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Case Researchabout 7 hours ago

How to Search the Case Law Database

Master CaseNotes' case law search to find relevant South African judgments quickly and efficiently.

How to Search the Case Law Database

CaseNotes gives you access to 5,000+ summarized South African cases. This guide shows you how to search effectively and find the cases you need.

Basic Search

Navigate to Research > Case Law in the main menu.

The search bar accepts:

  • Case names: "Harksen v Lane" or just "Harksen"
  • Legal concepts: "unfair discrimination", "administrative law"
  • Keywords from facts: "eviction", "contract", "negligence"
  • Section references: "Section 36", "s 9(3)"

Pro tip: Start broad, then narrow with filters. Search "discrimination" then filter by Constitutional Court to find landmark equality cases.

Advanced Filters

Use filters to narrow results:

Court

  • Constitutional Court (CC)
  • Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA)
  • High Courts (GP, WC, KZN, etc.)
  • Magistrates' Courts

Area of Law

  • Constitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Contract Law
  • Delict
  • Administrative Law
  • Labour Law
  • +15 more

Year Range
Filter by publication year to find recent precedents or historical cases

Citation Type
Search only by specific reporter (SA, BCLR, ZASCA)

Search Tips

1. Use quotation marks for exact phrases

  • "reasonable and justifiable" finds that exact phrase
  • reasonable justifiable finds cases with both words anywhere

2. Exclude common words

  • ❌ "the right to dignity"
  • ✅ "right dignity" or just "dignity"

3. Try synonyms
If "termination" returns few results, try "dismissal" or "discharge"

4. Search by parties

  • Full name: "Minister of Safety and Security v Sekhoto"
  • Shortened: "Sekhoto"
  • Works even if you misspell slightly

5. Use area-of-law filters
If keyword search returns 200 results, filter to Constitutional Law to get the 15 most relevant

Understanding Search Results

Each result shows:

Case Name: Harksen v Lane NO and Others
Citation: 1998 (1) SA 300 (CC)
Court & Year: Constitutional Court, 1998
Area of Law: Constitutional Law (Equality)
Summary: Brief description of the legal issue and outcome

Click any result to see:

  • Full facts
  • Legal issues
  • Court's reasoning
  • Ratio decidendi (binding principle)
  • Obiter dicta (non-binding remarks)
  • Related cases (cited by this case, cases citing this case)

Finding Cases for IRAC Analysis

When you have a legal question:

  1. Identify the area of law (e.g., Contract Law)
  2. Search for the legal concept (e.g., "breach of contract")
  3. Filter to appellate courts (CC, SCA) for authoritative precedent
  4. Read summaries to find cases with similar facts
  5. Click "View Full Case" to get ratio decidendi for your Rule section

Example workflow:

Issue: Whether a unilateral mistake voids a contract
Search: "unilateral mistake contract"
Filter: Contract Law, SCA or CC
Result: Sonap Petroleum v Pappadogianis 1992 (3) SA 234 (A)
Use: Cite this case in your Rule section and apply its test in Application

Advanced Features

Case Relationships Graph
Click "View Relationships" to see:

  • Cases this case cites (authorities relied on)
  • Cases that cite this case (subsequent application)
  • Constitutional challenges or statutory interpretations

This helps you:

  • Find the "leading case" on a topic
  • See if a precedent has been overruled or distinguished
  • Trace doctrinal development over time

Save to Collections
Click "Save" to add cases to your personal collection for easy access during exams or assignments.

Export Citations
Click "Export" to copy properly formatted citations for your bibliography.

Common Search Mistakes

❌ Searching too specifically
"unfair discrimination on the basis of pregnancy in the workplace during probation"
✅ Start with "pregnancy discrimination", then filter by Labour Law

❌ Only searching case names
You might not know the leading case
✅ Search by legal concept first, discover case names in results

❌ Ignoring related cases
The first result might not be the best authority
✅ Check "Related Cases" and "Cited By" to find more recent or on-point precedents

❌ Not reading the full case
Summaries are helpful but may miss nuances
✅ Always read the full judgment for cases you're citing in IRAC submissions

Research Workflows

For Assignments:

  1. Read the problem question carefully
  2. Identify 2-3 legal issues
  3. For each issue, search the relevant legal concept
  4. Filter to high courts (CC, SCA)
  5. Read summaries, shortlist 3-5 cases per issue
  6. Read full cases, extract ratio decidendi
  7. Save cases to a collection named after the assignment

For Exam Prep:

  1. Review your course outline for major topics
  2. Search each topic (e.g., "constitutional interpretation")
  3. Filter to Constitutional Court for leading cases
  4. Read summaries of top 5 cases per topic
  5. Create flashcards with case name, issue, and ratio
  6. Save cases to an "Exam Prep" collection

For Practice Questions:

  1. Submit your IRAC answer first (to get AI feedback)
  2. Review feedback to see if you missed key authorities
  3. Search for those authorities in the case database
  4. Read them, revise your IRAC submission
  5. Resubmit to see improved scores

Next Steps