How do I find information on a federal case?

How do I find information on a federal case?

Federal case files are maintained electronically and are available through the internet-based Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service. PACER allows anyone with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court case and docket information.

How do you find legal precedents?

How to Locate Free Case Law on the Internet

1. Google Scholar offers an extensive database of state and federal cases.
2. FindLaw offers a database of case law from the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as several state supreme courts.
3. Justia offers cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and U.S. District Courts.

Do courts have to follow precedents?

Stare decisis is the common law principle that requires courts to follow precedents set by other courts. Under stare decisis, courts are obliged to follow some precedents, but not others. Because of the many layers of our federal system, it can be difficult to figure out which decisions bind a given court.

What is an example of precedent?

The definition of precedent is a decision that is the basis or reason for future decisions. An example of precedent is the legal decision in Brown v. Board of Education guiding future laws about desegregation. (law) A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.

Why is precedent so important?

Each court decision is supposed to be based on an earlier decision, which is called “precedent.” To show that your constitutional rights have been violated, you point to good court decisions in earlier cases and describe how the facts in those cases are similar to the facts in your case.

What does precedent mean in simple terms?

Noun. A precedent is something that precedes, or comes before. The Supreme Court relies on precedents—that is, earlier laws or decisions that provide some example or rule to guide them in the case they’re actually deciding.

Is a concurring opinion binding?

Having failed to receive a majority of the court’s votes, concurring opinions are not binding precedent and cannot be cited as such. But concurring opinions can sometimes be cited as a form of persuasive precedent (assuming the point of law is one on which there is no binding precedent already in effect).

How many opinions does the Supreme Court issue in a year?

In fact, the Court accepts 100-150 of the more than 7,000 cases that it is asked to review each year. Typically, the Court hears cases that have been decided in either an appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals or the highest Court in a given state (if the state court decided a Constitutional issue).

Why do judges write concurring and dissenting opinions?

Though these opinions do not affect the outcome of the case at hand, judges will write their concurring or dissenting opinion because of the fact that case decisions are often studied in similar future cases for purposes of overruling precedential majority opinion or simply to gain insight on various perspectives on …

What are the three types of Supreme Court opinions?

Describe the three kinds of opinions a Supreme Court justice may write about a decided case: majority opinion, dissenting opinion, concurring opinions.

What is the most important Supreme Court case?

Marbury v. Madison was one of the most important Supreme Court cases because it established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review (the right to declare a law unconstitutional) over Congress.

What is the biggest court case ever?

Here are 45 of the most important cases the Supreme Court has ever decided.

• Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
• Worcester v. Georgia (1832)
• Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837)
• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
• Munn v. Illinois (1877)
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• Lochner v. New York (1905)

What does OYEZ stand for?

hear ye

Is OYEZ a scholarly source?

Oyez.org is listed by the Supreme Court as an authentic, although unofficial, online source to access the court’s information.

Is OYEZ a reliable source?

It is the most complete and authoritative source for all of the Court’s audio since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. Oyez offers transcript-synchronized and searchable audio, plain-English case summaries, illustrated decision information, and full-text Supreme Court opinions (through Justia).

Why are there no cameras in courtrooms?

The Judicial Conference and most federal judges have generally rejected television and camera coverage of court proceedings, arguing that live television broadcasts, in particular, distract trial participants, prejudice trial outcomes, and thus deprive defendants of fair trials.

Why are recording devices not allowed in court?

Use of cameras or other recording devices inside courtrooms create fallacious information that can damage reputation for the courts, and trust from the public or viewers who observe televised proceedings. Filming a trial in a courtroom is banned and it is illegal.