LEGAL 

RESEARCH 1
LL.M. Legal Research
PRELIMINARIES
Legal Authority
• Legal Authority can be…
• Primary—The Law Itself
• Secondary—Commentary about the law
 Four Main Sources of Primary Authority
 Constitutions
Establishes structure of the government and fundamental rights of citizens

 Statutes
Establishes broad legislative mandates

 Court Opinions (also called Cases)
Interprets and/or applies constitution, statutes, and regulations

Establishes legal precedent

 Administrative Regulations
Fulfills the legislative mandate with specific rules and enforcement procedures
 Primary Sources of American Law

United States Constitution

State Constitutions

Executive      Legislative        Judicial Executive      Legislative        Judicial

Regulations     Statutes     Court Opinions Regulations     Statutes     Court Opinions
(Cases) (Cases)

Federal Government State Government
 Civil Law Common Law
Cases • Illustrate or  • Interpret 
exemplify code. statutes
• Not binding on  • Create binding 
third parties precedent 

Statutes (codes) • Very specific • Broader and 

and  detailed  more vague
French Intellectual Property Code
Cases interpret statutes:
Parody, like other comment and criticism, may claim fair use. Under the first of the four § 107 factors, “the
purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature ...,” the enquiry
focuses on whether the new work merely supersedes the objects of the original creation, or whether and to
what extent it is “transformative,” altering the original with new expression, meaning, or message. The
more transformative the new work, the less will be the significance of other factors, like commercialism,
that may weigh against a finding of fair use. The heart of any parodist's claim to quote from existing
material is the use of some elements of a prior author's composition to create a new one that, at least in
part, comments on that author's work. But that tells courts little about where to draw the line. Thus, like
other uses, parody has to work its way through the relevant factors.

Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569, 569–70, 114 S. Ct. 1164, 1166, 127 L. Ed. 2d 500
(1994)

Cases establish precedent that is followed in later cases:

A "parody has an obvious claim to transformative value," as "it can provide social benefit, by shedding
light on an earlier work, and, in the process, creating a new one." Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. 510
U.S. 569, 578, 114 S. Ct. 1164, 127 L.Ed. 2d 500 (1994).

Lombardo v. Dr. Seuss Enters., L.P., 729 Fed. Appx. 131, 132, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 18367, *3, 2018
WL 3323476
 Legal Research (ultimately) is:
locating authority that supports the theory of your case,

that is mandatory (binding on) or persuasive to the court 

where your case is being heard, 

and that is good law.
Why do we cite our authority?
• To establish authority for a legal claim or argument.
• To provide enough information for the judge, opposition, and public to locate and 
read the source.
 Example of the Use of Legal Authority

In New York, the rule is well settled that an advertisement is

merely an invitation to enter into negotiations, and is not an
offer that may be turned into a contract by a person who
communicates an intention to purchase the advertised
item. Geismar v. Abraham & Strauss, 439 N.Y.S.2d 1005
(Dist. Ct. Suffolk Co. 1981).
Geismar v. Abraham & Strauss, 439 N.Y.S.2d 1005 (Dist. Ct. Suffolk Co. 1981).

Reporter
Parties

Court
R10
p.94
THE
BLUEBOOK
A Uniform System of Citation
 Examples of the Use of Legal Authority

The Americans with Disabilities Act uses a three-prong test

to define "disability." 42 U.S.C. § 12102(2).

42 U.S.C. § 12102(2)
United States 

Section
Title

Code

R12
p.120
THE
BLUEBOOK
A Uniform System of Citation
 More Examples of the Use of Legal Authority

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states, it is “an

unlawful employment practice for an employer...to
discriminate against any individual with respect to his
compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of
employment, because of such individual’s race, color,
religion, sex, or national origin”. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2(a)(1).

In Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986), the

United States Supreme Court confirmed the language in Title
VII and the EEOC guidelines related to sexual harassment.
 Mandatory Authority
What the law of a jurisdiction?
The constitution, statutes, and regulations of that 
jurisdiction. 

