October 2009
THE SUPREMES: ANOTHER YEAR ON THE CHARTS
Use Westlaw to stay current on the past, current, and future activities of the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Oct. 5, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court began its 2009–2010 Term, during which it will issue approximately 80 opinions and issue countless decisions on certiorari. You can use Westlaw to retrieve a variety of U.S. Supreme Court documents, including briefs, oral arguments, and petitions and writs of certiorari—not to mention 219 years of case law.
When Can I Read the Supreme Court's Opinion in a Specific Case?
The full text of a Court opinion is added to Westlaw usually within 30 minutes of the Court's announce - ment of its decision.
Has the Court Granted a Writ of Certiorari?
You can learn whether the U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in a particular case almost immediately. The secret is KeyCite: Information on the grant or denial of certiorari is added to KeyCite only a few hours after West receives the information.
For example, to determine whether certiorari has been sought and decided in American Needle, Inc., v. National Football League, 538 F.3d 736 (7th Cir. 2008), you can type 538 f3d 736 in the Find this document by citation text box in the left frame to retrieve the case. Then click Full History on the Links tab.
How Will I Know When a Specific Appeal Is Decided?
Create a KeyCite Alert entry for the lower court decision. Access KeyCite Alert by clicking Monitor With KeyCite Alert on the Links tab of the lower court decision or by clicking Alert Center at the top of any Westlaw page.
What Did the Justices Ask at Oral Argument?
More than 1,600 transcripts of U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments are available on Westlaw. To retrieve transcripts involving a specific case, topic, justice, date range, or other restriction, access the Transcripts of U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments database (SCT-ORALARG) and type the information you know in the user-friendly search template. If you are viewing a Supreme Court decision, it's even easier to retrieve the oral argument transcript: Click Oral Argument Transcripts with Streaming Media at the top of the document for a link to the transcript.
What Was Argued in the Briefs?
To retrieve any of the more than 58,000 U.S. Supreme Court briefs on Westlaw—complete with links to cited authorities, attorney profiles, and other related documents—access the U.S. Supreme Court Briefs database (SCT-BRIEF). Then use the search template. If you are viewing a U.S. Supreme Court opinion or oral argument transcript, click Briefs and Other Related Documents at the top of the document for a list of links to the briefs available for the case.