Finding Texas Court Cases
The opinions of the various courts are initially published as individual decisions, called "slip opinions," which are then bound into volumes called "reporters." The Cornette Library does not receive slip opinions or bound volumes for any Texas courts. WTAMU faculty/staff/students can find Texas court opinions through Westlaw. Other patrons can find selected opinions online through the sources below.
Library Resource
- Westlaw Campus
- Includes full text of all Texas Supreme Court cases from 1840, Texas Court of Appeals from 1876, Court of Civil Appeals decisions from 1892 to 1981, and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals from 1892. Searchable by citation, case name, full text, or the West Key Number System. To search, click on State Materials > Texas > All Texas State Cases. Click on the Consult Help Guide for search tips.
Other Online Resources
Recent decisions from some state and municipal courts can be found on the following websites:
- Supreme Court of Texas
- Official website of the Supreme Court of Texas. Has lists of Orders and Opinions for recent and archived opinions from 1997 to the present. Can browse by date. Can search all items by case number (docket number).
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
- Official website of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The Opinion Archives of the Court of Criminal Appeals has cases from 7/1998 to 3/2004. Opinions from April 2004 can be searched by case number or hand down date.
- Findlaw: Texas Courts
- Free access to Supreme Court of Texas, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and Texas Court of Appeals from 1997. Easy to search by party name, free text search, or docket number. May also browse. Good for finding a case, but not in-depth research as any free resource may not be complete or current.
- Justia: Texas Case Law
- Another free source for cases from the highest courts in Texas. Very easy to browse by year. Depending on court, coverage begins either in 1950 or the mid-1980s. Has a good overview of the court system overall in Texas. Again, good for finding a case, but not in-depth research as any free resource may not be complete or current.
- Texas Judicial Branch
- Homepage for state courts in Texas. Includes links to pages for all state courts, court agencies and organizations, and selected publications. Entries for each court include a brief description of the court, contact information, and case search for any opinions or orders available.
- Texas Legal Research Web Resources
- Links to various judicial information including Texas Constitution, Statutes and Regulations, branches of Texas government, Texas Courts, Legal Ethics, and more.