Free and low-cost sources of US case law - a practical guide
By LegiMatch Research Team · Published October 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Short answer: US court decisions are public records, and a lot of them are free online. CourtListener and the Caselaw Access Project cover millions of decisions; Google Scholar is fast for known cases; govinfo and court websites publish official opinions; and many state bars include a case law database with membership. What free sources usually lack is a full citator and precise fact-based search.
The main free sources
| Source | Run by | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CourtListener | Free Law Project (non-profit) | Federal and state opinions, oral argument audio, "cited by" lists, an API, and federal dockets via RECAP |
| Caselaw Access Project (static.case.law) | Harvard Law School Library | Historical published US case law, scanned from print reporters, through about 2020 |
| Google Scholar (case law) | Quick lookups by citation or name, and its "How cited" view | |
| govinfo.gov - US Courts Opinions | US Government Publishing Office | Official opinions from participating federal courts |
| supremecourt.gov | Supreme Court of the United States | Slip opinions and the official bound volumes |
| State court websites | Each state judiciary | Recent opinions from that state's appellate courts |
| PACER | Federal judiciary | Federal dockets and filings; opinions are free, other documents are $0.10 a page (capped at $3 per document) |
Low-cost options worth knowing
- Bar association benefits: many state bars include a research database (such as vLex Fastcase or Casemaker) with membership.
- Public law libraries: county and court law libraries often offer free walk-in access to commercial databases.
- Law school libraries: some open their databases to alumni or the public on site.
What each source is good at
CourtListener
Strong coverage of federal and state appellate decisions, a search engine with filters by court and date, and "cited by" links that help you see later treatment. Its RECAP archive holds federal docket documents shared by PACER users.
Caselaw Access Project
Released in full in 2024, it covers published decisions from US courts going back to the 1600s, digitized from Harvard's print collection. Great for older law; it does not include new decisions after its scanning period.
Google Scholar
Fast and familiar. Paste a citation and you'll usually find the case; the "How cited" tab lists later decisions that cite it. It is not a citator - it won't tell you reliably whether a case was overruled.
Court websites
Always the most current place for brand-new opinions, but search tools vary widely from state to state, and older opinions may not be posted.
Limits to plan for
- No complete citator: free sources show citing cases but don't systematically flag negative treatment.
- Keyword-only search: finding cases with similar facts but different wording takes longer.
- Uneven trial-court coverage: most free sources focus on appellate decisions.
- Pagination and parallel cites: not every free copy shows reporter page numbers for pinpoint citations.
Frequently asked questions
Is CourtListener reliable?
It's widely used by researchers and practitioners and draws opinions from courts and public collections. As with any source, check the court's official version when an exact text or pinpoint citation matters.
Is all US case law free?
Court decisions themselves aren't copyrighted, but publishers' added material - headnotes, summaries, key numbers - is. Many decisions are free online; complete coverage with editorial tools is what paid services sell.
Can I cite a case I found on Google Scholar?
Yes - you cite the case, not the website. Confirm the citation, the text you quote, and the subsequent history before filing.
Where can I find unpublished opinions for free?
CourtListener and many court websites include unpublished decisions. Federal unpublished opinions issued on or after January 1, 2007 may be cited under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1, subject to local rules.
Sources
- Free Law Project, CourtListener (courtlistener.com)
- Harvard Law School Library, Caselaw Access Project (case.law)
- PACER fee schedule (pacer.uscourts.gov)
- Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1
This article is general information about legal research, not legal advice. Verify every authority before relying on it.
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