Cases that Interpret a Statute

When researching statutes, finding the right statute is just the first step. The next step is to see how that statute has been applied in cases that come before the appellate courts.

There are several ways to find cases in which the courts have interpreted a statute.

• Annotated versions of the statutes publish the text of the statutes along with Notes of Decisions summarizing the cases that have interpreted them. Minnesota Statutes Annotated, United States Code Annotated and United States Code Service are available in the Law Library and in many county law libraries around the state.
• The online archive of Minnesota appellate court decisions is also searchable. The statute number makes a good search term. This archive goes back to May of 1996.
• Westlaw is available in the Law Library. The statute number makes a good search term.
• 2018 Report of Appellate Opinions from the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes (highlights of opinions identifying ambiguous, vague, preempted, constitutionally suspect, or otherwise deficient statutes).