The National Reporter System
Case Law
• Without a coherent, uniform means of accessing cases
from all state and federal jurisdictions, finding cases
discussing similar points of law would be immensely
difficult.
• The National Reporter System organizes both federal and
state case law into a cohesive body of law that can be
researched within and across jurisdictions.
Case Law
• Since 1879, West’s National Reporter System has
compiled cases from state and federal courts and organized
them into various reporter sets.
• Volumes in a set are numbered consecutively. A new series
starting with volume 1 is begun when one series becomes
too unwieldy, e.g., the volume following 999 F.Supp. is 1
F.Supp.2d.
Federal Case Law
•
Federal district (trial) level courts are published in the
Federal Supplement®.
•
Only a selection of district court cases is reported.
•
Citation format: 75 F.Supp. 225
13 F.Supp.2d 881
•
These cases are on Westlaw in the DCT and DCT-OLD
databases.
Federal Case Law
• U.S. district court cases can be appealed to the Federal
Circuit court that hears appeals from that district. There are
13 U.S. circuit courts of appeal.
• The decisions of the circuit courts are published in the
Federal Reporter®.
• Citation format: 333 F.2d 120
37 F.3d 300
The Thirteen Federal Judicial Circuits
The Federal Reporter cases are on Westlaw in the CTA
and CTA-OLD databases.
Federal Case Law
• Cases can be appealed from the circuit courts of appeals to
the United States Supreme Court.
• Decisions of the United States Supreme Court are
published in the Supreme Court Reporter®.
• Citation format: 99 S.Ct. 331.
• These cases are on Westlaw in the SCT and SCT-OLD
databases.
Federal Case Law
There are also federal topical reporters that are part of
West’s National Reporter System:
•
•
•
•
Bankruptcy Reporter®
Federal Rules Decisions®
Military Justice Reporter®
Federal Claims Reporter™
State Case Law
• Only state appellate-level opinions are reported in the
National Reporter System. Trial-level decisions are not
reported.
• Cases from all 50 states are published in one of seven
regional reporters: Atlantic Reporter®, Southern Reporter®,
South Eastern Reporter®, South Western Reporter®, North
Eastern Reporter®, North Western Reporter®, and Pacific
Reporter®.
• There are approximately 30 state reporters, which are
reprints of one state’s cases from a regional reporter.
The States Included in Each of the
Seven Regional Reporters
State Case Law
This is the first page
from a volume in the
Pacific Reporter. It
lists the states that
have cases published
in the Pacific Reporter.
Federal and State Case Law on Westlaw
• All cases from all the federal reporters are in the
ALLFEDS database.
• Each state has a Westlaw case law database. The identifiers
are XX-CS, where XX is the state’s two-letter postal
abbreviation. Examples: (NY-CS, FL-CS).
• All cases from each regional reporter are in separate
databases, (NW, SW, SO, ATL, NE, PAC and SE).
• All cases from all state and regional reporters are in the
ALLSTATES database.
• All cases from all state, regional, and federal reporters are
in the ALLCASES database.
Updating Reporters
• Print slip opinions (without corrections or enhancements)
of individual cases are sent by the courts to government
depository libraries shortly after the cases are decided.
• A slip-copy version of the case generally appears on
Westlaw within two to twenty four hours of receipt of the
case by West.
This is a slip-copy opinion as decided and filed with the
court. It is on Westlaw but has not yet been editorially
enhanced by West attorney-editors.
Updating Reporters
• Attorneys have access to all but the most recent cases
through the advance sheets (which update the hardbound
reporters) and are issued every two weeks.
• After going through a thorough editorial process, a case
generally appears in the appropriate reporter advance sheet
within six to eight weeks of receipt of the case.
Question
Which of the following statements is false?
1.
2.
3.
4.
The National Reporter System was created in the mid1950s to organize the greatly expanding number of court
cases.
Most appellate court cases and some federal trial-level
cases appear in at least one reporter set.
There are jurisdictional reporters and there are subjectmatter reporters.
Cases from all 50 states are published in the seven
regional reporters.
Question
Which of the following statements is false?
1.
2.
3.
4.
The National Reporter System was created in the mid1950s to organize the greatly expanding number of court
cases.
Most appellate court cases and some federal trial-level
cases appear in at least one reporter set.
There are jurisdictional reporters and there are subjectmatter reporters.
Cases from all 50 states are published in the seven
regional reporters.