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FDLP Resource Guides

U.S. Federal Courts

Written Opinions

Not all courts issue written opinions and not all opinions are published. If there is a published opinion, the majority opinion comes first followed by any dissents. The majority or dissenting opinion can be as brief as one sentence. Some appellate and supreme court majority decisions are written anonymously (a practice known as "Per Curiam"). 

  • Published opinions of a court show up in what is called a reporter.

  • For the U.S. Supreme Court, the official reporter is called United States Reports.

Click on the tabs of this box to learn more about slip opinions, United States Reports, lower court opinions, and other docket filings, including the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

There can be a time-lag between the decision and the publication of a reporter. Preceding versions of the opinion are made available and go by names such as "bench opinion," "slip opinion," and "preliminary print."

For the Supreme Court, slip opinions are posted within minutes after the Justices issue their opinions. They remain posted until the opinions for the entire terms are bound and published in United States Reports.

The Law Library of Congress has an online collection of the United States Reports. These are the official opinions of the Supreme Court. The collection contains Volumes 1–570, covering the years 1754–2012. 

The GovInfo collection, United States Court Opinions, has selected opinions from appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts from 2004 to the present. Some lower courts will publish their opinions on their websits. Court decisions that are published on the web (either from the court or another source) may be discoverable through a web search engine or legal news blogs.

  • Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is a system to search not just court decisions, but all files on the docket (including amicus briefs). PACER charges fees; however, there is limited free searching.
  • Some libraries may also have access to paid databases, like WestLaw, NexisUni, and HeinOnline. These databases also contain court decisions and docket information.

Audio and Transcripts

The Supreme Court does not allow video recording of oral arguments. Instead, the public can access audio recordings. This practice started in 1955. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration maintains the recordings.

The recordings and transcripts are available on supremecourt.gov on the same day the Supreme Court hears an argument. Same-day transcripts are considered official but subject to final review. The online recordings begin with 2010 and the online transcripts begin with 1968.

Speeches from current and former Supreme Court Justices are also available online.

Lower Court trials are unlikely to make transcripts available unless the decision is appealed and the transcript becomes part of the appellate record.

U.S. Laws and Regulations

There are many places to find information about U.S. laws and regulations. The below table contains core resources for authoritative information from GovInfo.

Resource Information
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. 
Judicial Publications on GovInfo Links to various collections on GovInfo.gov, including Congressionally Mandated Reports and Independent Counsel Investigations.
Public Laws Public laws, also known as slip laws, are an official publication of the law and are competent evidence admissible in all state and Federal courts and tribunals of the United States. 
U.S. Code (USC) The USC is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles.
U.S. Statutes at Large The Statutes at Large is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. 

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