LawCite - Case Law Research for Law Enforcement

Overview

Whether you're using the Case Law Database or Scenario Analysis, you'll see cases with badges, citations, and status indicators. This page explains what they all mean.

Authority Badges

Authority badges tell you how much weight a case carries in your jurisdiction.

Binding Authority

Courts in your jurisdiction must follow these cases.

You'll see this on:

•U.S. Supreme Court cases (binding everywhere)
•Your state's supreme court cases (for state law)
•Your federal circuit's cases (for federal law)

Persuasive Authority

Courts may consider these cases but aren't required to follow them.

You'll see this on:

•Other federal circuits (outside your circuit)
•Other states' supreme courts
•Lower courts from other jurisdictions

Still valuable when there's no binding authority on point.

⭐ Landmark Case

Foundational cases that established major legal principles. These are the cases everyone in law enforcement should know.

Examples: Terry v. Ohio, Graham v. Connor, Miranda v. Arizona, Tennessee v. Garner

Verification Status

In Scenario Analysis, cases are verified against our database. This tells you whether you can trust the citation.

✓Verified

The case exists in our database and has been confirmed accurate.

Click to open the full case breakdown with summary, holdings, practical guidance, and more.

⚠Unverified

The case couldn't be verified in our database.

Use caution. Verify independently before citing in official documents.

Why Some Cases Are Unverified

Our database is comprehensive but not exhaustive. An unverified case isn't necessarily wrong—it just means we haven't added it yet. Our legal team is automatically notified when unverified cases appear so we can investigate and add them.

Case Status

Cases can change over time. A case might be overruled, limited, or superseded. LawCite tracks this so you know if a case is still good law.

Active

Still good law. Can be cited as authority.

Overruled

Explicitly overturned by a higher court. No longer valid precedent.

Do not rely on overruled cases.

Limited

Still valid but narrowed in scope by later decisions.

Check the limitations before citing.

Superseded

The underlying statute changed, making the ruling obsolete.

Distinguished

Later courts found ways to not apply it in certain circumstances.

Non-active cases show a status badge. Hover or click to see what changed and which case affected it.

Reading Case Citations

Legal citations follow a standard format. Here's how to read them:

Example: Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)

Terry v. Ohio= Case name (parties involved)

392= Volume number

U.S.= Reporter (U.S. Reports = Supreme Court)

1= Page number where case begins

(1968)= Year decided

Common Reporters

U.S.= United States Reports (Supreme Court)

S. Ct.= Supreme Court Reporter

F.3d / F.4th= Federal Reporter (Circuit Courts of Appeals)

F. Supp.= Federal Supplement (District Courts)

S.W.3d= South Western Reporter (TX, AR, KY, MO, TN)

N.E.3d= North Eastern Reporter (IL, IN, MA, NY, OH)

P.3d= Pacific Reporter (Western states)

So. 3d= Southern Reporter (AL, FL, LA, MS)

A.3d= Atlantic Reporter (Eastern states)

Exporting Results

Export your scenario analyses to PDF or Word for reports and documentation.

When to Export

→Including research in incident reports

→Preparing for court testimony

→Sharing with supervisors or legal counsel

→Creating training materials

→Archiving important research

Export vs. History

All scenario analyses are automatically saved to your history. Export when you need a standalone document for official purposes.

Tips for Using Results

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Click verified cases:Read the full case breakdown, not just the summary in the analysis

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Check case status:Make sure the case is still active before relying on it

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Note the authority:Binding cases carry more weight than persuasive ones

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Verify unverified cases:Don't cite yellow-flagged cases without independent verification

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Consider the facts:Small factual differences can change legal outcomes

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Consult legal:For critical decisions, run results by your agency's legal department

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📊Understanding Results