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TheCourtCase
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Concept under research

What the court decided, and why — in plain language.

TheCourtCase is planned as a research tool for one jurisdiction: searchable decisions, reviewed plain-language summaries, and a link to the source text every time.

See a sample summary

01The problem

Decisions are public. Understanding them is not.

Today

Eighty pages, one holding

  • Judgments are long and written for lawyers
  • Search needs the case name you don't know yet
  • Summaries elsewhere rarely link the source

The idea

Find, understand, verify

  • Search by issue in everyday words
  • Read a reviewed summary of the holding and reasons
  • Jump to the paragraph in the original decision

02What it looks like

The shape of a summary

A fictional case, used only to show the layout.

Fictional example · not a real case

Tenant v. Landlord (sample)

  1. The question

    Can a deposit be kept for ordinary wear?

  2. The decision

    No. Ordinary wear is not damage.

  3. The reasons

    Three numbered reasons, each linked to its paragraph.

  4. Source

    Link to the full text, with the court and date.

03Principles

Rules the tool would hold itself to

  • Source always linked

    Every summary cites and links the decision it summarises.

  • One jurisdiction first

    Depth in one place before breadth; which one is still being decided.

  • Reviewed by a person

    Summaries are reviewed by a qualified person before publication.

04Who it's for

Readers who need the gist and the source

  • Law students

    Building intuition before the full reading.

  • Journalists

    Reporting a decision accurately on deadline.

  • Advocates

    Explaining outcomes to the people they help.

  • Curious citizens

    Understanding decisions that affect them.

05At a glance

What every TheCourtCase summary is planned to include.

A summary

  • The questionWhat the court was asked
  • The decisionWhat it held
  • The reasonsLinked to paragraphs
  • The sourceFull text, court and date
  • ReviewChecked by a qualified person
Infographic of planned parts; nothing here is a working feature yet.

06Honest status

Where TheCourtCase is today

TheCourtCase is a concept under research. No cases are indexed and nothing here is legal advice.

  1. Now

    Research

  2. Not started

    Jurisdiction choice

  3. Not started

    Summary review

  4. Not started

    First cases

Questions

Is this legal advice?

No. Summaries help you find and understand decisions; they do not apply to your situation.

Which jurisdiction?

Not yet decided. It depends on data access and review capacity.