Research Guides: JOUR 201: News Writing and Reporting I: Court Cases & Records

Finding Court Cases & Records

You can find court cases and case records in a variety of subscription and free sources. Note, however, that some case records are confidential and can't be searched publicly.

Nexis Uni
Nexis Uni's legal and government content includes U.S. Federal, state, and some international cases, statutes and legislation, administrative codes and materials, law reviews and journals, dockets, jury verdicts and settlements, briefs, pleadings and motions, legal news, jury instructions, forms, and expert witness analysis.
- On the main Nexis Uni screen, click Legal in the menu at the top. You can enter search terms or explore by location or content type (cases, statutes & legislation, etc.).
- Click Advanced Search to find cases by citation number (for example, 483 U.S. 522), party name, topic, and more.

Westlaw Campus Research
Includes the full text of all federal and state U.S. cases, along with other legal primary sources and many secondary sources (like 800 law reviews and journals).

Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a search engine for academic information. It can also search federal and state cases -- some paywalled, but some free. It's best for cases that have already been decided by the courts. To get started, link Google Scholar to the UMD Libraries to access more full-text content.
Google
You will likely need to go deeper than Google, but you can start your search here to see what's publicly available. Local and state governments' websites often include case information. To find these sites, search for the location (city/county and state) plus court cases. For example, pg county court cases.

Maryland Judiciary Case Search
Online search for Maryland court case records, including Maryland District Court traffic, criminal, and civil case records; Maryland Circuit Court criminal and civil case records; Supreme Court of Maryland petitions, appeals, attorney grievance and judicial disability cases; and Appellate Court of Maryland appeals. Please note that confidential records are not publicly accessible here.
Access to Maryland Court Records
Learn which court records are and aren't available to the public, and access paper and digital court records, estate records/wills, and land records.
Criminal Records Information and Access (Maryland State Archives)
The Maryland State Archives has in its possession a wide variety of criminal records from all 23 counties, Baltimore City, and the Courts of Appeal. Access to these records varies according to jurisdiction, court and time period.
District Court of Maryland
The jurisdiction of the District Court includes all landlord-tenant cases, replevin actions, motor vehicle violations, misdemeanors and certain felonies. The District Court does not conduct jury trials.
Maryland Circuit Courts
Circuit Courts hold trials for more serious criminal cases and major civil cases, including juvenile and family law cases, cases appealed from the District Court and others. Cases may be decided by juries, but also may be decided by a judge only. There is a Circuit Court and Clerk's Office in each of Maryland’s 23 counties and the city of Baltimore. Circuit Courts are grouped in 8 judicial circuits.

Public Access to Court Records (PACER)
The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service provides public access to more than 1 billion case records and documents filed at all federal courts. NOTE: PACER does not offer library subscriptions, so users will be charged a fee by page for access to case information.

HeinOnline U.S. Supreme Court Library
Includes the official U.S. Reports, which compile all decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the official record of its rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings. You can view a list of the most commonly researched U.S. Supreme Court landmark cases on the database's main page. The database also includes books, periodicals CRS reports, rules of the Court, and external links.
Civil Rights and Social Justice
Containing publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, legislative histories on landmark legislation, briefs from relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases, and more, this database covers civil rights in the United States as their legal protections and definitions are expanded to cover more and more Americans.