Prior court decisions are referred to as "case law." Case law is the body of written decisions from judges that explain how the law should be interpreted to apply to different situations. Read this section for more information.
Case Law
Whenever a judge makes a decision in a case, the judge must support that decision with an analysis of how the facts of the case apply to the law. These decisions explain the law in a way that provides guidance to how future disputes might be addressed if a similar set of facts (or a different set of facts) are presented.
Decisions from higher courts are binding on judges in lower courts. That means, for instance, when the Nevada Supreme Court issues a decision, the judges in all of the lower courts must apply that law in their future cases.
Reading case law is an excellent way to make sense of statutes and rules that may not be easy to understand. Case law explains how those laws are to be applied to real-life situations, and can help you get a sense of how a judge might make a decision in your own case. You can find links to available sources to search case law below.
CAUTION!
This site does not maintain the materials available via the links below. Periodically, statutes, rules, regulations, etc., may be amended, and those amendments may not be incorporated automatically into the materials linked to here. To verify that you are relying on the most recent version of the materials, visit your local law library.
Where to Find Court Decisions
FindLaw.com
Nevada Supreme Court Advance Opinions
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Published Opinions
United State Supreme Court Opinions
