![]() Supreme Court Library offers the official opinions of the Supreme Court from the United States Reports (1754-2003), as well as United States Reports Preliminary Prints (2002-2006), and United States Reports Slip Opinions (2002-date). Only a small fraction of the cases in which Supreme Court review is sought are accepted for hearing and result in a judicial opinion. The United States Supreme Court stands at the head of the judicial branch of government, and it sits as the court of last resort in the Federal court system. The text below describes the structure of the American judiciary and its publications. Consult with a Reference Librarian for assistance in locating case law. LEXIS and Westlaw are available for departmental research the Internet provides access to many sources for free. Department of the Interior Library provides access to judicial decisions by means of a variety of print and electronic search tools. Published court reports provide a permanent record of judicial opinions and provide an easily cited source. ![]() Courts follow the doctrine of precedent, or stare decisis ("let the decision stand"), to create and build upon holdings of law so as to ensure that people in like circumstances of fact are treated alike. Even statutes must be read in conjunction with case law which construe the correct application of the legislation. Judicial decisions constitute one of the most important sources of legal authority, along with legislative and regulatory enactments, in our common law system.
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