All case libraries in CasePortal use a single search field to support simple keyword searches and advanced search queries (using Lucene Query Syntax).
In this document you will find instructions for how to build advanced search queries and which specific fields are targetable.
| What I want to do | How I do it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Apply different operators to different groups of terms | Group terms together using brackets () and operators (AND or OR) | (google OR alphabet) AND (samsung OR sony) |
| Create a complex query | Combine the functions above | "class action" AND def:(Google OR "Alphabet Inc.") AND plaint:(Samsung* or Apple~) |
| Exclude certain keywords or phrases | Apply the NOT operator | def:Apple AND NOT def:"Apple Inc." |
| Search for one term or another | Apply the OR operator. This is the default operator. | google OR apple will return matches with either google or apple or both |
| Search for one term and another | Apply the AND operator | google AND alphabet will only return matches with both |
| Search using a phrase | Add quotations around the phrase (") | "google inc." will only return results that match the complete phrase |
| Search for variable endings of a root word | Apply a wildcard using asterisk (*) | educat* will match educate, educated, educating, education, and so on |
| Search for words with possible misspellings or variations | Apply the fuzzyness operator (~) | rise~ will match risk, rising, risen, rose, and so on |
| Search for words that are close together (“proximity search”) | Use the tilde (~) symbol at the end of a phrase | "Carole Sage"~3 will search for "Carole" and "Sage" within 3 words of each other |
| Target a specific property in my search | Use the property name followed by a colon (:) | def:google will only search the defendant field and return results that match google as the defendant. See below for a complete list of searchable properties. |
| Target a specific property with groups of terms | Use the property name followed by a colon (:) then group terms together using brackets () | def:(google or alphabet) |
The fields below are searchable in the Judicial Opinions Library of CasePortal.
Remember to:
| Name | Description | Field | Example Search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | The case number of the case. Case numbers can have special characters, so it’s always best to put them within quotations. | casenum: |
casenum:”2:21cv1005” |
| Defendants | Defendants of the case. Use quotations when the value you are looking for is multiple words. | def: |
def:”Citizens Property Insurance Co.” |
| Plaintiffs | Plaintiffs of the case. Use quotations when the value you are looking for is multiple words. | plaint: |
plaint:”Kennedy Property Maintenance” |
| Filed At | The date the case was filed in court (according to court data). When specifying a date, use the format of YYYY-MM-DD. Include the leading 0 for months or days that are single digits. | filedAt: |
filedAt:2021-04-09 |
| Judge | Judge presiding the case. Use quotations when the value you are looking for is multiple words. | judge: |
judge:Stivers |
| Summary | Summary prepared by CNS Reporters. Use quotations when the value you are looking for is multiple words. | summ: |
summ:”Telephone Consumer Protection” |
| Type | Opinions are classified into either “Criminal” or “Civil” case types. | type: |
type:Civil |
| State | The state in which the Opinion court is located. | state: |
state:California |
| Nature of Suit | The court categorization of the Opinion. | nos: |
nos:”Property Rights” |
