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Spiral Staircase, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Legal Citations

Bluebook style

The bluebook : a uniform system of citation
Main Ref Research Lab KF245 .B58 20th 2015
The standard legal citation guide. I recommend the Quick Style Guide.
Earlier editions of the Blue Book may be available from the Wayback Machine.

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII)
Peter W. Martin, Cornell Law School.

Chicago style

Style and Citation Guides
Bowdoin Library maintains this list of resources for Chicago, Bluebook, and other styles.

Other styles

I recommend using Bluebook or Chicago (notes and bibliography) style for your citations because those styles are better suited for citing legal materials. It is actually more difficult to craft citations using other styles because they provide only limited direction and few models for how to cite legal materials. That said, see also Style and Citation Guides.

Guide to foreign and international legal citations, New York University School of Law
Main Ref K89 .G84 2006

Abbreviations

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
Searchable by abbreviation or by title. "This database allows you to search for the meaning of abbreviations for English language legal publications, from the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the United States, including those covering international and comparative law. A wide selection of major foreign language law publications is also included. Publications from over 295 jurisdictions are featured in the Index. The database mainly covers law reports and law periodicals but some other legal publications are also included."

Key Law Databases

Westlaw

Full-text subscription database of case law, law reviews, and news.

  • U.S. law review articles
    • Choose All content > Secondary Sources > Law Reviews & Journals.
    • Alternatively, from a results list, if available, choose Secondary Sources > Law Reviews & Journals.
  • U.S. court opinions
    • Choose All content > Cases. To find particular court opinion by its citation, use the search box in the basic search.
    • For more options, choose All content > Cases > Advanced Search.
  • U.S. Supreme Court briefs and other filings. (Selective coverage; many filings are "out of plan".)
    • Find a decision of interest; choose Filings tab.
    • Alternatively, choose All content > Briefs > Briefs, then search for the briefs of interest.
  • U.S. Code
    • Choose Federal Materials > United States Code Annotated (USCA).
  • U.S. public laws
    • Choose Federal Materials > Federal Proposed & Enacted Legislation > U.S. Public Laws.
  • Historical state laws
    • Choose All Content > Statutes & Court Rules > Historical Statutes.
  • Foreign or international court opinions or law review articles
    • Choose All content > International Materials.
  • To find other materials that cite a court opinion, law, law review article, etc. that is displayed in the database
    • Click on the "Citing References" tab and limit as needed.
  • Black's Law Dictionary is under All content > Secondary Sources and in the right column.

Help: "Campus Help Guide" [i.e. "Introduction to legal research on Westlaw Next"] is linked to at the bottom of every Westlaw webpage. Other guides, including Searching with Boolean Terms and Connectors are also available.

Nexis Uni

Full-text subscription database of federal and state court opinions, statutes, law review articles, news, and more.

  • Law review articles.
    • Click on the "Law Reviews" button.
  • Court opinions.
    • Choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Cases > (choose jurisdiction).
  • Court opinions and law review articles that cite an opinion of interest.
    • For other opinions citing a chosen decision, choose, at the right: either "Citing Decisions" or "Shepardize® this document".
    • For law review articles citing a chosen decision, choose, at the right: "Other Citing Sources", then narrow to "Law Reviews".
  • U.S. Supreme Court briefs and other filings
    • If you have a docket number, choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Briefs, Pleadings, and Motions > Briefs; enter the docket number as in the following search: number("15-827"); then limit to the court.
    • If you don't have a docket number, choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Briefs, Pleadings, and Motions > Briefs; enter a very general search for unusual names in the parties as in the following search: name(endrew AND douglas); then limit to the court.
    • Alternatively, choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Briefs, Pleadings, and Motions > Briefs. Do the search, then limit to the court.
  • U.S. Code.
    • To find by citation, choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Statutes and Legislation > US Statutory Codes > Citation > [enter a citation to United States Code Service, e.g. 50 USCS 3002].
    • To search the U.S. Code, choose Advanced Search > Legal > Statutes and Legislation > US Statutory Codes > [search] > limit to Sources > USCS - United States Code Service.
    • Alternatively, to search the U.S. Code, choose: Menu > All Sources > Search Within Sources > "USCS - United States Code Service - Titles 1 through 54" > [drop down menu next to "USCS - United States Code Service - Titles 1 through 54"] > "Add source as a search filter".
  • United States Statutes at Large.
    • Choose: Advanced Search > Legal > Statutes and Legislation > US Public Laws/ALS > [search] > limit to Jurisdiction > U.S. Federal and limit to Sources > United States Statutes at Large.
    • Alternatively, choose: Menu > All Sources > Search Within Sources > United States Statutes at Large > [drop down menu next to United States Statutes at Large] > "Add source as a search filter".

Help (at the top right of the search screen) or Top 10 Nexis Uni™ Features to Explore.

HeinOnline

  • Law review articles.
    • From the "All Collections" drop-down (at the top left), choose "Law Journal Library". Coverage from the first issue of "more than 2300 law and law-related periodicals". Our strongest database for foreign law reviews.
  • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP)
    • From the "All Collections" drop-down (at the top left), choose "Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP)".
  • Supreme Court opinions.
    • From the "All Collections" drop-down (at the top left), choose "U.S. Supreme Court Library".
  • U.S. Code.
    • From the "All Collections" drop-down (at the top left), choose "U.S. Code".
  • United States Statutes at Large.
    • From the "All Collections" drop-down (at the top left), choose "U.S. Statutes at Large".

Help: Support resources, including Advanced Search Syntax.

Index to Legal Periodicals and books, 1982-
Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective, 1908-1981

International coverage and access to law reviews, scholarly articles, jurisdictional surveys, legislation, and more. Search on a citation to a court opinion in the "Court Cases" field. Search on a citation to the U.S. Code using the form "8 U.S.C. 1158" in the "Statute" field. The "check availability" link connects to full-text in most cases.

Also

JSTOR. An online archive of scholarly journals, including a number of respected law reviews. This can be an especially useful database to search when looking for law reviews discussing court opinions decided prior to ca. 1982.

Law Review Commons. "The largest collection of free and open law review scholarship." These "publications are made freely available online through their institutions’ bepress Digital Commons repositories."

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