Guides: Briefs, Oral Arguments and Other Court Documents Research Guide: Getting Started

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Getting Started

Bloomberg Law
Access federal and state dockets and court documents. Includes most of the federal court documents available on PACER at no charge. Coverage varies.
Lexis
For dockets: Explore Content Type > Dockets. For court documents: Explore Content Type > Briefs, Pleadings & Motions. Includes federal and state dockets, briefs, motions, pleadings, and other court filings.
Westlaw
Trial Court Documents database includes selected pleadings, motions, jury instruction filings, exhibits, and interrogatories from state trial courts, and U.S. district and bankruptcy courts. Coverage varies.
Digital Georgetown: Court Records and Briefs
Growing collection of records and briefs from the U.S. Supreme Court, Second Circuit, and District of Columbia Circuit.
U.S. Supreme Court Record & Briefs, 1832-1978
Records and briefs brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in the period 1832-1978.
U.S. Supreme Court Records & Briefs, 1975-2016
Compiles briefs, dockets, appendixes, oral arguments, opinions, and other documents for Supreme Court cases from 1969-2019.

Update History

Updated 01/14 (MK)
Updated 07/16 (MK)
Revised 07/17 (CMC)
Updated 02/18 (CMC)

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Dockets Searching on Bloomberg Tutorial

Once you've signed on to Bloomberg Law, you can access their tutorial videos in the Bloomberg Law Help Center.

Once in the Help Center, navigate to Videos using the left hand column. The most useful videos for beginning users can be found in the Getting Started Videos, Court Opinions and Legislative tabs.

Sample Lessons on Bloomberg Law

What can I search on Bloomberg Law?
How Do I Select Sources?
How Can I Retrieve an Opinion with Citation or Name?
How Do I Search the U.S. Code?

Dockets: Finding them on Bloomberg Law
Court documents such as pleadings and motions can be valuable learning tools and templates. Many court dockets (the list of case documents such as pleadings and motions) can be accessed for free on Bloomberg Law.

Briefs, Oral Arguments and Other Court Documents Research Guide

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