A Quick Guide to Finding United States Supreme Court Cases

“I need to find five Supreme Court cases dealing with civil rights between the years 1900–1950.” “Can you help me find information about Plessy vs. Ferguson?” These are just a few examples of the many questions I've received about Supreme Court cases. Any reference librarian at an academic institution without a law library will recognize the frustration many librarians experience when confronted with these questions. Until we become familiar with legal reference books and legal citations, we may feel that serendipity is the only way to find Supreme Court cases. A librarian may fumble through many volumes of legal materials, hoping the patron has a correct date, case name, or citation; or, for that matter, that they even have a case name or citation.