Court Briefs & Oral Arguments

Legal researchers often find it helpful to read briefs submitted by the parties in cases before appellate courts. Briefs contain legal arguments designed to persuade the court and they analyze legal issues and refer to both primary and secondary sources. Transcripts and recordings of oral arguments before appellate courts preserve the presentations made by attorneys for the parties and questions asked by the judges.

This guide identifies print, microfiche, and microfilm collections at the Gallagher Law Library, free Internet sources, and commercial databases Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance, and Westlaw.

None of these collections are complete. If the brief you want is not found in a source available to you, consult the clerk of the court where the case was heard and/or attorneys for the parties.

UW School of Law faculty and students should consult a reference librarian about other possibilities.