Resource Guides: Legal Resources: Case Law

What is case law?

Resolution of a legal dispute or appeal by the judge who presided and rendered a decision.

Case Documents of the Supreme Court of the United States
Official website of the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court Collection
From the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University School of Law. This site provides recent decisions and selected historic decisions of the US Supreme Court. Court decisions from 1937-75 are accessible. Also included is the Court’s calendar for the current year, information about the Court and the Justices, and noteworthy decisions from other courts.

Opinions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Official website with opinion from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Cases and Resources
From Findlaw - Search for opinions from the Ninth Circuit

Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center is the research and education agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. government. (from the website)
United States Federal Court Finder
Find a federal court location by location or court name, including appellate, district, bankruptcy, probation and pretrial office, or federal defender organization. (from the website)

Washington Courts Official Website
Official website for appellate and trial courts in Washington State
Washington State Judicial Opinions Public Access Web site
Provided by Advance.Lexis.com
Recent Court Decisions of Interest to Local Governments
Free access to "a selection of recent court cases affecting cities, towns, counties, and special purpose districts in Washington State within the last five years, listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent first." (from the website)
Washington Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Resources
From Findlaw

Washington Reports
In the Legal Reference section of EC Library
Call number KFW47.W1az
Washington Appellate Reports
In the Legal Reference section of the EC Library
Call Number KFW48.A6z
West's Washington Reporter 3d series
In the Legal Reference section of the EC Library
Call number KFW47.W21
West's Washington Reporter 2d series
In the Legal Reference section of the EC Library
Call number KFW47.W2
Washington Digest, Annotated 1854 to date
In the Legal Reference section of the EC Library
Call Number KFW57.W37

National Center for State Courts
NCSC is the organization courts turn to for authoritative knowledge and information, because its efforts are directed by collaborative work with the Conference of Chief Justices, the Conference of State Court Administrators, and other associations of judicial leaders. (from the website)