Guides: Source Collection Information for Research Assistants: Finding Records, Briefs &amp; Court Filings

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On Lexis
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Electronic Court Documents

Online sources

For Federal Courts, Select States & Select International Dockets	Bloomberg Law. Coverage varies by jurisdiction. Courier service is not part of academic subscription. Check Searching Dockets on Bloomberg Law Tutorial.
For Federal Courts	PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Coverage varies by jurisdiction. Accessible by Law Library Staff only. Contact Reference Services for assistance. Some federal courts provide audio recordings of case arguments. Check the court's website.
For Federal and State Appellate Courts	LLRX Court Rules, Forms and Dockets.
For State Appellate Courts	RECAP Project. National Center for State Courts. LegalDockets.com (formerly CourtPort). Advocacy groups' websites. Guide: Free and Fee-Based Appellate Court Briefs Online. Guide: Case Law page in a Law Library's State Research Guide.
Notable, Historical Trials' Documents, Transcripts, etc.	HeinOnline: American State Trials (17th-20th century) Making of Modern Law: Trials, 1600 - 1926. HeinOnline: World Trials Library. Trial court website, court society's website, historical society's websites, special digitized collections (e.g., Crimes in New York 1850 - 1950).

Court Materials Not Online

Resources to Find Court Records	The Sourcebook to Public Record Information: The Comprehensive Guide to County, State, & Federal Public Records Sources, Law Library Call Number: Reference Desk JK468 .P76 S693 2015. A Union List of Appellate Court Records and Briefs: Federal and State, on HeinOnline. Also, in print, Law Library Call Number: Stacks KF105.9 .W49 2017.
Web & Online Guides to Find Court Records	Law Library's Briefs, Oral Arguments and Other Court Documents Research Guide. Harvard Law Library's Records, Briefs & Court Filings Research Guide. Free and Fee-Based Appellate Court Briefs Online (2013). Court Clerk, Court Law Library, State Law Library, or Federal State Archives websites. Federal Court Reporting Program for transcripts.
United States Federal Circuit / District Court Locator	United States Federal Circuit / District Court Locator Information previously published on their website (at www.uscourts.gov/court_locator.aspx): “Most case files created prior to 1999 are maintained in paper format only. Paper case files may be stored at the courthouse or at one of the Federal Records Centers (FRCs). A case file may be obtained through the court or directly from the FRC. Contact the court in which the case was filed for more information.” “Some case files are maintained permanently and some are destroyed after a period of time. Case files are preserved in accordance with established records schedules.” “When court records (case files) are eligible for permanent preservation, they are transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for storage and preservation. Records in the National Archives are available for public access from NARA. Those who conduct genealogical research are typical customers serviced by NARA.” If a case is sealed, there will be no electronic copy of the file in PACER, Westlaw, Lexis or Bloomberg. Copies of sealed cases are held in paper only. Contact the clerk’s office for information.
Responsible Agencies or Repositories	National Archives Court Records: "Generally, federal court records less than 15 years old are still in the possession of individual courts are not held by the National Archives. To obtain access to those records, researchers must contact the appropriate federal court." Guide to Federal Records in NARA: Records of the United States Courts of Appeals. Guide to Federal Records in NARA: Records of the District Courts of the United States. Obtaining Copies of Court Records in the Federal Records Centers.
U.S. Supreme Court	United States Supreme Court Records and Briefs, Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor, Cabinet D18-27, microfiche. Coverage: Full opinions 1897/1898 - 2015, Certiorari Denied 1990-91 - 2010/11. Guide: Decisions and Court Documents in the Law Library's Supreme Court Research Guide. National Archives Court Records.
U.S.C.A. District of Columbia Circuit	Records and Briefs (1891 - 1975). United States. Court of Appeals (District of Columbia Circuit), Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor, Cabinet E1-4, microfilm. Records and Briefs of the U.S.C.A., District of Columbia, Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor, Cabinet E1-5, 1972 - , microfiche. There is no finding aid for this set. Briefs are generally in numerical order, but there is no quick way to find a particular case's brief.
U.S.C.A. Federal Circuit	Records and Briefs of the U.S.C.A., Federal Circuit, Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor, Cabinet E12, 1990/91 - 1999/2000, microfiche.
U.S.C.A. Second Circuit	Records and Briefs of the U.S.C.A., Second Circuit, Law Library Call Number: Media 1st Floor, Cabinet E7-11, 1974 - 1999/2000, microfiche.
Maryland Court of Appeals	Records and Briefs of the Maryland Court of Appeals and Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Law Library Call Number: Media 1st floor, Cabinet E14, Court of Special Appeals 1979 - ; Court of Appeals 1980 - ; microfiche.

Interlibrary Loan: Federal Court Dockets and Documents

The Law Library ILL Service does not obtain federal court documents on behalf of patrons. Documents that are not available on databases like Bloomberg Law and PACER, or imaged onto microfilm or fiche, will require you or your faculty to directly contact a court clerk or public repository, e.g. NARA. For assistance, please have your faculty contact the Law Library's Research Services, at lawlibraryresearch@georgetown.edu, or you may email Research Services, cc'ing your faculty. Your email to Research Services must cc the faculty or the department is unable to assist.

If federal court documents exist in microfilm or fiche, and nowhere else, then visit the Library of Congress which carry the following:

Interlibrary Loan: State Court Dockets and Documents

This ILL Service does not obtain state court materials unless they are housed in academic or state libraries that participate in ILL sharing. If a court clerk or a public repository holds the court documents, then you or your faculty may reach out to them directly. For assistance, please have your faculty contact the Law Library's Research Services, at lawlibraryresearch@georgetown.edu.

Check the Cases & Courts page on the State Research Guide to find potential places where state court records and briefs may be held.

Law Library Research Guide

Check Briefs, Oral Arguments and Other Court Documents Research Guide for general research strategy.

Need More Help?

Ask for assistance from Reference Services.

Need Help Submitting an ILL Request?

If you're unsure how best to fill out an ILLiad form, please contact ILL Services at law-ill@georgetown.edu.

Source Collection Information for Research Assistants

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