What is Case Law?
Case law is defined as reported decisions of appeals courts and other courts which make new interpretations of the law and, therefore, can be cited as precedents. Case law is law established by judicial decisions instead of by legislative action.
Publication of Case Law
Not all case law is published. Generally, appellate court decisions that will be used as future precedent are published (reported) in sources (case reporters) specific to that court. Attorneys use published case law as a means to interpret the law. For these reasons, few trial court decisions are published in case reporters.
Key Issues in Crime and Punishment: Courts, Law, and Justice by 
Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary by 
Trials of the Century by 
U.S. Supreme Court by 
The U. S. Supreme Court by 
