Retrieving a case by legal citation is the easiest and fastest way to get the specific case to which the citation refers. In order to find a case by citation you need to have three basic components: (1) the volume number of the reporter that case was found in (2) the abbreviated name of the reporter and (3) the page number the case begins on in the reporter.
Suppose our citation was for Powell v. Jacor Communication Corp., 320 F.3d 599 (6th Cir. 2003). and I wanted to find this case in the print reporter. I would first find the Federal Reporters in the UC Law Library print collection. Then I would find the 3rd series within that. Next I would look for volume 320 and finally the page number 599.
Other places that you can use the citation to find a case are:
Suppose our citation was for Powell v. Jacor Communication Corp., 320 F.3d 599 (6th Cir. 2003) and I wanted to find this case online.
Many, but certainly not all, appellate decisions from the courts are reported. The reported decisions are compiled by publishers (predominantly West publishing) into numbered volumes providing easy access to reported decisions. West Publishing began printing reporters in the late 1800’s and the collection became known as the West Reporter system. Prior to that time many states published their own reporter volumes and today many still publish their own reporters. West has compiled the state appellate decisions (these include intermediate appellate courts and state supreme courts) and printed them in Regional Reporters. Each region contains the decisions of several states (e.g. The North Eastern Reporter which contains cases decided by the Ohio courts also contains cases from Indiana, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts). The state published volumes are referred to as “official” reporters and the West reporters are considered “unofficial.” Most states do not publish any trial court decisions.
Unlike most states, the federal courts do publish some decisions from the trial level. The decisions, from the Federal District Courts, are printed in the Federal Supplement reporter. The appellate decisions, from the Federal Circuit Courts, are printed in the Federal Reporter. Both of these reporters are considered “official” because there is no other comprehensive location for these decisions. Unpublished decisions, those decisions that are not binding because they do not involve new legal principles or interpretations and were previously only available directly from the issuing court, are now published in the Federal Appendix reporter. While attorneys may cite such opinions issued after January 1, 2007 the persuasive value of the opinion will vary according to the different circuits. “Unpublished” opinions issued before January 1, 2007 cannot be cited for precedent. United States Supreme Court decisions are printed in an official reporter, the United States Reports, and in several unofficial reporters.
United States Courts of Appeals Geographical Boundaries:
