Searching legal cases in Google Scholar
When you do a Google Scholar search for a case, it is automatically set up to search articles, but there is a button under the search box for "case law" you can check to just search cases:
Searching for the two party names, written out without abbreviations, usually yields the best results. You can select a specific court system, but it's not required.
- Google Scholar (HPU-specific link) This link opens in a new windowUse this link to connect Google Scholar with HPU's collection of full-text journals. You will be asked for your HPU username and password if off-campus.
Searching legal cases in HeinOnline
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowA premier legal documents collection, HeinOnline also includes audio transcripts of Supreme Court cases, legislative histories, articles from law reviews, and fulltext linking to case law using Fastcase.
HeinOnline recently replaced LexisNexis as our go-to resource for legal research. The interface is easily searchable--just click the "case law" tab and enter your search terms to find a case summary.
Common Abbreviations
F. Supp.
Federal Supplement
F.
Federal Reporter
U.S.
U.S. Reports
S.Ct.
Supreme Court Reporter
L.Ed.
U.S. Reports, Lawyers' Edition
Need some inspiration?
Deskbook Encyclopedia of American School Law by ISBN: 9781944331191Publication Date: 2019-08-26
The above book is just one example of the encyclopedias available on reserve at the School of Education Library. These materials detail many current legal cases and are available for you to browse if you need help finding cases relevant to your assignment.
Ask a Librarian!
How to read a case number
At the top of any case, you will find the case number. There may be several different numbers assigned to a case, but usually you want the first set. Case numbers include the volume number, the court reporter (an actual print volume) the case appears in, and the page number. It may also include information about the court and year in which the case was tried.
Examples:
493 U.S. 146 = U.S. Reporter, Volume 493, page 146
127 S. Ct. 1769 = Supreme Court Reporter, Volume 127, page 1769
221 F.3d 410 (3d Cir. 2000) = Federal Reporter 3rd Series, Volume 221, page 410 (3rd Circuit Court, 2000)
290 F. Supp. 67 (D. Nev. 1967) = Federal Supplement, Volume 290, page 67 (District Court of Nevada, 1967)
Note: The U.S. Reporter and Supreme Court Reporter contain the same cases but have different publishers and thus contain different supplemental information.