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Introduction to Boolean
Searching
2015
Step 0: Know your database
Indexed databases
• Search based on subject matter or
concept
• Like digest searches
• Go to “Landlords” section, then
look up case
• Information already pre-sorted into
categories
• If information isn’t in the category,
you would miss it
Full-text databases
•
•
•
•
•
Search based on individual words
Like a Google search
Type in landlord
User specifies search terms
Search not limited to someone else’s
categorization
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Yahoo search page circa 1998
Example of an indexed search database.
Google search circa 2015
Example of a full-text database
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Before we get started
Before we get started (part two)
Know the scope of what you’re searching (the “corpus”) so you aren’t guessing what’s in the database.
Case Law
Federal and state case law back to 1950**
Statutes
U.S. Code & official state statutes for D.C. plus 46 states
Other Regulations
Links to state and federal administrative regulations and codes (some are
searchable)
Court Rules
Links to state and federal courts rules (some are searchable)
Constitutions
Links to state and federal constitutions (a few are searchable)
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Two things to keep in mind
Search process
A good search is like a dance —
general steps you follow with added
flourish to impress people
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Getting started
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Fastcase Boolean operators
Operator
Example
Description
AND, &
libel AND damages
Results must contain both “libel” and “damages”
OR
premarital OR prenuptial
Results must contain either “premarital” or “prenuptial”
NOT
negligence NOT criminal
Results must contain “negligence” but not the word “criminal”
w/3, /3
custody /15 interrogation
Results must contain “custody” w/in 15 words of “interrogation.”
*, !
testif*
Results must contain some variation of the stem “testif ” such as
testified, testify, testifying, etc.
?
mari?uana
Results must contain m-a-r-i-_-u-a-n-a with any letter substituted for
the question mark
“”
“estate tax”
Results must contain the exact phrase “estate tax”
( )
(confront OR cross-examine)
Parentheses tells Fastcase to do the operations contained within it
before doing things outside
AND — right AND wrong
Only returns cases at the intersection —
ones containing both the words “right”
and “wrong.”
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OR — car OR automobile
Returns all cases around the perimeter of
the two words — either those using the
word “car” or the word “automobile.”
NOT — speech NOT school
Only returns cases mentioning “speech”
without referencing the word “school.”
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speech NOT (school OR political)
Only returns cases mentioning “speech,”
but not mentioning “school” or
“political.”
speech AND public NOT (school OR political)
The cases returned will use both the
words “speech” and “public” but won’t
use either the words “political” or
“school.”
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Proximity or within — w/# or /#
custody /5 interrogation — return cases where custody appears within 5 words
of interrogation
Sample matches:
in-custody interrogation of a suspect . . . .
(w/1 matches.)
unless in-custody police interrogation is . . . .
(w/2 matches.)
interrogation while in custody may give . . . .
(w/3 matches.)
when in custody for purposes of interrogation . . . .
(w/4 matches.)
Exact match [quotes “ ”] — “marital privilege”
The cases returned must use the exact phrase “marital privilege.”
Not in results:
“. . . the marital communications privilege may be waived . . . .”
“. . . spouse may enjoy marital privileges from . . .”
In results:
“The marital privilege has been criticized by . . . .”
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Root expander (*, !) — mar*
Return cases with at least one word that begins with “mar.”
• Pros:
• Useful for plurals, different tenses, gerunds, etc.
• Cons:
• Can slow down search times – if you just want to search plurals, OR is
faster
• Can be over-inclusive — see, e.g., maritime in this search.
Single letter wildcard — ?
myr??d
myriad
myr??d— return all cases with either
spelling (correct or wrong) of myriad
myraid
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“Quotation marks”
“communications privilege” — returns only cases with that exact phrase
Sample matches:
. . . that the communications privilege encompassed within the same statute
precludes . . . .
. . . marital communications privilege is not applicable here because Mr. and
Mrs. Irons were estranged at the time of the conversations.
Not in search results:
Defendant erroneously filed two notices of appeal with . . . .
Parentheses — ()
Consider the following search: car
OR vehicle AND getaway
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car OR vehicle AND getaway
What Fastcase actually sees:
(vehicle AND getaway) OR car
Subtle but important distinction
Correct:
Incorrect:
(car OR vehicle) AND getaway
car OR (vehicle AND getaway)
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Advanced Order of Operations
Consider the following searches:
1
2
3
4
A: Rule* /5 “803(5)” AND knowledge OR recall NOT memory
3
4
2
1
B: knowledge OR recall NOT memory AND Rule* /5 “803(5)”
C: Rule* /5 “803(5)” AND (knowledge OR recall) NOT memory
2
3
1
4
A (wrong): 157,342 results; B (wrong): 1,038,488 results; C (right): 99 results
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Concept
Keyword and operator
Testimonial privilege
Communications
privilege
Compelled testimony

(testimon* or marital) /3
privileg* AND

Spouse

(compel* or requir*) /5 testif*
AND
(spous* or husband or wife)
Criminal trial

NOT civil
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(testimon* or marital) /3 privileg* AND (compel* or
requir*) /5 testif* AND (spous* or husband or wife)
NOT civil
First Search
Second Search
(testimon* or marital) /3
privileg* AND

(testimon* or marital) /3
privileg* /15
(spous* or husband or
wife)
(compel* or requir*) /5
testif* AND

(spous* or husband or wife)
AND
(compel* or requir* or forc*)
/5 testif*
NOT civil


NOT (civil or “attorney /2
privileg*)
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Use Forecite to
enhance your results
Forecite: Fastcase has identified 3 additional decisions that
may be relevant to your research topic, but do not contain
one or more of your search terms.
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