Subject Guide
Ask a Librarian
Need Help?
Regional Reporters (National Reporter System) -- Print
- Notes: State cases since about 1880 appear in the regional reporters.
Many states rely on the regional reporters exclusively, and no longer
publish official reports.
- Atlantic Reporter- State Courts: CT, DE, DC, MA, MD, NH, NJ, PA, RI, VT
- Coverage: 1885 - present - North Eastern Reporter- State Courts: IL, IN, MA, NY, OH
- Coverage: 1885 - present - North Western Reporter- State Courts: IA, MI, MN, NB, ND, SD, WI
- Coverage: 1879 - present - Pacific Reporter- State Courts: AL, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, KS, MT, NE, NM, OK, OR, UT, WA
- Coverage: 1883 - present - South Eastern Reporter- State Courts: GA, NC, SC, VA, WV
- Coverage: 1887 - present - South Western Reporter- State Courts: AR, KT, MO, TN, TX
- Coverage: 1887 - present - Southern Reporter- State Courts: AL, FL, LA, MS
- Coverage: 1887 - present
State Reporters -- Print
Location: 2nd Floor South & 2nd Floor East (shelved alphabetically by state)
Notes:- All states publish(ed) their own court reporters which are published
chronologically. The earliest cases are available in these reporters.
- State cases since about 1880 also appear in the regional reporters.
- In recent years, an increasing number of states have discontinued
publishing official state reporters and rely solely on the regional
reporters. Therefore, the Law Library has canceled all official state reporters except Wisconsin.
- Although the official title of a state reporter may have changed over
time, individual titles are not listed here. Rather, a simple start date
of coverage is provided. For a detailed list, consult Hein’s State Report Checklist
|
Alabama State Reports Begins with 1820 |
Alaska State Reports Begins with 1869 |
Arizona State Reports Begins with 1866 |
California State Reports Begins with 1857 |
Colorado State Reports Begins with 1864 |
|
Connecticut State Reports Begins with 1785 |
Delaware State Reports Begins with 1832 |
District of Columbia State Reports Begins with 1801 |
Florida State Reports Begins with 1846 |
Georgia State Reports Begins with 1805 |
|
Hawaii State Reports Begins with 1847 |
Idaho State Reports Begins with 1866 |
Illinois State Reports Begins with 1819 |
Indiana State Reports Begins with 1817 |
Iowa State Reports Begins with 1838 |
|
Kansas State Reports Begins with 1858 |
Kentucky State Reports Begins with 1785 |
Louisiana State Reports Begins with 1877 |
Maine State Reports Begins with 1636 |
Maryland State Reports Begins with 1811 |
|
Massachusetts State Reports Begins with 1630 |
Michigan State Reports Begins with 1805 |
Minnesota State Reports Begins with 1851 |
Mississippi State Reports Begins with 1839 |
Missouri State Reports Begins with 1839 |
|
Montana State Reports Begins with 1868 |
Nebraska State Reports Begins with 1860 |
Nevada State Reports Begins with 1865 |
New Hampshire State Reports Begins with 1796 |
New Jersey State Reports Begins with 1790 |
|
New Mexico State Reports Begins with 1852 |
New York State Reports Begins with 1794 |
North Carolina State Reports Begins with 1778 |
North Dakota State Reports Begins with 1890 |
Ohio State Reports Begins with 1821 |
|
Oklahoma State Reports Begins with 1890 |
Oregon State Reports Begins with 1853 |
Pennsylvania State Reports Begins with 1754 |
Rhode Island State Reports Begins with 1647 |
South Carolina State Reports Begins with 1671 |
|
South Dakota State Reports Begins with 1890 |
Tennessee State Reports Begins with 1847 |
Texas State Reports Begins with 1840 |
Utah State Reports Begins with 1871 |
Vermont State Reports Begins with 1800 |
|
Virginia State Reports Begins with 1728 |
Washington State Reports Begins with 1854 |
West Virginia State Reports Begins with 1863 |
Wisconsin State Reports Begins with 1842 |
Wyoming State Reports Begins with 1870 |
Regional & State Reporters -- Online
- Nexis UNI, Legal Research- Court(s): All states
- Coverage: Varies by state
- Availability: Licensed access for UW-Madison students, faculty, staff - LLMC Digital- Court(s): All states
- Coverage: Varies by state
- Availability: Licensed access for UW-Madison students, faculty, staff - Sources of Free Case Law on the Internet- Court(s): All states
- Coverage: Varies by state
- Availability: Free on Internet
Digests
- American Digest System (Century, Decennial, & General)- Court(s): Every case ever published in West system, state & federal.
- Coverage: Century Digest, 1658-1896; Decennial Digest (1st-11th), 1897-2001 (cumulated every 10 years); General Digest, 2001-present - North Western Digest- Court(s): MI, WI, IA, MN, ND
- Coverage: All cases reported in North Western Reporter - State Digests- Court(s): Digests are available for some states
- Coverage: Varies by state
- Location: 2nd Floor East & 2nd Floor South (shelved alphabetically by state with reporters) - West's Wisconsin Key Number Digest- Court(s): Wisconsin
- Coverage: All cases reported in Wisconsin Reports. - Callaghan's Wisconsin Digest- Court(s): Wisconsin
- Coverage: All cases reported in Wisconsin Reports.
Citators
- Shepard's via Nexis Uni- Court(s): All state and federal
- Coverage: varies by state
- Availability: Licensed access for UW-Madison students, faculty, staff
- Notes: When viewing a case, the Shepard's information is in the right column. - Key Number System via Westlaw Patron AccessCourt(s): All state and federal
Coverage: Varies by state
Availability: Law Building only - Shepard's Wisconsin Citations (print)- Court(s): Wisconsin
- Coverage: All cases reported in Wisconsin Reports.
Location: Ref KFW/2457/C34 & 2nd Floor East, stack 22
-Notes: This is the only print citator still available in the Law Library
Briefs
- Wisconsin Briefs- Court(s): Wisconsin
- Coverage: Selected briefs from 9 Wis. (1858) to the present
- Notes: For an index by case name and volume, see the Wisconsin Briefs Finding Guide. Note that the Wisconsin State Law Library has a more complete set of older briefs.
Dockets & Filings
In addition to the opinions as appear in the reporters above, additional documents which were filed in a case may also be available, such as the complaint, briefs, etc. The case docket will list a of the documents were filed in a case.
Dockets are available electronically from the mid 1990s to the present. UW law school faculty and staff may request access to Bloomberg Law which has a collection of federal and state dockets. If you're not a UW law school faculty and staff member, contact a law librarian.
If you would like to see a copy of a case filing, please contact a law librarian. We can help you determine the best way to obtain the document. Note that there may be a fee involved.