Frequently Asked Questions

How do I research case law?

Use the following web sources for researching case law (opinions or decisions):

1. Cornell University Law's Legal Information Institute (LII - free access to U.S Supreme Court opinions): https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text

2. U.S. Supreme Court Bound Volumes: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/USReports.aspx

3. U.S. Supreme Court Slip Opinions: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinion/21

4. U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal: https://www.uscourts.gov/

5. U.S. District Courts: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/USCOURTS/CourtType2

6. Federal Court Homepages: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/federal-courts-public/court-website-links

7. Pacer Court Links (Public Access to Court Electronic Records): https://pacer.uscourts.gov/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup

8. United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: https://cafc.uscourts.gov/

9. United States District Court of Maryland: https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/

10. Federal Judicial Center - U.S. District Courts for the District of Maryland...: https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/u.s.-district-courts-district-maryland-and-district-potomac

11. Blue Book Guide - Basic Case Citation - Written by Georgetown Law Library - https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/bluebook/citing-cases

12. Maryland Appellate Court Opinions: https://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/opinions 

13. Google Scholar: Go to Research Databases by Title on the library's webpage and select the link for Google Scholar or go to: https://scholar.google.com/; Select case law, then either Federal Courts or Maryland Courts.; Click on Select Courts for other states; Type in your search terms.  Google scholar contains published opinions on U.S. federal district, appellate, tax, and bankruptcy and U.S. Supreme Court cases.