Case Law - Legal Research on the Web
Note: If the case can not be found in the following databases, the case may possibly be obtained via the court docket or webpage. See Courts & Dockets.
State & Federal
Federal: U.S. Supreme, Appellate, District Court
Ohio
All States
State and Federal Databases:
LexisNexis Academic - Select court from "Select Sources" pulldown menu, OR From the Sources tab>Select the region you want to search, and click on the file that says "Cases" . Available in the law library to the public. Available remotely with a CSU ID and Scholar PIN.
Casemaker: Case law for 50 states, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, recent federal appellate, district court and bankruptcy opinions. Available at the public access terminals in the law library, or remotely with a Casemaker username and password.
Selected Internet Federal Case Law Sites:
United States Supreme Court Opinions :
- All decisions on: The Public Library of Law ; Justia ; PreCYdent
- Open Jurist (1810-)
- Altlaw: (1759-)
- LexisOne (1781-).
- FindLaw's Supreme Court Opinions (1893-)
- FindACase - from Versuslaw. (1886-) Case name and opinion text provided, but citation of the case and docket number are not. One could obtain the citation by finding the case cited within another case. Or, the citation will be provided for a $2.95 fee. You must provide your zip code and enter a CAPTCHA character string to do a search.
- Where to obtain U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - a document of all the published print and electronic sources for the court's opinions.
- U.S. Supreme Court's web site (2000-)
- USSC+ Site (1792-)
- Cornell's Legal Information Institute: Searchable by topic, party name, opinion author. Supreme Court Collection - 1990 to date, and selected historical opinions - LII Collection of Historic Decisions.
- FedWorld FLITE database of opinions from 1937 - 1975
Federal Circuit Court Cases:
- Appellate Decisions from 1882 to present on Open Jurist . Browse or search by Federal Reporter citation.
- Appellate Decisions from 1950 to present on: The Public Library of Law ; Justia ; Altlaw
- Search all US Circuit Court of Appeals Decisions on the Internet via LII
- FindLaw links to federal appellate court opinions
- LexisOne provides access to federal case law for the past ten years.
- Appellate Decisions also available via: PreCYdent
- FindACase - from Versuslaw. Case name and opinion text provided, but citation of the case and docket number are not. One could obtain the citation by finding the case cited within another case. Or, the citation will be provided for a $2.95 fee. You must provide your zip code and enter a CAPTCHA character string to do a search. Coverage dates vary by circuit. See Content Directory
Federal District Court Cases
- Justia Search for U.S. District Court Opinions - 2004-2008
- LexisOne provides access to federal case law for the past ten years.
- FindLaw - Links to district court opinions and web sites.
- FindACase - from Versuslaw. Case name and opinion text provided, but citation of the case and docket number are not. One could obtain the citation by finding the case cited within another case. Or, the citation will be provided for a $2.95 fee. You must provide your zip code and enter a CAPTCHA character string to do a search. Coverage dates vary by district. See Content Directory
Ohio Cases:
- Ohio case law (via LexisNexis Academic)
- Casemaker: Unreported decisions from 1981, Reported Ohio Supreme Court from 1894, Appellate Reports from 1934, Ohio Misc. from 1999. Available at the public access terminals in the law library, or with a Casemaker username and password.
- Ohio Supreme Court : The Court's web site. Opinions issued since 1992. Full text searchable.
- Ohio Appellate Courts : Select specific district in pull-down menu at the Ohio Supreme Court web site (for recent decisions; years available vary.) Full text searchable.
- Eighth District Cases - 1990-2005
- Ohio Appellate Districts Map
- The Public Library of Law has Ohio appellate and Supreme Court cases from 1997.
- Eighth District (Cuyahoga County) Ohio Court of Appeals (Court Web site) or from the Ohio Supreme Court pull-down menu
- Common pleas court opinions: Some are available via the Ohio Supreme Court pull-down menu (select "Miscellaneous" as the source). The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas posts some of its opinions on its web site. For other courts, opinions may be available via the courts' web pages or dockets. See Courts & Dockets
- FindACase - from Versuslaw. Case name and opinion text provided, but citation of the case and docket number are not. One could obtain the citation by finding the case cited within another case. Or, the citation will be provided for a $2.95 fee. You must provide your zip code and enter a CAPTCHA character string to do a search. Appellate decisions starting in 1950. See Content Directory
Cases from All States:
- American Law Sources Online (ALSO)
- Public Library of Law - state appellate and Supreme Court cases from 1997.
- FindLaw: State Resources
- LexisOne - case law for the past ten years.
- FindACase - from Versuslaw. Case name and opinion text provided, but citation of the case and docket number are not. One could obtain the citation by finding the case cited within another case. Or, the citation will be provided for a $2.95 fee. You must provide your zip code and enter a CAPTCHA character string to do a search. Coverage varies by jurisdiction. See Content Directory