Case Law and Citators

There are three reporters for U.S. Supreme Court case opinions:

• U.S. Reports (U.S.)
• Supreme Court Reporter (S.Ct.)
• U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition (L.Ed.)

The U.S. Reports are the official reporters and began publication in 1875. Prior to 1875, case opinions were reported in nominative reporters (named after the individual compiling the reporter or the publisher of the reporter) and these reporters were incorporated into the first 90 U.S. Reports.

The Supreme Court Reporter is one of the unofficial reporters for U.S. Supreme Court case opinions. The Supreme Court Reporter is a West publication first published in 1882. The other major unofficial reporter is the U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition, published by Lexis. U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition also began publication in 1882, with the second series starting in 1956. These two unofficial reporters provide editorial enhancements not found in the official reporter, such as headnotes, West Key Numbering and additional research references.

U.S. Supreme Court Case Opinions Online

There are several commercial databases which provide access to U.S. Supreme Court case opinions.

• Lexis utilizes the U.S. Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition as its primary resource. However, citations will include references to all of the major reporters.
• Westlaw focuses on the Supreme Court Reporter, but also includes references to the other reporters. Both Lexis and Westlaw provide access to decisions within hours and include coverage back to 1790.
• Bloomberg Law provides access dating back to 1791.
• Hein Online includes Supreme Court case opinions in the U.S. Supreme Court Library. This library includes the U.S. Reports (1754-2015) and U.S. Reports slip opinions (2002-date).
• United States Law Week is a publication from Bloomberg Law. U.S. Law Week is available in both print and electronic versions and includes case opinions and news related to the activities of the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Supreme Court Case Opinions Online - Free Sources

In addition to the commercial vendors, there are many freely available resources for U.S. Supreme Court case opinions and other court information.

• The U.S. Supreme Court website (1991-present) includes recent decisions in addition to dockets, calendars, oral argument transcripts, court rules, and briefs.
• SCOTUS Blog includes case opinions for cases dating back to the October 2007 term (linking to Bloomberg Law) and is a source for commentary on the activities of the Court, court briefs.
• Findlaw (1893-present).
• Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) (1990-present).
• Google Scholar
• Justia (1759-present)
• Oyez(IIT Chicago Kent College of Law, 1792-present)
• The Supreme Court Database (1791-2018)

Questions for the MacMillan Law Library?

MacMillan Library Hybrid Research Services:

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed

MacMillan Library Building Hours (August 19 - November 15, 2024):*

Monday - Thursday: 8am - Midnight
Friday: 8am - 8pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: Noon - Midnight
*Labor Day Weekend Hours:
Friday, August 30: 8am-6pm
Sat-Sun: Closed
Monday, September 1: Noon-6pm

Monday: 10am - 4pm
Tuesday: 10am - 4pm
Wednesday: 10am - 12pm; 2pm - 4pm
Thursday: 10am - 4pm
Friday: 10am - 1pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
*Closed Monday, Sept. 1st.

Monday - Friday:
Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Physical archives: By appointment only.
Digital archives: More information available here.
Limited remote services are available on a case-by-case basis.
Questions? Email Anna Sturgill, Law Librarian for Archives and Assessment Services