District of Columbia Resources

Local Court Opinions

Not all opinions of the D.C. Court of Appeals are published. Signed opinions and per curiam opinions are published. Memorandum Opinions and Judgments (MOJs) are not published. Superior Court proceedings can be requested from the Court Reporting Division for a fee.

D.C. Court Appeals Opinions

Databases

• DC Court of Appeals Cases from 1925 on Lexis
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals Cases on Westlaw (1801 - )
• D.C. Court of Appeals Cases on Bloomberg Law (1941 - )

Websites

• D.C. Court of Appeals: Opinions and MOJs. It includes all published opinions since mid-1998 and monthly list of Memorandum Opinions and Judgments (MOJs) since September 1999. Some D.C. Court of Appeals opinions are not published. The courts website also provides access to opinions from the Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law.
• Google Scholar (1950 - ): Select "Case Law" then "Dist. of Columbia" under State courts.
• FindLaw: District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Cases (1997 - )

Reports

The Daily Washington Law Reporter (Daily Wash. L. Rep.)

• The Daily Washington Law Reporter (Daily Wash. L. Rep.): The only electronic source that also includes D.C. Superior Court opinions. Coverage from 1874, incl. D.C. Court of Appeals, D.C. Superior Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C., U.S. District Court for D.C.
• Daily Wash. L. Rep. on HeinOnline (1874 - 1963)
• Law Library Call Number: State 1st Floor KFD1247 . D3 (v.2 - )

West's Atlantic Reporter Third Series (A.3d)

• West's Atlantic Reporter (A.3d) on Caselaw Access Project (2004-2019)
• West's Atlantic Reporter (A.3d) on Court Listener
• Law Library Call Number: Closed Stacks KF135 .A712  (v. 1 (Oct. 1, 2010) - , last updated in 2012 at Law Library. Ask for assistance at Circulation Desk.

Atlantic Reporter, Second Series (A.2d)

• Atlantic Reporter (A.2d)) on Caselaw Access Project (1942-2010)
• Atlantic Reporter (A.2d) on Court Listener
• Law Library Call Number: Closed Stacks KF135 .A712 (v. 1 Sept. 1938) - v. 531 (1988)). Ask for assistance at Circulation Desk.

Atlantic Reporter (A.)

• Atlantic Reporter (A.) on Court Listener
• Law Library Call Number: Closed Stacks KF135 .A7 (Vol. 1 (Oct.1885/Jan. 1886)-v. 200 (July/Sept. 1938)). Ask for assistance at Circulation Desk.

Historical Reports

• Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia on HeinOnline (1893-1922)
• LLMC Digital: Judicial: Filter first by State, then be Category: Judicial. Includes reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia on LLMC Digital (1893 - 1924).
• Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia on Caselaw Access Project (1893-1995)

D.C. Superior Court Opinions

Databases

• DC Superior Court - Trial Orders on Lexis (March 12, 1981 - )
• District of Columbia Civil Trial Court Orders on Westlaw (2000 - )
• District of Columbia Criminal Trial Court Orders on Westlaw (2009 - )

Websites

• Superior Court of the District of Columbia: Tax Division Opinions (~1950 - )

Other Resources

• Superior Court of the District of Columbia:  Clerk of the Superior Court, Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave., NW, Rm 2500, Washington, D.C. 20001. Telephone: 202-879-1400

Reports

The Daily Washington Law Reporter (Daily Wash. L. Rep.)

• The Daily Washington Law Reporter (Daily Wash. L. Rep.). The only electronic source that also includes D.C. Superior Court opinions. Coverage from 1874, incl. D.C. Court of Appeals, D.C. Superior Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C., U.S. District Court for D.C.
• Daily Wash. L. Rep. on HeinOnline (1874 - 1963)
• Law Library Call Number :State 1st Floor KFD1247 . D3 (v.2 - )

Federal Court Opinions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

• District of Columbia Federal District Courts on Lexis (1912 - )
• All District of Columbia Federal Cases, Combined on Lexis: Includes Court of Appeals, District Court, District of Columbia Bankruptcy Courts & U.S. Supreme Court Cases; coverage varies by court.
• D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Cases on Westlaw (1891 - )
• District of Columbia Federal Cases on Westlaw: Includes Court of Appeals, District Court, District of Columbia Bankruptcy Court & U.S. Supreme Court; coverage varies by court.
• D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Bloomberg Law (1892 - )