The opinions of the highest court in that jurisdiction to 
have ruled on the legal issue.
How do I know whether a particular opinion is binding?
A court is bound by, i.e., must rule on a legal issue in the 
same way as, the opinions of highest court in the 
jurisdiction to have ruled on that issue.  
 The law of a jurisdiction:
State Systems The Federal System

Constitution The constitution of that state. Constitution The United States Constitution

Statutes The statutes passed by the legislature of that state. Statutes The statutes passed by the  U.S. Congress
Regulations The regulations promulgated by the agencies of that 
Regulations The regulations promulgated by U.S. federal agencies. 
state.
Cases The opinions from the highest court in that state to rule on 
Cases The opinions from the United States Supreme Court or 
the issue.
the highest court in that circuit to rule on the issue.
Deeper Dive:  Mandatory Authority (Cases)

Mandatory (binding authority) comes from: 
Highest Court?
Higher
Court of Last Resort

Court of Intermediate Appeal

Trial Court

Lower
Federal Court System

Higher

Lower
State Court Systems

Higher

Lower
New York State Court System

Higher

Lower
Same Jurisdiction?

Jurisdiction: Territory within which a court may 
properly exercise its power.
Binding cases (opinions) come from: 
Jurisdiction and Levels of Court: The States

Massachusetts  California  New York  New Jersey 

Supreme  Supreme  Court of  Supreme 
Judicial Court Court Appeals Court

New York  New Jersey 
Massachusetts  California  Supreme  Superior 
Appeals Court Court of  Court,  Court, 
Appeals Appellate  Appellate 
Division Division

Massachusetts  California  New York  New Jersey 

District Court Superior  Supreme  Superior 
Court Court Court
Federal Jurisdiction:
Circuits
 United States Supreme Court

United States  United States  United States  United States 

Court of Appeals  Court of Appeals  Court of Appeals  Court of Appeals 
for the 1st Circuit for the 2nd Circuit for the 3rd Circuit for the 4th Circuit

D D DD D
. . . . .
D.Me. D.N.H. D.Mass.
M
D.R.I. S.D.N.Y. W.D.N.Y. D. Conn
M
. N.D.N.Y. W.PA M.PA E.PA.
MM
D.NJ N.D.W.Va. S.D.W.Va. E.D.Va.
M
W.D.Va.
e e ee e

E.D.N.Y. D.Vt. D.DE W.D.N.C. M.D.N.C. E.D.N.C. D.S.C.

 What is persuasive authority?

 Everything that isn’t binding
 Authority from a different jurisdiction
 Authority from the same or lower level of court.
 Secondary Authority (commentary about the law)*.

*Sometimes very persuasive but never mandatory 
(binding).
 What is Secondary Authority?
Commentary on or analysis of the law

Can help explain complex legal concepts that would be 
difficult for an uninformed researcher to grasp

Introduces the vocabulary and “terms of art” of and area of 
law.  

Collects & summarize related primary law in a single 
location
 Types of Secondary Sources

• Legal encyclopedia
• American Law Reports (A.L.Rs )
• Treatises
• Legal periodicals
Footnotes (and internal citations) 
are Your Friend!

You + Citations =

They contain:
References to cases, statutes & regulations
References to other useful secondary sources
 Legal Periodicals v. Treatises v.
Legal Encyclopedia v. American Law Reports
What kind of secondary source should I use?
• I need a quick summary/overview of an area of the law so I know the 
basics and can spot some preliminary issues.
• Encyclopedias

• I’d like to develop a deep understanding of an area of the law, 
identify major primary sources & understand how those sources 
work together.
• Treatises

• I’d like to find the governing principles (with citations to primary 
sources) in an area of the law in my jurisdiction.
• Treatises about a topic that focus only on my jurisdiction (ex. 
NY Products Liability)
• Encyclopedias that focus on my jurisdiction (ex. NY Jur)
• American Law Reports (ALRs)
What kind of secondary source should I use?
• I’d like to learn about the historical development of an area of 
the law whether statutory or case‐based
• Law review articles 
• Treatises
• I’d like to find cases that address specific factual scenarios
• ALRs
• Restatements
• Encyclopedias
• I want to make a novel argument or research a developing area 
of the law
• Law review articles
• I need to draft a document like a pleading, motion or 
transactional document:
• Form books & other practice materials
 Remember secondary sources Are NOT binding.
Never cite a secondary source in legal work.
Cite the primary sources you found IN the secondary source.
How to find a Secondary Source:
1. Use tools (research guides, library catalog, 
and reference desk) to help decide:  
Type of secondary source
AND/OR
Name of specific secondary source 
2. Locate the source, either in print or 
electronically 
3. With keywords identified during research 
plan, use the Index and Table of Contents to 
guide you to the correct sections
Remember books?
Look for your broad
concept of the law first

Then look for more

precise facts
Note down the
citation and then
look it up in
main volumes
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
 Legal Research (ultimately) is:

Locating authority that supports the theory of your 
case,
that is mandatory (binding on) or persuasive to the 
court where your case is being heard,
And that is good law.
 What is good law?

