What is case Digest?

Asked by: Dr. Grace Becker III  |  Last update: September 9, 2022
Score: 4.9/5 (7 votes)

Case digests are multi-volume sets arranged in alphabetical order by subject and are used to find case law on very specific legal topics. Digests can also be used for locating cases that have defined specific legal terms or to find the citation to an opinion when only the names of the parties are known.

How do you write a case digest?

There are only three important parts in a case digest: the FACTS, the ISSUE, and the RULING. Upon knowing the topic you are looking for, you must be able to pinpoint these three elements in what you are reading. Remember that you must only write the relevant details pertaining to the assigned topic.

What is case Digest classification?

About case law digests

Digests are organized by subject classification. These broad subject classifications reflect legal subject areas such as Aboriginal law, contracts and evidence. These are further broken down into hierarchical classifications that typically reflect the points of law in each subject area.

What is a court digest?

A digest is essentially an index to case law; it takes the headnotes that summarize the points of law discussed in each case and organizes them by subject.

What is a case Digest database?

Digests: contain summaries of court cases. usually provides an exhaustive list of cases for a particular jurisdiction or subject area.

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26 related questions found

What are the 3 sources of law in Canada?

There are three types of legislation: statutes, regulations and bylaws, all have the force of law, but each are enacted differently.

What is digest service in library?

A "digest" is a short concise summary of the court decision made soon after its release. Some are available in a database as well as in print.

Why do we need a case digest?

A case digest or a case brief is a written summary of the case. A case sometimes involves several issues. Digesting the same would help the student in separating one issue from another and understanding how the Court resolved the issues in the case.

Why use legal Digest?

West's digests are helpful for locating decisions relevant to a particular topic. Federal, state, and some regional and topical digests are available. Digests are organized by topic and contain brief summaries of a decision's main issues. West calls its issue summaries Headnotes.

Is a digest legal authority?

Technically, a Digest is NOT an authority (you cannot cite to a Digest); it is a case finding aid, but a really useful one. The Digest System (created by West Publishing) is a topic and key number system.

What is a digest in Westlaw?

A digest helps you to find cases on a specific legal issue or topic. West digests use headnotes and key numbers to organize and summarize all cases by subject. West print digests are available in the library.

What are headnotes in law?

Headnote: A brief summary of a legal rule or significant facts in a case. Key Number: It is an indexing system devised for American case law, developed by West (now Thomson Reuters). The key number is a permanent number given to a specific point of a case law.

Who writes a headnote?

Headnotes are summaries of a point of law that appear at the beginning of a case. Headnotes are written by editors at Westlaw and Lexis (sometimes the language is verbatim from the text of the opinion).

Who is the Ponente?

The ponente is the Member to whom the Court, after its deliberation on the merits of a case, assigns the writing of its decision or resolution in the case.

What does Gr mean in law?

An initiatory pleading properly filed shall be assigned a docket or G.R. (General Register) number, which shall identify the case for record purposes until its termination under the Rules of Court.

Who writes legal digests?

What are digests? Digests are an organized collection of court decision “head notes.” Headnotes are summaries of the important legal issues discussed in the court's opinion. They appear before the court's opinion in the case reporters. These summaries are written by Westlaw editors and assigned a topic and subtopic.

Is a case digest a secondary source?

Secondary Sources are NOT Law

There are several types of secondary legal sources including legal encyclopedias, legal periodicals (law reviews), legal dictionaries, treatises, and digests, each of which will be explained in more detail within this guide.

What is the difference between a digest and a reporter?

This digest feature provides citations to cases that have definded legal legal terms and phrases. Organized like a dictionary -- look up the term alphabetically; you will find cases that DEFINE THOSE WORDS. Reporters contain the full text of published court opinions.

How do you write a digested paper?

Paper Digest Format

The digest must not exceed 4 pages including all figures, results, text and references. The digest should begin with a concise abstract of 150 words or less. Paper's main text font size should be minimum 10 points in Times New Roman or Arial. The title should be in 24 point and bold.

What is SDI in library science?

…have adopted a practice of selective dissemination of information (sometimes referred to as SDI), whereby librarians conduct regular searches of databases to find references to new articles or other materials that fit a particular patron's interest profile and forward the results of these searches to the patron.

What are the three main types of information service?

These include libraries, computing services, archive services, and information support services.

What are the five major types of reference sources?

The most familiar types are dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical sources, directories, atlases, and bibliographies.

What is the highest law in Canada?

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects a number of rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression and the right to equality. It forms part of our Constitution – the highest law in all of Canada – and is one of our country's greatest accomplishments.

What is the most important law in Canada?

The Constitution is the supreme law of Canada; all other laws must be consistent with the rules set out in it. If they are not, they may not be valid. Since the Charter is part of the Constitution, it is the most important law we have in Canada.

What is an attorney called?

In the United States, the terms lawyer and attorney are often used interchangeably. For this reason, people in and out of the legal field often ask, “is an attorney and a lawyer the same thing?”. In colloquial speech, the specific requirements necessary to be considered a lawyer vs attorney aren't always considered.