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

• District of Columbia Circuit - US Court of Appeals Cases on Lexis (1800 - )
• All District of Columbia Federal Cases, Combined on Lexis: Includes Court of Appeals, District Court, District of Columbia Bankruptcy Courts & U.S. Supreme Court Cases; coverage varies by court.
• District of Columbia Federal District Court Cases on Westlaw (1801 - )
• District of Columbia Federal Cases on Westlaw: Includes Court of Appeals, District Court, District of Columbia Bankruptcy Court & U.S. Supreme Court; coverage varies by court
• District of the District of Columbia on Bloomberg Law

Reports

West's Federal Reporter 3d (F.3d)

• Law Library Call Number: Reading Room KF105 . F42 3d (1994 - ), last updated in 2012 at Law Library.
• Check Digital Access for Georgetown Law in U.S. Primary Legal Sources: Federal Case Law.

Federal Reporter 2d. (F.2d)

• Law Library Call Number: Reading Room KF105 .F42 2d (1924-1994)
• Check Digital Access for Georgetown Law in U.S. Primary Legal Sources: Federal Case Law.

Federal Reporter (F.)

• Law Library Call Number: Reading Room KF105 .F4 (1880-1925)
• Check Digital Access for Georgetown Law in U.S. Primary Legal Sources: Federal Case Law.

West's Federal Appendix (F. App'x)

• Law Library Call Number: Reading Room KF105 .F423. (2001 - ), last update in 2012 at Law Library: Publishes selected "unreported" decisions.
• Check Digital Access for Georgetown Law in U.S. Primary Legal Sources: Federal Case Law.

Other Sources

• Check the Georgetown Law Library's Free and Low Cost Legal Research Guide.

Court Opinions Finding Aids

• West's Digests on Westlaw.
• In print: District of Columbia Digest: Law Library Call Number: State 1st Floor KFD1257 .D5. Law Library retains current volumes only.
• In print: West's Atlantic Digest 2d: Law Library Call Number: Closed Stacks South KF135 .A72 W4. Ask for assistance at Circulation Desk. Last updated in 2004 at Law Library.

D.C. Court of Appeals Dockets

• D.C. Court of Appeals Cases Online (2010 - )

D.C. Superior Court Dockets

• DC Superior Court Online Case Search (eAccess)
• D.C. Superior Court Dockets on Bloomberg Law (2007 - )

Dockets

• Some state court dockets may be found in:
  • Lexis: Dockets.
  •  Westlaw: Dockets: Search Coverage Status by Court or Dockets Index to determine coverage for Georgetown Law accounts. Search Dockets and Court Wire to determine which court materials are covered by the two Westlaw services. Georgetown Law does not have access to Court Wire, but does to Court Wire Alert Archive.
  • Bloomberg Law Docket Search: Search Dockets Coverages & Outages for coverage. Docket coverage does not mean, however, that all filings within the coverage dates are held by Bloomberg Law. Also, review our Law Library's FAQ on fees and Bloomberg Law's Docket Search.
• Try searching for dockets on the court's web site. Conduct a web search for the court's web site, e-filing, and/or docket search system. 

Court Records & Documents

• CourtLink and  Briefs, Pleadings and Motions may be found on Lexis.
• Some Briefs and Trial Court Documents may be available on Westlaw.
• To locate state court materials not available within Westlaw, Lexis or Bloomberg Law, review Dockets & Court Documents page in our Briefs, Oral Arguments and Other Court Documents Research Guide.
• Some state appellate courts may make recordings of oral arguments and hearings available on their web sites.
• The Law Library's ILL Services, a library-to-library resource sharing service, does not order court materials from a court's clerk. Please contact the court directly for copies.

May be found in Lexis' Court Rules and Westlaw's Statutes & Court Rules. Court rules may also be found within the court's web site.

• Check the Statistics section in the State Legal Research: General guide.
• Typically published in the court's administrative office annual reports found on the court's website.