Both docket sheets and selected documents from the docket files are available in Westlaw. The docket sheet alone can be useful for locating details or confirming the existence of a filed document.  After identifying the document you want to view, you can check within Westlaw to see if it is available, and if not, proceed to Bloomberg Law, PACER, or another service to obtain it.

View docket sheets only – From the Westlaw home page click on "Dockets" and if desired, apply jurisdictional or other limits.  Click on the “Advanced” link next to the orange “Search” icon to open a template of advanced searching options, including the ability to search across multiple courts and topics. Once you retrieve your docket, click on the “Update” button to be sure you have the most current information.

 Tips for searching:

• Docket numbers: try omitting the case type indicator (often letters indicating civil or criminal matters), lead zeroes on the case number, and/or the judge's initials at end of number (e.g., C-07-04771 EDL becomes 07-4771). Docket number styles vary widely between federal and state systems and from court to court. From the Dockets home page click on "Find by Case Number" under "Tools and Resources" in the right sidebar, and then click on the Question Mark icon to see acceptable formats for both federal and state courts.

• Key Nature of Suit: use caution in applying this filter. The KNOS is based on a required Nature of Suit checkbox on the civil cover sheet filed at the commencement of any civil action in federal court; the filing attorney can check only one box and will usually choose one that most closely reflects the central claim, but there may be many other claims, and the descriptions are somewhat subjective. Thus, a suit under the Alien Tort Statute could be classified as a suit for personal injury, an action under federal statute - other, civil rights, or several other headings.

• Caveat: Keep in mind you are searching only the language appearing in the docket sheet, which consists mostly of document captions, not the full text of the underlying documents; descriptions may vary in wording and level of detail - e.g., a complaint brought under the Alien Tort Statutes might be styled a "Complaint for Damages under Alien Tort Statute" or simply "Cmplt" in the docket sheet, so searching for the phrase "Alien Tort Statute" may not bring up all relevant cases.

• Selected underlying documents may be available - Although docket item numbers and/or View/Download links for individual entries may appear, direct access ("instant view") is not available from those links.  Click the “Filings” tab at the top of the screen to find any available underlying documents.

 View selected documents – Here are three ways to find the full text of the underlying documents in a docket sheet: 

•  From the docket sheet, click on the “Filings” tab at the top or the screen to find any available underlying documents.

• Search underlying documents directly by clicking on “Trial Court Documents” from the Westlaw home page, and if desired, apply jurisdictional or other limits.  Click on the “Advanced” link next to the orange “Search” icon to open a template of advanced searching options.

• If you are searching for filings associated with a decision, from the Westlaw home page enter the case citation in the Search box (e.g., 704 f. supp. 2d 932).  Click on the “Filings” tab to see any available documents.  These may include both filings that relate directly to the decision (e.g., the merits briefs about the issue decided in the opinion) and other documents filed in the case (e.g., filings regarding a motion previously made in the same case but not at issue in the decision you are viewing).  Related documents may also include documents filed in both the court that issued the decision and the courts above or below the court that issued the decision.

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