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How to Find Cases

Use this guide to learn how to find federal and state legal cases.

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Email: reference@law.usc.edu

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Using FindLaw

FindLaw for Legal Professionals has a Federal Courts of Appeals page that provides links to searchable databases for each of the federal Courts of Appeals and a California Supreme and Appellate Court Cases page that allows you to search for California state court opinions from 1932 to the present. Each database allows you to search for opinions by docket number, party name, or keyword.  Additionally, on the California page, you can search by the name of the judge or the name of one of the attorneys in the case.  FindLaw for Legal Professionals also has cases from other federal courts and other states.  While this website is free to use, you must register with FindLaw to obtain full access to these databases.

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