Docket Research

Bloomberg Law ("BLAW") is the preferred database to retrieve current case dockets and filings due to its wide coverage of dockets and advanced search features.  

Since state coverage varies dramatically among BLAW, Lexis CourtLink, and Westlaw, and none of the databases provides comprehensive access to federal or state dockets, it is important to review each database's coverage when looking for a docket.

Note: For SLS accounts, fees associated with searches, tracking alerts, updates, and downloads of docket materials are waived up to a limit. The vast majority of users will not reach the limit. If you intend to extensively use Bloomberg dockets (e.g. downloading several hundred documents), please contact the reference desk (reference@law.stanford.edu) to discuss. 

Access to BLAW is limited to the Stanford Law School community and requires personal, custom usernames and passwords from each, individual user. SLS students will typically receive their account registration information at the beginning of their first quarter at SLS. 

If you need assistance setting up a BLAW account, then please contact the Reference Desk at (650) 725-0800 or reference@law.stanford.edu.  

Step 1: Sign in to your Bloomberg Law account

• First, sign in to your Bloomberg Law account here:  https://www.bloomberglaw.com

Step 2:  Locate "Dockets Search"

• From the homepage, you can either look for the "Dockets" link, or type "dockets" in the search bar and then select "Dockets Search."
• Dockets Search page will pop up:

Step 3:  Restrict Your Search

• Docket coverage is extremely extensive, so the more specific information you can provide, the more likely it is to find the case you are looking for. You should add any information you have (keywords, party names, judge, date, etc.) to restrict your search results. 

Keywords

• Do not run a keyword search without additional filters. In most situations, this will create too many results. 
• Do not use this to search party names or case titles. There is dedicated search field for  party names below.
• You can choose the option to search either Dockets & Documents, or just Dockets (which will exclude full-text document searches)
• If you are using keywords, then you can click on the question mark icon to learn about useful search operators (e.g. AND, OR, NOT).

Courts

• This box lets you choose the jurisdictions to include in your search; multiple jurisdiction selections are allowed. You can either type in the search box or utilize the "Browse Full List" to select jurisdiction(s) of interest.
• Narrowing your search by jurisdiction when possible is highly advised. 

Parties

• You can add one or more names of parties involved in the case to narrow the search. This includes amicus parties as well.
• If more than one name is entered, you have the option of searching either "all of these" or "any of these".
  • Use "all of these" when searching different names that should all be included.
  • Use "any of these" when searching for cases that will include any one name listed. This may be useful if you are unsure of how a particular party is listed in the case and want to try different variations of the same name. 

Judge

• If you have difficulty finding a case using the "Judge" field, try variations of the name, such as searching last name only or removing middle names or initials.  

Docket Number

• Only usable for federal cases.
• Include the docket number whenever possible - it will significantly help in targeting the search to find the correct docket.
  • Docket numbers can frequently be found at on the first page of legal opinions or case filings. They are sometimes also called "case numbers."
• Check that the docket number you input here matches with BLaw's format by clicking on the question mark to see the accepted formatting options. 

More options

• The bottom of search screen includes many more options, some of which are jurisdiction-specific. Don't forget to explore these options as they may help narrow your search results.

Step 4: Search, or set up an alert

• You may click "Search" button at the bottom of the Dockets search screen to run your search.  
• You may also click "Create Search Alert" option along the bottom of the Docket search screen to set up an alert that will email you updates when new documents arrive that meet your search criteria.

• Once you've run your search and clicked on a case name in the results, you will be taken to the docket sheet for that case.

• Under the Docket Information section is a list of Docket Entries showing the entry number, date filed, PDF availability, and description. Docket entries are shown in chronological order.

• In the "PDF" column, it will show one of three possibilities:
  • Blank: this entry does not have an associated PDF. 
  • "View": Bloomberg has already downloaded this PDF to its own database and is currently available. You can click on "View" to immediately see it and download it.
  • "Request": This PDF is not currently in Bloomberg's database. You can click on "Request" to ask Bloomberg to retrieve that document from the court system. As noted above, the fee for requests are waived for law school accounts up to a limit.
    • Bloomberg will notify you on the site and through email when the document is ready. The time needed for the document to become available can vary from a few minutes to several hours.
    • You may receive a notification that the document is not available and requires a courier. The courier request option is not available to law school accounts. These documents are not available through Bloomberg.  

• You can bulk download documents that have already been retrieved (the documents labelled "View") by clicking the check boxes next to their entry and then clicking "Print Entries" at the top of the docket entries table. You can choose up to 12 entries at once.
• You can also bulk request documents (the documents labelled "Request") by clicking on the check boxes next to their entry and then clicking "Request Entries" at the top of the docket entries table. You can choose up to 12 entries at once.
• You can find a record of your docket downloads from the last 7 days by clicking "My Work History" at the top of the Bloomberg page, then choosing "Downloads."

To identify coverage, search for "Dockets Coverage Map":

Then, you can view the coverage here:

BLAW Help Desk (24/7 Chat, Hotline)

• The contact information for Bloomberg Law Help Desk (available 24/7) is available at the bottom of the page of any Bloomberg Law website. You can choose to ask in a live chat by clicking “Chat,” call the hotline (888-560-2529), or send an email.

BLAW Dockets Help Page

• Review BLAW's Dockets help page.

Robert Crown Law Library Reference Desk

• You can always contact the Reference Desk (reference@law.stanford.edu) or call (650) 725-0800.  See our Library homepage for more information.