A newsletter from West providing Westlaw® search tips for corporate counsel and staff

Try this experiment:

1. Retrieve Matz v. Household Int'l Tax Reduction Inv. Plan, 265 F.3d 572 (7th Cir. 2001)

2. Look at the KeyCite history result (click the blue H)—and try to take it all in.

Now click Direct History (Graphical View) on the Links tab. With this display—also known as Graphical KeyCite—you can grasp the broad outlines of the procedural life of this case in seconds. Suddenly, every On Remand to and Affirmed by falls into place!

With Graphical KeyCite, you get the direct history of a case in one easy-to-read graphical view. The prior and subsequent history of the case is displayed, with each court decision referenced in a box at the appropriate trial or appellate level. Decisions on the merits are referenced in the larger boxes (i.e., the case boxes), while court orders or rulings on petitions and motions, such as the granting of certiorari, are referenced in the smaller boxes (the procedural boxes).

In addition, the case you are checking in KeyCite is clearly marked, and arrows clarify the route of the case through the courts.

How to take a closer look
To enlarge the graphical display, click the plus (+) symbol or choose a percentage from the drop-down list in the upper-left corner of the display. To enlarge a procedural box so that the case title and citation are displayed, move your pointer over the box.

How to view related documents or negative citing references
To view the full text of a decision, order, ruling, or related brief or other court document cited in a case or procedural box, click the appropriate link in the box. To return to the case's full history and check for negative citing references, i.e., cases outside the direct history of the case that may have a negative impact on its precedential value, click Full History (Text) at the top of the page.