Skip to Main Content

California Case Materials Checklist: Validating California Cases

This guide is intended to familiarize the user with the California Court structure, publication of California decisions, and resources for finding the text of California cases. Primary sources are listed as well as important Internet links.

Validating California Cases

Lexis’ Shepard’s and Westlaw’s KeyCite citators provide citations to cases, attorney general opinions, legal periodical articles and some legal texts which have referred to a particular case.

1. Lexis’ Shepard’s California Citations, Cases and Statutes

Library:   The Web version is available on public computers in the Reference Reading Room. For public user login, see detailed instructions next to the computers. The library no longer maintains a print version of Shepard's.
Lexis: In the search box on the main page, type the command shep: 43 Cal.4th 757 [replacing the citation with your actual citation]. And click Search.

2. Westlaw’s KeyCite

KeyCite also provides citations to selected secondary sources, such as American Law Reports annotations and the Witkin’s publications.

Westlaw: In the search box on the main page, type the command Keycite 43 Cal.4th 757 [replacing the citation with your actual citation]. And click Search.

My Profile