A legal opinion is no longer good law 
if it has been:
overturned on appeal.
overruled by later precedent.
invalidated by statute or regulation
Overturned on Appeal
• Furthermore, in his Reply, the  • Because the district court did not 
applicant makes no effort to show  apply the correct legal rule, its 
that independent grounds for  decision denying Rogers permissive 
jurisdiction exist. Therefore, he does  intervention was not an appropriate 
not meet the requirements for  exercise of discretion. We 
permissive intervention and his  accordingly vacate that portion of 
motion for permissive intervention  the district court's order and 
must be denied. remand.

Freedom from Religion Found., Inc. v.  Freedom from Religion Found., Inc. v. 
Geithner, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS  Geithner, 644 F. 3d 836 (9th Cir., 2011)
111776 (E.D. Cal., 2009)
Overruled by later precedent
• …we cannot say that the Amendment  • The Court in Betts v. Brady departed from 
embodies an inexorable command  the sound wisdom upon which the Court's 
that no trial for any offense, or in any  holding in Powell v. Alabama rested. 
court, can be fairly conducted and  Florida, supported by two other States, 
justice accorded a defendant who is  has asked that Betts v. Brady be left intact. 
not represented by counsel. Twenty‐two States, as friends of the Court, 
argue that Betts was "an anachronism 
when handed down," and that it should 
now be overruled. We agree.

Betts v. Brady, 316 U.S. 455 (1942) Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
CASES
Stare Decisis
 Doctrine of Adherence to Precedent
• Requires Courts to Decide Cases Consistently With Their Past 
Decisions Involving the Same or Similar Facts and Legal Principles.
• Lower Courts are Bound by Decisions of Higher Courts in Same 
Jurisdiction

 Stare Decisis Requires Lawyers to Locate Mandatory and/or 
Persuasive Precedents
How to Read a Case Citation

Name of Case

Foamation, Inc. v. Wedeward Enterprises, Inc., 
947 F.Supp. 1287 (E.D.Wis.,1996)

Volume number Page number Year

Court
Reporter Name
(Eastern District of
(Federal Supplement)
Wisconsin)
How do I figure out what these
abbreviations mean?

◻ Use Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations:

http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/
◻ Come to the reference desk and ask us
◻ Use Table 1 in the Blue Book
Check the jurisdiction
of the court from your
case citation & look up
that jurisdiction in Table
1 of the Blue Book. It
will tell you what
reporters to use when
citing cases in that
jurisdiction.
US Case reporting system
Cases are published in reporters.
• Reporters are organized by jurisdiction and date.
• Federal, regional, and state reporters
• Almost all federal reporters published by West; some state 
reporters still published by private entities
• Reporters publish cases in chronological order.
 Case Reporters
Level Court Official Unofficial
Court of Last Resort US Supreme Court U.S. Reports Supreme Court Reports (S. Ct.)

United States Supreme Court Reports,

Lawyers Edition (L. Ed.)

Intermediate Appeal Federal Circuit None Federal Reporter (F., F2d, F3d)

Courts of Appeal
Trial Court Federal District None Federal Supplement (F.Supp., F. Supp.
Courts 2d)

Court of Last Resort NY Court of Appeals New York Reports North Eastern Reporter (N.E., N.E.2d)
(N.Y., N.Y.2d) New York Supplement (N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d)
Intermediate Appeal NY Supreme Ct., Appellate Division New York Supplement
Appellate Division Reports (A.D., A.D.2d) (N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d)
Trial Court NY Supreme Court Miscellaneous Reports New York Supplement
(Misc., Misc.2d) (N.Y.S., N.Y.S.2d)
Anatomy of a Court Opinion
Heading
• Parallel Citation to an Official Reporter
• Case Name, Court, & Date

Synopsis of the Decision

Headnotes
• Paragraph(s) Summarizing Key Points 

Attorneys and Judges

Opinion of the Court
 Headnotes
This version of the heading 
Synopsis of the Decision
Heading
West’s claim to fame, each case 
Recaps key facts, legal question and 
Includes important information 
essentially cites the case 
published in their reporters is read 
such as the date case was decided 
according to Bluebook rules—
holding of the case
through by an attorney and 
more useful to the practitioner
and the docket number of the 
assigned “topic” and “key 
case (No. 96‐C‐1047)
numbers” that correspond to the 
relevant substantive or procedural 
issue discussed within the case
 Attorneys
Useful for identifying 
relevant procedural 
documents on the 
Docket

