Have you ever found just "the" case? The facts are similar, the ruling
is favorable, but it's in the wrong jurisdiction or there just isn't enough
detail about how the court arrived at its decision on a particular issue.
You can use the Westlaw KeyCite feature to review other
decisions and secondary sources that have cited "the" case. Simply log on to
Westlaw, double click on the KC button on the tool bar and enter your cite. You
will get both the history of the case and citing references.
The last entry topic under citing references is secondary sources. This
will list ALR, treatise and Law Review articles, among others, that discuss
"the" case. It is a great source for a more in-depth discussion of issues.
If you are monitoring specific pieces of legislation or statutes for
any changes, you can use KeyCite to alert you to pending or amended
legislation. Simply log on to Westlaw and click on the KC button on the top
tool bar. Enter your code citation such as 39 USC 1004. You'll notice that with
this particular cite, there's a yellow flag, meaning there's legislation
pending that may impact that statute, and the legislation is located in the
citations window.
Using a different cite like 26 USC 527, you'll see a red flag, meaning
that this statute has been amended and you should review it carefully using the
most current version for impact to your particular situation.
If you'd like more information on using KeyCite, please feel free to
contact the West Reference Attorneys at (800) 733-2889 or the Law Librarian at
the Wirtz Labor Library at (202) 693-6613.
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