Court Reporters

Cases are printed in reporters in rough chronological order. In the past, legal researchers used tools called digests to identify cases by topic. Now, most researchers search for cases using online sources such as Lexis Advance and WestlawNext. See the Gallagher page on Access to Restricted Databases for UW Law Students (restricted) for information on who is eligible to use these services under the Law Library's subscriptions.

Digests are organized alphabetically by topics, established by West Publishing Co. and detailed in its Analysis of American Law. Reference Area (KF144.W4).

Each Topic begins with a scope note (Subjects Included and Subjects Excluded and Covered by Other Topics), then an outline of the Topic (Analysis). Abstracts of points of law are then arranged in order by Key Number.

Each digest has a Descriptive Word Index and a Table of Cases. Most also have Defendant-Plaintiff Tables (earlier regional and decennial digests do not).

The Law Library has retained its collection of printed digests, even though they are no longer kept up to date.

For more information, see:

The digests in this table are listed from most comprehensive to most specific.

* Note: The Law Library does not have digests for other regional reporters. Use the Decennial Digests (current through 2013) for states not included in the Pacific Reporter and Pacific Digest (current through 2013).