The situation
During the early morning hours two police officers could hear loud music coming from a vehicle parked on the street in a high-crime area. The drove by the vehicle and then returned and observed the registered owner standing next to the vehicle. Officer Smith approached the owner and Officer Wesson made contact with a person sitting in the passenger seat. Officer Wesson requested identification from the passenger. The passenger was reaching toward the console and Officer Wesson testified that the person was trying to hide or retrieve something from that area. The passenger was again asked for identification. The passenger leaned forward and reaching for his left. The person was ordered out of the vehicle and handcuffed. At this point Officer Wesson saw a partially consumed bottle of an alcoholic beverage in the area where the person had been seated. Officers searched the vehicle and discovered in the center compartment of the car a cup with an alcoholic beverage and a loaded handgun.
Court cases resources
- SCOTUSblogCourt documents and articles about recent and current Supreme Court cases.
- Court ListenerThe site has daily information regarding all precedential opinions issued by the 13 federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. It also has the non-precedential opinions from all of the Circuit courts except the D.C. Circuit.
- Find LawFindLaw's Cases and Codes section contains resources and links for both state and federal laws. This includes resources pertaining to constitutions, statutes, cases and more. Run a search for case summaries or select a jurisdiction to browse applicable laws.
- Legal Information InstituteHoused at Cornell University LII compiles legal resources and court case documentation free on the web.
- Great American Court CasesThis resource, while focusing primarily on Supreme Court cases, also includes major federal or state cases that set precedents. It contains cases organized by broad legal principles, then arranged alphabetically under the more specific legal issue.
Law Dictionaries
- A & C Black Dictionary of LawThis best-selling dictionary provides clear, concise and fully up-to-date information on all aspects of civil, criminal and commercial law. Examples and encyclopedic comments help to explain complex terms from British, European and US legal procedure.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of LawOver 10,000 entries explain the vocabulary used in legal situations. Entries include definitions pronunciations, and frequent supplementary notes
- World of Criminal JusticeThe individual entries explain in concise, detailed, and jargon-free language some of the most important topics, theories, discoveries, concepts, and organizations in criminal justice. Photographs, statistical charts, and graphs aid the reader in understanding the topics and people covered in the reference work.
Books that might help you
The Oxford companion to the Supreme Court of the United StatesClick the link to view the ebook.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution by Call Number: KF 4550 .G88 2007
Understanding Supreme Court Opinions by Call Number: KF 8742 .V36 2009
Help with decisions
- How to read a court opinionScroll to page 10.
News Sources
- Nexis UNI (Formerly Lexis/Nexis) This link opens in a new windowWide range of news, business, legal, and reference information, with full text of 2,000 journals and magazines. Especially good for legal research.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
- National Newspapers Core This link opens in a new window
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How to cite court cases in APA
The reference citation should look like the following: Name v. Name, Case Number (Court Abbreviation Year).
So this citation would be: Illinois v. Lidster, 540 U.S. 419 (U.S. 2004). In text, you would use (Lidster, 2004).
Here's where you find those pieces on your LEXIS document.:
For your court abbreviation, does your court name have a state in it? Click here to find the abbreviation. If it doesn't, click here to find it.
Did you find your case somewhere other than Lexis?? Contact Becky for help finding the pieces you can't locate.