A reporter is a publication of case law from a specific jurisdiction. For a list of the different types of reporters consult table T1.1, T1.2 and T1.3 in your Bluebook. .jpg)
During the colonial period, American court decisions went unpublished. American judges and lawyers looked to English courts for precedent. In 1789, the first volumes of American court decisions were published in order to allow America to build its own precedent. Robert C. Berring & Elizabeth A. Edinger, Finding the Law 38-9 (12th ed. 2005).
A historical background of the development of law reporting in America is found in the article:
25 Am. J. Legal Hist. 48 (1981)
Law Reports in the United States; Surrency, Erwin C.
This article includes a discussion of the purposes and methods of reporting in America.
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Title of Publication |
Jurisdiction |
Type of Publication |
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U.S. Supreme Court |
Official: United States Government |
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U.S. Supreme Court |
Commercial: Lexis |
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U.S. Supreme Court |
Commercial: West |
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Federal Courts of Appeal (the Circuit Courts) |
Commercial: West |
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Commercial: West |
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| Federal Appendix |
Federal District Courts: Unpublished Federal Cases |
Commercial: West |
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Title of Commercial Publication* |
Jurisdiction |
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Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont |
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Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi |
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Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia |
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Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas |
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Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio |
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Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin |
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Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming |
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California Supreme Court and appellate courts |
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New York Court of Appeals, Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court and additional state courts. |
*Many states no longer publish an official reporter. For a list of states that still have an official reporter consult table T1.3 in the Bluebook.
An official reporter is a collection of case law that is published by the jurisdiction from which the case law originated.
A commercial reporter is a collection of case law in a specific jurisdiction published by an independent group.
Contact one of our reference librarians at Oklahoma City University Law Library for assistance in locating a reporter.
