Free ground shipping is available on every in-stock West order shipped within the United States. If you choose this option, your order will generally ship from West within 1-2 business days and arrive within 7-10 days via the carrier that West selects. Past-due accounts and other credit issues may delay your order.
A Legal Research Newsletter for Federal Government from West
November/December 2007
Advanced Search Tip: But Is it Constitutional?
West Codenotes appear between the West headnotes and the text of an opinion in cases that affect the validity of a statute.
The West-codenotes field (wcn) is a searchable field that is not listed on a database Search page. It provides an efficient way to find cases that have held statutes unconstitutional.
For example, if you want to look at recent federal cases involving sentencing in which courts have also found statutes unconstitutional, access the Federal Criminal Justice–Cases database (FCJ-CS) and type
wcn(unconst!) & sy,di(sentenc!) & da(aft 2006)
Or, if you are looking for cases in which courts have found state laws to be preempted by ERISA, access ALLCASES and type
wcn(pre-empt!) & sy,di(e.r.i.s.a. "employee retirement income security act")
Because West Codenotes is a relatively recent feature, older cases won't contain this editorial enhancement.