You will be able to tell when the 
official text of the opinion starts 
when you see the Judge’s name 
listed
Unpublished Decisions
Decisions designated “unpublished” are deemed by the judge 
authoring them to be of little precedential value
• Will appear with a LEXIS or WL citation:
• 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 201517
• 2007 WL 4867239

Court rules vary as to whether “unpublished” decisions may be 
cited
“Unpublished decisions” may appear in the Federal Appendix (F. 
Appx.)
STATUTES
 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
S. 3217 Bill is Introduced H.R. 4173
Senate Committee House Committee

Hearings Held Hearings Held

Senate Floor Vote House Floor Vote

Debate/Amendments Debate/Amendments

Conference Committee

Senate Vote on House Vote on

Conference Report President Conference Report
Sign or Veto

PL 111-203
Statutory Publishing Process
Published by  Published by 
date topic

Session Laws in 
Slip  Laws US Code
Statutes at Large
(P.L. 111‐203)  (12 USC 5301)
(124 Stat. 1376)
Statutory Codes 
• The official code of federal statutes is called the 
United States Code (U.S.C.)
• It is divided into 54 “titles” which are broad topics

• The official publication is updated every year.

• The official publication is republished every 6 years.

• You should always cite to the official code. 
Why does the US codify its laws?
• Brings together all law on the same topic (must easier to research this way).
• Eliminates all repealed, superseded, or expired laws from the current publication 
of the U.S.C. 
• Represents all of statutory law currently in force
United States Code
is organized in broad
subject categories
called titles. The 54
titles are in rough
alphabetical order.
 PL 111-203
Dodd-Frank Act

§111 §1079A

USC Title 12 USC Title 18

Banks and Crimes and
Banking Criminal Procedure
Statutory Publishing Process
Published by  Published by 
date topic

Session Laws in 
Slip  Laws US Code
Statutes at Large
(P.L. 111‐203)  (12 USC 5301)
(124 Stat. 1376)
Unofficial Code Publications

• Unofficial versions of the U.S.C. and of parallel state codes are 
published by commercial publishers.
• They are “annotated” with references to relevant cases and secondary 
sources.
• Federal annotated codes are:
• U.S.C.A. (United States Code Annotated)
• West’s annotated version of the U.S.C. 
• Good for references to cases (by Topic & Key Number)
• U.S.C.S. (United States Code Service)
• Lexis’ annotated version of the U.S.C.
• Good for references to regulations

• NY annotated codes are: 
• McKinney’s (West)
• Consolidated Laws Service (CLS) (Lexis)
LEGAL CITATORS
What is a citator?

◻ A citator gathers cases, briefs and secondary

sources that cite your case, statute or
regulation.
◻ A citator analyzes what other cases say about
the case, statute or regulation you are
interested in.
◻ This will help you to determine whether your
case is still “good law”.
 Citators cont.
A citator can do two things:
1. It can help you determine whether a
case/statute/regulation is still “good law”.
a) Has a citing case over-ruled or spoken negatively of
the cited case on a relevant point of law?
b) Has your statutory provision or regulation been
repealed, amended or interpreted in a different way
by a case?
2. It can help you find additional cases &
secondary sources that will be useful for your
research question (another way to use “one
good case”).
 Caution!
◻ When using a citator, you will find cases that
provide positive analysis of your case or
negative analysis
◻ It is crucial that you read the cases that
comment negatively on your case to see
whether that impacts your argument
◻ You want to read the positive cases because:
⬜ you want to know whether the law has evolved
⬜ it is another way to find good cases
Vocabulary
◻ Cited case: the case that you’d like to use in your
memo/brief/argument. You want to make sure it is
still good law. In our example, the cited case is Roe
v. Wade.
◻ Citing case: a case that cites the cited case, the
case you’d like to use. In our example, the citing 
cases are the approx. 4000 cases that have cited
Roe v. Wade.
◻ Shepardize: using a citator, whether the citator is
on Lexis (Shepards), Westlaw (Keycite) or
Bloomberg Law (BCite).
SHEPARDIZING A 
CASE
Lexis Advance
Shepard’s Signals
SIGNAL MEANS
Red stop sign Warning: Negative treatment is indicated.
Orange square surrounding the Questioned: Validity questioned by citing references.
letter Q
Yellow triangle Caution: Possible negative treatment.

