Legal Definitions - Pacific Reporter

The Pacific Reporter is a specialized collection of legal publications that compiles and publishes the official decisions made by appellate courts in a specific group of western U.S. states. Part of a larger system known as West's National Reporter System, it serves as a crucial resource for legal professionals to research and cite past court rulings. These publications contain the written opinions from higher courts in states such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, dating back to 1883. The decisions are organized chronologically into different series, such as 'P.2d' or 'P.3d,' which indicate the specific time period in which the decision was published.

Here are some examples of how the Pacific Reporter is used:

• Legal Research for a Client: Imagine a lawyer in Denver, Colorado, is representing a client in a property dispute that involves a complex easement issue. To prepare their legal arguments, the lawyer needs to understand how Colorado's appellate courts have ruled on similar easement cases in the past. The lawyer would consult the Pacific Reporter to find published decisions from the Colorado Court of Appeals or the Colorado Supreme Court that address comparable legal questions, helping them build a strong case for their client.

• Academic Study of Regional Law: A law professor at a university in California is conducting research for an article on how different states in the Pacific Northwest interpret environmental protection laws. To compare the judicial approaches of states like Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, the professor would extensively use the Pacific Reporter. This resource allows them to access and analyze the appellate court decisions from these various states, providing the necessary data to identify trends and differences in legal interpretation across the region.

• Judicial Guidance for a Novel Case: A judge in a trial court in Phoenix, Arizona, is presiding over a case involving a new form of digital contract, an area where there is little direct precedent from Arizona's higher courts. While not binding, the judge might look for persuasive authority from appellate courts in other states that have addressed similar cutting-edge legal issues. The judge would search the Pacific Reporter to see if courts in states like California or Nevada have published opinions on analogous digital contract disputes, offering insights and helping to inform their own ruling.