Legal methodsLesson 3 of 3 in the course Legal research and sources

Law Reports: Authority, Structure, Digital Access, and National Systems

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces law reports, their role in legal research, and the relationship between reported decisions and precedent.

A law report is a published compilation of judicial opinions from selected cases. It preserves decisions made by courts so that judges, lawyers, students, and the public can locate and study them. The word reporter has two meanings. Historically, it referred to a person who selected, compiled, edited, and published judicial opinions. In American English today, it can also mean the book or series containing the opinions. Commonwealth English commonly uses the plural phrase law reports for those publications.

All flashcards

Law report
A published compilation of judicial opinions from selected cases, used for research and citation.
Reporter
Historically, a person who compiled, edited, and published judicial opinions; in American English, also the publication containing them.
Stare decisis
The common law doctrine of generally following relevant precedent established by a higher court in the same jurisdiction.
Judgment in a law report
The court's decision and reasoning; ordinarily the authoritative part of the report.
Neutral citation
A case citation designed to identify a decision independently of a particular publisher's reporter.

Quiz questions

  1. What generally distinguishes an official law report from an unofficial law report?Answer: The official report is authorized by statute or another governmental ruling.
  2. When an official report of a decision becomes available, what do citation rules usually require?Answer: Cite the official report when the jurisdiction's rules require it.
  3. Which part of a traditional law report is ordinarily authoritative?Answer: The judgment
  4. What reliability concern can arise when a court decision is published online?Answer: A posted version may be modified after its initial publication.
  5. What does the U.S. National Reporter System do with selected state court opinions?Answer: It groups them into regional reporters.

Based on the Wikipedia article Law report, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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