Green diamond surrounding a Positive treatment is indicated.

plus sign
Blue circle surrounding the Citing references with analysis available.
letter A
Blue circle surrounding the Citation information available.
letter I
Step 1:

Check the case you want to use for a signal indicating 
whether you case has received positive or negative 
treatment from other cases. 
The red stop sign indicates that Roe
has received severe negative 
treatment from a citing case.
Step 2:

Identify the headnotes in your case that are relevant 
to your research problem. 
Since we want to use Roe on 
the issue of right to privacy, 
we want to focus in on citing 
cases that talk about that 
issue. 

HNs 5, 6, & 7 all look 
interesting . 
Step 3:

Look at the list of cases that cite your case.
According to Lexis there are 
slightly more than 4000 
cases that cite to Roe. 
That’s way too many to 
look at. 
Step 4:

Filter by jurisdiction.
Click on Citing Decisions to 
find all cases that have cited 
to Roe v. Wade. 
 Since I need to find the cases that cite to 
Roe that are mandatory authority, I will 
filter by the 2nd Circuit and the US Supreme 
Court. 

If I want to filter for multiple jurisdictions, I 
click on Select multiple.
Now I’ve got a list of cases that are mandatory 
authority. There are only 349 cases now. 
Step 5:

Filter by legal topic (i.e. restrict citing cases to those 
HN topics you are interest in). 
 349 cases is still too many to look at. I want to focus on finding 
cases that deal with the issues I am interested in. 

Remember that I previously identified HNs 5, 6, & 7 as being 
most interesting.

Scroll down to filter by headnote. If you can 
remember which HN you might be interested in, 
you can view the text here. 

To view multiple headnotes, 
select this link. 
Select the headnotes you are interested in. 
I’m down to only 100 cases!

Now I’ve got a set of cases that are 
mandatory authority for me and expressly 
discuss the issues I’m interested in. 

Just like Westlaw, Lexis shows the 
HNs from Roe that each case 
discusses. 
Step 6:

What if I’m just interested in cases that cite my case 
on one HN.
If you are only interested in one HN in a 
case click on the Shepardize link below 
the HN to find cases that cite your case 
on this HN. 
Step 7:

Look closely at the cases that speak negatively about 
your case.
Now that we have a nice list of cases that are mandatory 
authority and on our issue(s), we want to look at the type of 
analysis these cases give Roe, especially the cases that 
speak negatively about it.

Going to the analysis section, we see that Lexis does a great job 
of breaking down the cases by different types of analysis.

This can be very useful. For example, cases are often 
distinguished based on factual differences. This still counts 
as cautionary treatment. However, the more significant 
cautionary analysis are those cases that have criticized 
Roe. On Lexis, it is easy to find those cases.
Because I wanted to  One great feature of shepardizing on Lexis is that it lists the various 
select the case that  different treatment that a citing case gives your case.
had the most 
negative analysis of 
Roe, I selected 
Warning. 

Lexis shows that Planned 
Parenthood not only overruled 
Roe in part but also criticized it, 
followed it and explained. Lexis 
points you to the page in the 
case where this treatment 
happens.
Step 8:

Filter citing cases by characteristics like depth of 
treatment, date, reported/unreported.
You can also filter by Publication Status to 
avoid non‐precedential cases.

Lexis also has Discussion bars that track how much 
a citing case discusses your case. Filter by this to 
find cases that spend a lot of time discussing your 
case.

Don’t forget to filter by date to find the 
most recent cases that have cited to 
your case.
You can also use Shepards to find other types of 
materials that cite your case.
In addition to cases, you can also find other 
materials like secondary sources, briefs etc, that 
cite to your case. Click on Other Citing Sources. 
You can then filter by type of document.

Note that you can also filter by 
searching for additional terms within 
your results.

Or you can filter by date.
SHEPARDIZING A 
CASE
Westlaw
Westlaw Status Flags Indicating KeyCite History

NOTATION MEANS
Red flag The case is no longer good law for at least one of the
points it contains.
Yellow flag The case has some negative history, but has not been
reversed or overruled.
Blue & white striped flag Case is on appeal.
On Westlaw…
Step 1: 
Step 1:

Check the case you want to use for a flag 
Check the case you want to use for a flag indicating whether 
indicating whether your case has received 
your case has received positive or negative treatment from 
other cases. 
positive or negative treatment from other 
cases. 
 Step 1: When you first look at a case check for any flags that indicate the 
status of the case. Here, the yellow flag indicates negative treatment. 

