KeyCite Law and Legal Definition
KeyCite is an interactive, computer-assisted citatory service, which allows the legal researchers to verify the validity of a case, to determine the subsequent history of a case or statute and also find all references that have cited that case as authority. KeyCite is designed to expedite the process of assessing a case's precedential value. This was first released by West Group in July 1997.
KeyCite uses graphical markers to signify the status or history of a case and to signify the extent to which courts have subsequently relied on a case. For example a red flag warns that the case is no longer good law. Similarly stars are used to reveal the extent to which one case discusses another. For Example, four stars indicate that a case has been "examined," meaning that the cited case has received more than a printed page of treatment in another decision. Quotation marks used in KeyCite signifies that a cited case has been quoted by another court.
Although KeyCite coverage is not comprehensive, it is available for a growing number of authorities.
