Paralegal

Westlaw homepage

Westlaw training and support

Westlaw Boolean Terms

KeyCite® on Thomson Reuters Westlaw™ is used verify whether a case, statute, regulation, or administrative decision is still good law, or whether a patent or trademark is still valid. KeyCite can also be used to find references to support your legal argument.

 A red flag warns that the document is no longer good law for at least one of the points of law it contains. (Ex. Plessy v. Ferguson)

 A yellow flag warns that the document has some negative treatment. (Ex. Brown v. Board)

 EXCLUSIVE: A blue-striped flag warns that the case has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court (excluding appeals originating from agencies). 

Tabs:

• Negative Treatment - locate other cases that have either overturned, altered or distinguished the legal reasoning of the case
• History - shows the history of the case
• Citing References - shows how other authorities have interpreted that document;
  • Depth of Treatment Bars:
  • EXAMINED – Extended discussion of the cited case or administrative decision; usually more than a printed page of text.
  • DISCUSSED – Substantial discussion of the cited case or administrative decision; usually more than a paragraph but less than a printed page.
  • CITED – Some discussion of the cited case or administrative decision; usually less than a paragraph.
  • MENTIONED – Brief reference to the cited case or administrative decision; usually in a string citation.

• Research assistance - help finding sources, evaluating sources

• Online workshops for citing and plagiarism are held throughout the semester. To request a citing workshop, please email library@rcbc.edu