Legal Definitions - North Western Reporter

The North Western Reporter is a specialized series of legal publications that compiles and publishes the written decisions of appellate courts from a specific group of Midwestern states. It serves as a vital resource for legal professionals who need to research and understand how courts in these states have interpreted and applied the law over time.

Specifically, the North Western Reporter includes every published appellate court decision from:

• Iowa
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Wisconsin

These decisions date back to 1879 and continue to be published to the present day. It is part of a larger system of regional reporters published by West Group, a major legal publisher. When referencing cases from this reporter, legal professionals often use abbreviations such as N.W. for cases published in the first series (1879-1941) and N.W.2d for cases published in the second, ongoing series.

Here are some examples of how the North Western Reporter is used:

• Example 1: Researching a Precedent for a Contract Dispute

  Imagine a business attorney in Iowa is advising a client involved in a dispute over a commercial contract. To understand how Iowa courts have previously ruled on similar contract interpretation issues, the attorney would consult the North Western Reporter. By reviewing past appellate decisions from Iowa published within this reporter, the attorney can identify relevant legal precedents, understand the court's reasoning, and better advise their client on the strengths and weaknesses of their case. This illustrates how the reporter serves as a comprehensive historical record of judicial interpretation for specific states.

• Example 2: Preparing an Appellate Brief in Michigan

  A lawyer in Michigan is preparing an appeal for a client whose personal injury case was decided unfavorably at the trial court level. To argue that the trial court made a legal error, the lawyer needs to cite relevant case law from Michigan's appellate courts. The lawyer would search the North Western Reporter (likely the N.W.2d series) to find published opinions from the Michigan Court of Appeals or Supreme Court that support their legal arguments. These cited cases provide the necessary legal authority to persuade the appellate judges to overturn or modify the lower court's decision.

• Example 3: A Law Student Studying Criminal Procedure in Wisconsin

  A law student at a university in Wisconsin is writing a research paper on the application of search and seizure laws within the state. To provide specific examples and analysis of how Wisconsin's appellate courts have interpreted Fourth Amendment protections, the student would turn to the North Western Reporter. They could find cases like State v. Smith, cited as 123 N.W.2d 456, which would be a Wisconsin Supreme Court or Court of Appeals decision on a search and seizure issue, allowing the student to analyze the court's reasoning and its impact on state criminal procedure.