Note on Legal Resources
Some of you may be familiar with Lexis.com and Westlaw. At Northeastern, those resources are reserved for the use of Law School affiliates. Snell Library provides access to Westlaw Campus Research, the academic library version of Westlaw. HeinOnline is another excellent source for both contemporary and historical legal materials.
Massachusetts residents/students have access to Westlaw and Lexis through the state Trial Court Library system. There are 15 trial court libraries in the Commonwealth; check the Trial Court Library site for locations and information about resources and user privileges. If you are an out-of-state resident, please contact me and I'll help you locate libraries and resource centers in your area.
Finding Federal Cases
Many sites provide access to federal court cases. For alternatives to the recommendations below, check the Legal Research Guide.
Use Westlaw Campus Research for access to materials from a wide range of federal court jurisdictions: District Courts, Circuit Courts, the Supreme Court.
For added value, consider the following options.
- United States Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court site provides audio recordings of oral arguments as well as access to case documents.
- SCOTUSblogIncludes detailed case analyses, petitions, and statistics in addition to podcasts and videos.
- OyezOyez offers clear descriptions and analyses of issues under consideration; recordings or oral arguments and opinion announcements are included (recordings aren't available immediately).
- United States Reports (HeinOnline Supreme Court Library)Direct link to the official version of Supreme Court decisions, United States Reports. The official volumes are available through 2015.
- HeinOnline's Supreme Court LibraryThis collection includes large numbers of secondary sources on the Court and its work. Official opinions are available here as well as at the preceding link.
Westlaw Campus Research Tutorials
- Westlaw Campus Help GuideProvides tips for effective case and statute research.
- Finding Cases and Law Review Articles in Westlaw Campus ResearchNo time to watch a video? Flip through these slides!
Massachusetts Courts and Cases
- Westlaw Campus Research - Massachusetts CasesWestlaw Campus Research provides access to cases from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, and Trial Courts. SELECT CASES FROM WESTLAW'S MAIN MENU AND NAVIGATE TO STATE CASES-MA.
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtSJC makes a variety of resources available to the public, including selected opinions, slip opinions, and advance opinions.
- Massachusetts Trial CourtsIncludes links to the Boston Municipal Court Department and the Housing, Juvenile, Land, District, Probate/Family, and Superior Court Departments.
Cases from Other States
- Westlaw Campus Research - State CasesJurisdictions available vary from state to state. Some states provide cases at the trial court level; only Supreme Court and Appeals Court cases are available for other states.
- HeinOnline (Courtesy of Law Library)Select the State Collection near the top of the Welcome screen.Hein's State Collection includes session laws for the fifty states, the National Survey of State Laws, and Subject Compilations of State Laws.
- States and Territories (Library of Congress)In addition to linking to state judicial sites, this resource provides access to administrative codes, state constitutions, and legislative materials.
- State Legal Materials CollectionFrom the Cornell University Legal Information Institute (LII)
- State Court Web SitesFrom the National Center of State Courts