How To Find A Case By Name

This guide provides instruction on finding case citations by name from print sources. If you have the name of a case, but not the citation, one method of locating the citation is to use the Table of Cases in a Digest.

Digests provide subject access to all reported cases. A digest is both a subject index and a topical outline of case law. Brief summaries followed by citations to the full case are arranged topically. West Publishing is the major publisher of digests that cover all federal and state jurisdictions as well as some topical areas.

All digests published by West are arranged by topic and key number. West has classified the law into approximately 400 topics. A key number comprises a topic and a number which, together, refer to a specific subtopic within the broader legal topic. To locate an appropriate key number to conduct a subject search, use the descriptive word index volumes, which accompany each digest, or use a key number already found in a relevant case.

To locate a case citation:

1. Determine the approximate date and jurisdiction: e.g., federal or state court in which the case was decided.

1. Federal Courts: To locate a citation in a federal case, consult Federal or Supreme Court Digests.
   
   
   • Federal Digest covers the years to 1939
     
     
   • Modern Federal Practice Digest covers 1939-1961
     
     
   • Federal Practice Digest 2^nd, 1961-1975
     
     
   • Federal Practice Digest 3^rd, 1975-1988
     
     
   • Federal Practice Digest 4^th, 1989-present.
     
     
   • Two digests cover all Supreme Court cases (Supreme Court cases are also in federal digests)
     
     

     (1) West's United States Supreme Court Digest

     (2) United States Supreme Court Digest, Lawyer's Edition.
     

2. State Courts: West publishes 46 state digests. Coverage includes all of the states (except Delaware, Nevada and Utah), plus the District of Columbia. The Dakota Digest and the Virginia and West Virginia Digest each cover two states.
   
   
3. Regional Reporters: Many state cases are also published in West's Regional Reporter system (the Atlantic, Pacific, North Eastern, North Western, South Eastern, Southern and South Western Reporters). Each Regional Reporter has its own digest, however the North Eastern and South Western Digests are not currently published.

2. Once you have selected the appropriate digest, look for the Table of Cases at the end of the set.

1.  
   1. Is your party plaintiff or defendant?
      
      
      • The "Table of Cases" lists the plaintiff's name first.
      • The "Defendant-Plaintiff Table" lists defendant's name first.
        
        
   2. When you have found the case name, the table will give you the citation.
      
      
3.  If a case if fairly well known, you may be able to locate the citation in Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Name.