Research Guides: Legal Reference Sources: Federal & State Court Cases

About Court Cases

Court cases (also called judicial opinions) explain how judges interpret and apply the law.

This page highlights the main ways to access U.S. federal and Michigan state cases through EMU Library databases and trusted free websites, along with print reporters and case digests available in the library.

Use these tools to look up cases by party name, citation, or topic.

Need a case fast? Use Westlaw Campus Research for current federal and state decisions, or HeinOnline for older and historical opinions.

Court Cases Online

Westlaw Campus Research
Provides full text of U.S. federal and state court cases. Includes Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and District Court opinions, as well as Michigan Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions.
Tip: To find cases, start with a party name, citation, or keyword, then use headnotes and Key Numbers to locate related cases.
Off-campus access requires EMU NetID authentication.
HeinOnline's Government, Politics & Law
Offers historical and current U.S. Supreme Court opinions, federal appellate and district court cases, and full-text state court decisions. Coverage is especially strong for older cases not always included in other databases.
Tip: Use the “Case Law” search to browse by citation or topic.
Off-campus access requires EMU NetID authentication.

Oyez Project (free)
U.S. Supreme Court oral argument recordings, case abstracts, justice biographies, and more.
Legal Information Institute (LII) (free)
The LII collection covers federal law, including Supreme Court cases.
Supreme Court Shadow Docket Database (free)
The first comprehensive dataset on the Court’s “shadow docket,” covering every order the Court issued between the 1993 and 2024 terms.

Printed Court Decisions

United States Reports
The official reporter of the U.S. Supreme Court. Contains all opinions in chronological order.
Location: Law Reference – 2nd Level North - KF101 .A212
Michigan Reports: Reports of Cases Heard and Decided in the Supreme Court of Michigan
Official publication of all decisions of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Location - Law Reference - 2nd Level North - KFM 4245 .A23
Michigan Appellate Reports: Cases Decided in the Michigan Court of Appeals
Official publication of all decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals. Organized chronologically.
Location: Law Reference - 2nd Level North - KFM 4248 .A2
Lower Court Decisions
To locate decisions from the lower courts (federal district courts or Michigan trial courts), contact the court directly.

West Digests

West digests contain summaries of court cases arranged by subject. Consulting a digest can help you discover relevant cases.

Official Court Websites

Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Courts: Courts of Appeals & District Courts
Michigan Courts: One Court of Justice
Types of Courts in Michigan
A helpful description of the variety of courts, from the Michigan Courts website.

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