Research Guides: HSJ412 Legal &amp; Ethical Issues in Human Services &amp; the Criminal Justice System: Court Cases

What is case law?

From Wikipedia:

Case law is the reported decisions of selected appellate and other courts (called courts of first impression) which make new interpretations of the law and, therefore, can be cited as precedents in a process known as stare decisis. These interpretations are distinguished from statutory law which are the statutes and codes enacted by legislative bodies; regulatory law (a.k.a. administrative law) which are regulations established by governmental agencies based on statutes; and in some states, common law which are the generally accepted laws carried to the United States from England.

Print Sets

Pennsylvania Reporter, 2d by West Publishing Company
Call Number: Compact shelving - 2nd floor - law reference
Covers opinions and decisions issued by the state courts of Pennsylvania.
Lycoming Reporter by Lycoming Law Association
Call Number: Compact shelving - 2nd floor - law reference
Designated as the legal newspaper in Lycoming County for the publication of legal notices which are required to be published in a legal newspaper, by statute, rule, or order of court. Additionally, it publishes notices to the legal profession, Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas decision summaries and other items of interest to the legal community.
Shepard's Pennsylvania Citations, Statutes by Shepard's/McGraw-Hill
Call Number: Compact shelving - 2nd floor - law reference
The statutory volumes allow you to check the history and authority of codified state statutes, session laws, constitutional sections, and court rules. The case component allows you to shepardize appellate decisions using either the official or Atlantic Reporter citation.
West's Pennsylvania Digest 2d by West Group
Call Number: Compact shelving - 2nd floor - law reference
This Key Number Digest contains all headnotes, classified according to West's® Key Number System, for Pennsylvania state and federal court decisions reported from 1938 to date. The topics are listed in alphabetical order. The Key Numbers within those topics are listed in numerical order. Each topic begins with scope notes about subjects included and subjects excluded and covered by other topics. Also there is an outline of the topic, which includes a list of all Key Numbers in that topic. Each volume is supplemented by a pocket part and the full set is also supplemented by interim pamphlets.

Pennsylvania State

Click on the Westlaw logo above
Click on the tab labeled “State Materials”
Click on “Pennsylvania” from the list of states
Click on “All Pennsylvania State Cases”
Enter your search terms in the search box at the top of the page
Click on the “Search” button
Note: links to related documents will appear in the column on the right

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Search across many disciplines and sources for scholarly articles, theses, books, abstracts, patents and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other reputable websites.

Click on the Google Scholar logo above
Click on "Case Law"
Enter keywords if looking up cases on your topic OR enter a specific case name as an exact phrase
If searching for Pennsylvania case law, select "Pennsylvania courts"
Enter your search terms in the box provided
Click the search button.

Lycoming County

Lycoming County Court Opinions
The database contains over 5,300 opinions issued by the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas since 1999.…but it also contains legal notices (i.e. sheriff sales, property tax notices, estate notices), and professional news (events – like law day, recognition for law professionals, ceremonies, etc.
Lycoming Reporter Online Edition
The Lycoming Reporter is designated as the legal newspaper in Lycoming County for the publication of legal notices which are required to be published in a legal newspaper, by statute, rule, or order of court. Additionally, the Lycoming Reporter publishes notices to the legal profession, Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas decision summaries and other items of interest to the legal community. Print copies of this publication are shelved in the Law Collection on the 2nd floor.

Other Courts

Click on the Westlaw logo above
With the “All Content” tab selected, click on “Cases”
Select the court you wish to search
Enter your search terms in the search box at the top of the screen
Click on the “Search” button

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Search across many disciplines and sources for scholarly articles, theses, books, abstracts, patents and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other reputable websites.

Click on the Google Scholar logo above
Click on "Case Law"
Enter keywords if looking up cases on your topic OR enter a specific case name as an exact phrase
Use the "Select courts" option to choose from a list of courts in different states, districts, etc.
Click on the search button