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Researching Texas Law: Court Documents

Introduction

The Confusing World of Court Documents

Actual court opinions are relatively easy to find. But once you've located a case that perfectly addresses the issue you're researching, how do you find out more about it? There are quite a few different kinds of documents out there that can tell you more about your case, or help give you an idea of how similar cases might fare in the court system:

  • Court rules
  • Court records
  • Briefs, motions, rulings
  • Jury instructions
  • Verdicts & settlements
  • Directories

This guide will describe these documents and when to use them, plus give you some tips on how to find them. When looking for court documents, it's important to remember that there's no single, one stop source for them. Where you look depends on what you need and what databases you have access to or can afford.