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Digest System

Listed below are the digests included within the West Digest System, the system you will most frequently encounter in print sources. If you would like to search for cases from all jurisdictions, you can use the American Digest System, which consists of the Century Digest, the Decennial Digests, and the General Digest. However, it is recommended that you use the smallest digest possible in order to effectively manage your research.

Federal Digests

Name of Digest What It Includes
United States Supreme Court Digest Digest of decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court (1754 - present).
Federal Practice Digest (currently in 4th series) Digest of decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts. (Federal Practice Digest 4th - cases from 1987-present; Federal Practice Digest 3rd - cases from 1975-1988; Federal Practice Digest 2nd - 1961-1975; Federal Digest - all cases before 1939).
Modern Federal Practice Digest Digest of older decisions of the U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. District Courts (1939-1961).

Regional Digests for State Cases

In addition to the regional digests listed below, each state has its own state digest with a few exceptions. For those states not included within the regional digests, it is necessary to consult the state digest.

  1. North Dakota and South Dakota are combined into one digest, titled the Dakota Digest.
  2. Virginia and West Virginia are combined into one digest, titled the Virginia and West Virginia Digest.
  3. Delaware, Nevada and Utah do not have digests published by West.

    Regional Digests:

Name of Digest What It Includes
Atlantic Digest Digest of decisions from Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. Includes federal cases from these states.
Pacific Digest Digest of decisions from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, utah, Washington, Wyoming . Includes federal cases from these states.
North Western Digest Digest of decisions from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin. Includes federal cases from these states.
South Eastern Digest Digest of decisions from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. Includes federal cases from these states.

Subject Specific Digests:

Once you have found decisions listed in the digests, click here for information on which reporter to use.