Florida State Cases
At the state level, only selective trial court decisions,
which include state circuit courts and county courts, are
published. These published opinions are found in the Florida
Law Weekly Supplement (FLW Supplement). To obtain copies
of unpublished lower court decisions, contact the court
clerk with the case name or docket number.
The Florida District Court of
Appeals and Florida Supreme Court cases are published in
the Southern Reporter and Florida Law Weekly.
To locate them, use the list of sources that follows. To
obtain an unpublished case or papers filed for the court's
review, try the court's website or contact the court clerk.
The Florida Bar Journal Directory, published in September
each year, has a complete listing of addresses and phone
numbers for court clerks.
Federal Cases Originating
in Florida
In the federal courts, approximately 10% of the trial level
or district court cases are published. There are three District
Courts in Florida: Northern District;
Middle District;
and the Southern
District. The published federal district court opinions
are printed in the Federal Supplement and indexed
in West's Federal Digest system, Table of Cases.
Federal appellate level of Circuit
Court opinions that are published are printed in the Federal
Reporter and are also indexed in West's Federal Digest.
The Circuit Court covering Florida is the 11th
Circuit Court of Appeals.
Availability of Cases
Expect publication of court decisions to lag behind news
reports of cases. Some court opinions, discussed by the
media, are never published. Remember that reported cases
are only the decisions of the judges and not transcripts
of the trial. To obtain papers that the U.S. Supreme Court
and Florida Supreme Court have considered in rendering their
decision (briefs), consult library personnel.
The most current sources of Florida
decisions are online sources. Opinions appear on LEXIS and
WESTLAW 24-72 hours after being decided. . At the Legal
Information Center only UF Law Students and College of Law
personnel have access to LEXIS and WESTLAW.
Florida
Law Weekly
- Coverage.......Florida
Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeal
- Location........Reserve
Desk for current issues
- Currency.......One
to three weeks after decision is rendered
- Frequency.....Forty-eight
times a year
- Indexing........Table
of names, subject access, statutes, hearings &
review. Cumulated quarterly.
Florida Law Weekly
Supplement
- Coverage.......Selective
opinions from circuit and county courts.
- Currency.......Opinions
printed 3-12 months after decision rendered
- Frequency.....Receive
one volume every 3-4 months
- Index.............Has
own digest
|
Southern
Reporter
- Coverage.......Florida
Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeal
- Currency.......Opinion
published in advance sheets 1-2 months after decision
rendered.
- Frequency.....Weekly
advance sheets - 5-7 days after cover date; 1-2
bound volumes per month.
- Indexing........Florida
Digest (Southern Digest ceased publication in
1988)
- Note.............Florida
Cases (Florida subset of Southern Reporter) shelved
in Florida section on upper level
|
