Research Resources

Find briefs, court rules, and law libraries that to help you prepare your case.

• • The information below is provided for your convenience. The U.S. Courts do not control or take responsibility for the organizations listed. The views and information on their websites do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the U.S. Courts.

  Finding Briefs

  If you need to locate briefs filed in a Ninth Circuit case, there are several options depending on how old the case is.

  Recent Cases

  • For appeals filed after January 2, 2009, briefs may be available online through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

    • Anyone can sign up for a free PACER account at www.pacer.uscourts.gov.

    • PACER charges a small fee to view or download documents, but fees under $30 in a three-month period are waived.

    • For help with PACER, call the PACER Service Center at (800) 676-6856.

  • If you cannot find a brief online, you may call the Clerk’s Office at (415) 355-8000 (option 3). Be ready to provide the case number. Case numbers usually look like this: 12-10124.

  Older Cases

  • Four to five years after a case is closed, the file is usually sent to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in San Bruno, California. Call the Clerk’s Office for help locating an archived case.

  • Other places to check include:

    • Commercial research databases like Westlaw or Lexis (available in many public law libraries)

    • Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington (scanning services)

    • LA Law Library (e-delivery service)

    • 9th Circuit Historical Records Index System (9CHRIS), which covers 1891 through the late 1960s

    • Internet Archive, which has briefs from 1892 into the 1960s

  Research tip

  For general guidance on finding court records, you can also look at research guides from law libraries, such as those at Berkeley, Duke, Georgetown, and Harvard.

  Court Rules

  Federal Rules

  The federal courts follow national rules that apply to all cases. These rules cover different types of cases and court procedures. You can read them on the official U.S. Courts website. The main sets of rules are:

  • Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

  • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

  • Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure

  • Federal Rules of Evidence

  • Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure

  • Rules for habeas cases under Sections 2254 and 2255

  • Rules for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)

  You can also view these rules in HTML format at Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute.

  Proposed rule changes

  When the rules may change, the proposals go through several steps: first an advisory committee which publishes them for public comment, then the Standing Committee, the Judicial Conference, the Supreme Court, and finally Congress. You can see pending rules and proposed amendments for public comment on the official U.S. Courts website.

  Ninth Circuit Rules

  In addition to the national rules, the Ninth Circuit has its own rules and orders. These must be consistent with the national rules.

  • Ninth Circuit Rules

  • Ninth Circuit General Orders (PDF)

  • Ninth Circuit Rules for Judicial Conduct and Judicial Disability Proceedings (PDF)
    

  District and Bankruptcy Court Rules

  Each district and bankruptcy court in the Ninth Circuit also has its own local rules. You can find them on the District & Bankruptcy Courts directory.

  State and Local Law Libraries

  Many state and local law libraries give the public access to legal research tools and sometimes free help from attorneys. Their policies vary, so check each library’s rules on its respective website.

  The Ninth Circuit law libraries mainly serve judges. Their collections focus on federal law. They do not offer public checkouts or access to legal research databases, and staff do not provide legal advice.

  Alaska

  • Alaska State Court Law Library (Anchorage; Fairbanks; Juneau)

  Arizona

  • Coconino County Law Library (Flagstaff)

  • Law Library Resource Center (Phoenix)

  • Pima County Superior Court Law Library (Tucson)

  • State of Arizona Research Library (Phoenix)

  • Yavapai County Superior Court Law Library (Prescott)

  California

  • Full Listing of County Law Libraries in California

  • Alameda County Law Library (Oakland)

  • California State Library (Sacramento; San Francisco)

  • LA Law Library (Los Angeles)

  • Marin County Law Library (San Rafael)

  • Mendocino County Law Library (Ukiah)

  • San Bernardino County Law Library (San Bernardino; Rancho Cucamonga; Victorville)

  • Orange County Public Law Library (Santa Ana)

  • San Diego County Public Law Library (San Diego)

  • San Francisco Law Library (San Francisco)

  • San Joaquin County Law Library (Stockton)

  • Sacramento County Public Law Library (Sacramento)

  • Solano County Law Library (Fairfield)

  • Sonoma County Public Law Library (Santa Rosa)

  • Tulare County Public Law Library (Porterville)

  • Ventura County Law Library (Ventura)

  Guam

  • Guam Law Library

  Hawaii

  • Hawaii State Law Library System (Honolulu; Hilo; Kailua-Kona; Lihue; Wailuku)

  • University of Hawai'i Law Library (Honolulu)

  Idaho

  • Idaho State Law Library (Boise)

  • University of Idaho College of Law Library (Boise; Moscow)

  Montana

  • Montana Legislative Reference Center Library (Helena)

  • State Law Library of Montana (Helena)

  • University of Montana - William J. Jameson Law Library (Missoula)

  Nevada

  • Clark County Law Library (Las Vegas)

  • Nevada Legislature Law Library 

  • Supreme Court of Nevada Library (Carson City)

  • Washoe County Law Library (Reno)

  Oregon

  • Clackamas County Law Library (Oregon City)

  • Deschutes Public Library (Bend; La Pine; Redmond; Sisters)

  • Lane County Law Library (Eugene)

  • Linn County Law Library (Albany)

  • State of Oregon Law Library (Salem)

  • Multnomah Law Library (Portland)

  • University of Oregon - John E. Jaqua Law Library (Eugene)

  • Washington County Law Library (Hillsboro)

  Washington

  • Clark County Law Library (Vancouver)

  • King County Law Library (Seattle; Kent)

  • Spokane County Law Library (Spokane)

  • Washington State Law Library (Olympia)