Westlaw offers extensive coverage of federal dockets. However, unlike Bloomberg Law, actual filings are only selectively available.
Dockets are available from the following courts:
From the Westlaw home page, select "Content Types" and then “Dockets” under "Specialty Areas."
Alternatively, click here and enter your login credentials.
First, select the court you need to search beneath the “Federal Dockets by Court” header. Alternatively, if you would like to search the dockets of multiple courts, mark the checkboxes next to those courts.
Once you’ve chosen a particular court, enter the relevant information within the search form, such as:
If you wish to search the dockets of multiple courts, first mark the check boxes next to those courts. Then, enter your search terms in the search box at the top of the “Dockets” page or click “Advanced” next to the search bar to access the search form.
Note that, by default, searches of Westlaw's dockets content only extend to docket sheets. However, it is possible to also search any underlying PDF documents that have been obtained from the court(s). To do so, select "Search dockets, available PDFs, and court filings," or use that tab on the advanced search screen.
When viewing a docket on Westlaw, you will find currency information at the top of the page, as well as an "UPDATE" button. Make sure to click this button to ensure that you are viewing the most up-to-date version of the docket.
