Court Briefs & Oral Arguments

Updated April 1, 2010.
Prepared by Cheryl Nyberg, with updates by Julia Vinson (2009).

Legal researchers often find it helpful to read briefs submitted by the parties to an appellate court. Briefs contain legal arguments designed to persuade the court and they analyze legal issues and refer to both primary and secondary sources. Transcripts and recordings of oral arguments before appellate courts preserve the presentations made by attorneys for the parties and questions asked by the judges.

This guide identifies print, microfiche, and microfilm collections at the Gallagher Law Library, free Internet sources, and databases available on LexisNexis and Westlaw.

None of these collections are complete. If the brief you want is not found in a source available to you, consult the clerk of the court where the case was heard and/or attorneys for the parties.

UW School of Law faculty and students should consult a reference librarian about other possibilities.

The Law Library has microfiche/film reader/printers. A microfiche/film scanner permits users to create PDF images of briefs and save them to a flash drive, memory stick, or CD/DVD. Ask a reference librarian or member of the Circulation department for assistance.

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