Westlaw tells you that there is some sort 
of disagreement and gives you a citation 
to the citing case that gives your case the 
most negative treatment. For a quick 
assessment of your case, take a look at 
that citing case. 
Step 2:  Step 2:
Identify the headnotes in your case 
Identify the headnotes in your case 
that are relevant to your research 
that are relevant to your research 
problem.
problem.
I’d like to use Roe for 
the court’s reasoning 
on the issue of right 
to privacy. 
HN 9 & 10 look really 
interesting so I note 
them down. These 
headnotes both have 
the topic 
Constitutional Law. 
Step 3:
Step 3:

Let’s look at the cases that cite to 
Look at the cases that cite to our 
case –
our case ‐ are there too many to look 
are there too many to 
at them all?
look at them all?
 If you want to look at all citing 
If you just want to 
cases, click on the dropdown 
focus on negative 
arrow by Citing References
citing cases, click on 
and choose Cases from the 
the tab for Negative 
dropdown menu. 
Treatment. 
There are almost 4000 cases citing to 
Roe. That’s way too many to look at! 
How will I find the relevant ones?
 Step 4:
Step 4: 
Filter your case by jurisdiction.
Filter your cases by jurisdiction...
Clicking on Cases opens up 
other filtering options like 
jurisdiction, date, topic and 
search within results.

We need to find out what cases that 
are mandatory authority for us say 
about Roe v. Wade.

So, let’s start by looking at cases 
from jurisdictions that are 
mandatory authority for us.
Since I’m in SDNY, I select cases from 
the US Supreme Court and the Second 
Circuit. 

Hit Apply Filters. 
Now I only have 176 cases to look 
at and they are all mandatory 
authority!
Step 5:
Step 5:

Restrict citing cases to those on the 
Restrict citing cases to those on the 
HN topics you are interested in...
HN topics you are interested in.
To further reduce the 
number of cases I need 
to look at, I’m going to 
select cases by the  I select Constitutional Law since 
Topics assigned to the  both HN 9 & 10 are Con Law 
headnotes..  headnotes. To see cases on specific 
headnotes click the link Specify by 
the topic Constitutional Law.

Scroll through the headnotes 
to the find the relevant one. 
 Scroll down to the bottom of the 
headnote and then click on box. 

You can select as many headnotes as 
Once I’ve selected by  you want. 
HNs I hit Apply Filters
Here I’ll continue to scroll down and 
select HN 10 as well. 
Now, that I’ve filtered by jurisdiction and by HNs I only have 57 
cases to look at. That’s a lot better than 4000 cases.

The last column shows you which 
HNs from Roe this case discusses.

Because we filtered citing cases by HNs # 9 & 10, all cases in 
this list will have either a 9 or a 10 in this column. 
Step 6:
Step 6:
What if I’m just interested in 
What if I’m just interested in cases 
cases that cite my case on 
that cite my case in one HN?
one HN?
Clicking on this link will find all cases that 
cite this Roe on the issue in HN9. 
Then you can still Search within results, filter by 
Jurisdiction etc.
Step 7: 
Step 7:
Look closely at the cases that 
Look closely at the cases that 
speak negatively about your 
speak negatively about your case. 
case...
On Westlaw, scroll down to the 
bottom of the left hand filtering 
column. You can filter to view 
negative cases only. 
Step 8:
Step 8:
Filter citing cases by characteristics like 
Filter citing cases by characteristics 
depth of treatment, date, 
like depth of treatment, dates, 
reported/unreported...
reported/unreported.
 Westlaw assigns each case a depth of treatment bar 
which shows how much Stenberg v. Carhart discusses 
Roe v. Wade.  
You can filter by Depth Of Treatment to focus on cases 
that really talk about your case extensively.

Note that for each case, Westlaw gives some 
indication of what the case says about Roe v. 
Wade. 
You can search within results to find 
cases that match the facts of your 
case.

It is important to find out what recent 
cases say about your case.

Filter by date to find newer cases.
Remember that in many jurisdictions 
unreported cases have no value as precedent. 
Use the Reported Status filter to find cases with 
precedential value. 
 Finding other types of materials 
Finding other types of materials that 
that cite to your case.
cite to your case...
Choose a different 
source type to see 
other documents that 
cite to your case.
 You can filter further by source 
type.

Or search within documents 
for more specific search 
terms. 
Or by date

Or by HN topic