Case law (also known as common law) is a form of law that is based on the decisions made in previous court rulings. When judges make decisions in court cases where there is no clear statutory or written law, these rulings set a precedent. This precedent sets an authority that is binding to other courts at the same or lower level in cases dealing with similar issues or facts. Precedents in case law can be overturned by higher courts, so it is important to verify the authority of a case to ensure that the case is still good law. 

Search Legal Cases

You can use Nexis Uni to find federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790. 

To do this:

1. At the Nexis Uni home page, use the Guided Search located below the main search bar. 
2. Choose Cases in the What are you interested in? box.
3. Type your keywords in the About box.
4. Select your specific timeframe using the All Dates drop-down list.
5. Click the Search box and your results will appear.

You can also use Get a Doc Assistance to find cases by citation, party names, or docket number. See the tutorials below to learn how to find cases using these methods. 

FInd Cases by Citation 

Find Cases By Party Name 

Find Cases By Docket Number 

Use HeinOnline's Fastcase to search for federal and state case law.

1). Select Fastcase from the list of available databases on HeinOnline.

2). Use the Fastcase search tool to find the full text of cases. Search options include by Case Name, Citation, Party, Court, and more are available by using the drop-down menu highlighted below.