Online Guide to Using KeyCite

1. Online Guide to Using KeyCite http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/resources/westlaw/keycite.pdf

2. What is KeyCite? KeyCite is the citation service available on Westlaw. You can use KeyCite to view the history of a case, statute, administrative decision, or regulation to help determine whether it is good law and to retrieve citing references.

3. What Can Be Searched in KeyCite? • Case law • Statutory citations • Regulations • Constitutional provisions • Court rules • Agency decisions • Restatements • Law review articles • U.S. patents

4. How to Access KeyCite • From the Directory Page of Westlaw • Use Find to retrieve a specific citation • Linkto document from search results • OpenKeyCite.

5. KeyCite from Westlaw Opening Page

6. Find by Citation

7. KeyCite Directly

8. KeyCite Find Box

9. Find Using a Template When you do not know the citation format.

10. Elements of a KeyCite Report • KeyCiteSummary • Prior History (Direct history) • Citing Decisions

11. KeyCite Summary

12. KeyCite Status Flags for Cases

13. FullHistory(Prior, Direct History)

14. Directhistory(Graphical view)

15. DirectHistory(Graphical View)

16. Procedural and Substantive Cites

17. Citing References

18. Analytical Treatment by Citing Cases- Treatment Notations • Affirmed: On appeal, reconsideration, or rehearing, the citing case affirms or adheres to the reasoning employed by the cited case. • Followed: The citing case relies on the cited as controlling or persuasive authority

19. Analytical TreatmentContinued • Criticized: The citing case criticizes some aspect of the cited case, although the citing court may not have the authority to affect its precedential value • Questioned: The citing case questions the continuing validity or precedential value of the cited case because of intervening circumstances, such as judicial or legislative overruling.

20. Analytical TreatmentContinued • Overruled: The citing case overrules all or part of the cited case • Reversed: On appeal, reconsideration, or rehearing, the citing case reverses the cited case.

21. Analytical TreatmentContinued • Explained: The citing case explains or interprets the reasoning or holding of the cited case. • Distinguished: The citing case differs from the cited case in either fact situation or legal issue.

22. Depth of Treatment Stars and Quotation Marks

23. How to Limit Citing References Results From any results screen, click on Limit KeyCite Display.

24. Restricting Citing References: • Limit by Headnote • Limit by Locate • Limit by Jurisdiction • Limit by Date • Limit by Document Type • Limit by Depth of Treatment • or Combination(s) of above

25. Limit by Document Type

26. Limit by Document Type

27. Limit by Headnote

28. Limit by Locate

29. Limit by Date

30. Limit by Date Range

31. LimitbyJurisdiction

32. Limit by Depth of Treatment

33. Results of Limit by Several Criteria

34. Table of Authorities The Table of Authorities lists the cases cited by a case. It is a useful tool for finding hidden weaknesses in a case because it not only lists the cases on which your case relies but also shows whether those cases have significant negative history.

35. Click on Table of Authorities

36. Table of Authorities with Treatment Signals for each Case

37. Elements of KeyCite Report for Statutes • KeyCite Summary • Prior History (Direct history) • Citing Decisions

38. KeyCite Status Flags for Statutes

39. KeyCite Summary for Statutes

40. Repealed by Court

41. Decision - Section of Statute Unconstitutional

42. Proposed Legislation

43. History of Statute

44. Citing References to Statutes

45. Citing References Arranged by Topic

46. Limits for Statutes by Topic

47. Statute with Red Flag

48. Methods of Delivery • Print • Save to Flash Drive

49. Print - Click on the Circled Printer

50. Documents must be in PDFClick on Page Options to Print All or Parts of the Document