),  KFC 48 .A2-.
Official reporter for decisions of the California Courts of Appeal, and selected decisions of the Appellate Departments of the Superior Courts.
 
2. California Daily Opinion Service (C.D.O.S.), Ref. KFC 47.C3
Quickest unofficial print source for U.S. Supreme Court cases, federal appellate and district cases, and California cases.  LRC keeps 3 months at the Reference Desk.
 
3. California Reporter (Cal. Rptr., Cal. Rptr.2d),  KFC 47 .W53.
Unofficial reporter of decisions of the California Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal, and Appellate Division of the Superior Court. 
 
4. California Reports (Cal., Cal.2d, Cal.3d, Cal.4th),  KFC 45 .A2-.
Official reporter for decisions of the California Supreme Court.
 
5. Daily Appellate Report (D.A.R.), KFC 48 .A33.
Quickest unofficial print source for U.S. Supreme Court cases, federal appellate and district cases, and California cases.  LRC keeps 6 months.
 
6. Federal Reporter (F., F.2d, F.3d),  KF 105 .F421.
Selected decisions of the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (prior to 1982), and Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals.
 
7. Federal Supplement (F. Supp.),  KF 120 .F421.
Contains selected decisions of the U.S. District Courts.
 
8. United States Reports (U.S.),  KF 101 .U5.
Official reporter for U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
 
9. United States Law Week (U.S.L.W.),  KF 100 .U59.
Unofficial, weekly print sources for U.S. Supreme Court cases.
 
10. U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition (L. Ed., L. Ed. 2d),  
KF 101 .U51.
Unofficial reporter for U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
 
11. West's Supreme Court Reporter (S. Ct.),  KF 101 .U521.
Unofficial reporter for U.S. Supreme Court decisions.