Guides and Resources: Technology Bootcamp: Free Sources of Case Law

Free Sources of Case Law and Court Documents

There are numerous free sources for federal case law. Researchers should note these resources do not have the editorial enhancements and finding aids found in commercial databases. Most of these free resources are best navigated through keyword searching and browsing.

Court Website Links from the Administrative Office of the US Courts
Court websites are a great resource for case law and court documents, especially in recently decided cases. This website, provided by the Administrative Office of the US Courts, provides links to federal court websites. See the courts' websites for case information.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court website contains recent opinions, briefs, and links out to internet resources cited to in court documents.
United States Reports at the Library of Congress
Thanks to a 2014 agreement with Williams S. Hein & Co., digitized versions of the Untied States Reports are made available by the Library of Congress. Browseable by year, justice and major case topics; searchable by case title.
FindLaw
Case law, including state and federal courts, from 1893 to the present. FindLaw has good searchability for a free resource, with the ability to browse by topic and search case summaries.
Justia
Justia contains case decisions from federal and state courts, with content from 1924 to the present.
Public Library of Law
The Public Library of Law by Fastcase contains decisions from the Supreme Court, reported Federal Circuit Court cases, searchable by citation and keyword.