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FAQs
Follow these links to learn more.
- How Do I
- find a topic or rule?
- fix a typo or make a minor edit to a topic or rule?
- add new legal topics, rules, or references?
- See the Extended Contributor Guide.
- add an authority?
- See Adding Authorities.
- collect authorities and begin my writing project?
- See SpinDoc.
- read a case or other source listed as an authority?
- See Reading Cases.
- vouch for or reject an authority?
- See Vouch or Reject.
- find out what the images mean?
- See Icons.
- add a comment?
- See Commenting.
- correct an error in an authority or delete an authority?
- See Authorities.
- improve my search results?
- See Search.
- update my profile?
- See Profile.
- What does it mean that Spindle is in "alpha?"
- "Alpha" means that we are still in the early stages of development. If you find bugs, have ideas for new features, or want to vote for your favorite features, see Spindle's feedback page.
Browse the Tree
What
Spindle organizes the law into a tree. Each branch is an area of law that grows narrower branches for topics and rules. Topics may be broad or very narrow. Where courts or other authorities disagree, those topics are in branches that "split." Still other branches include cross-references to related topics and rules found in other parts of the tree. You can browse through topics, rules, and cross-references. Rules are shown with supporting authorities.
How
- On the home page you can navigate the tree by clicking on the
to open that branch. You can jump to any topic/rule/reference by clicking on the text for that branch. - When viewing a topic/rule/reference you can use the menu box on the right to narrow down and the navigation trail in red on top to expand out. You can also click on "View Tree" to quickly navigate branches and jump to another part of the tree.
Authorities
What
Rules are shown with authorities — cases, statues, regs, etc. — that support them. Case authorities are shown with icons indicating factors such as jurisdiction, year, winning party, and posture so you can quickly hone in on the case you want to read, and avoid those cases that are not on point.
How
- To see the list of authorities, scroll down below the Rule and below the gray instruction box.
- Click on the authorities tab for "All" to see all authorities together, "Cases" to see only cases, or "Rules" to see only rules (for now, Rules are Fed. R. Evid., Fed. R. Civ. P., Fed. R. App. P., and Fed R. Crim P.). (A)
- Sort cases by jurisdiction or date using the "sort by" option below the tabs, on the left. If there is no "sort by" option it's because you're in the "All" tab. (B)
- The icons to the right of the authority citation offer other information about the authority and can be used to limit the cases you want to read. See the Icon Key for more on what the icons mean. (C)
- To read the case, click on the case name. A pop-up box will offer options to View Cases. (D)
- Hover over the case to add it to SpinDoc, Vouch or Reject, Edit, or Cut & Paste. (E)
- Why is there a gold or silver seal above the authority? These show whether the authority has been vouched for — Spindle user(s) agree that this authority supports the rule — or called into question — a Spindler disagrees about this authority as support for this rule. See the Icon Key and Vouch or Reject for more on what these mean. (F)
Search
What
Search is different on Spindle Law.
- It increases precision by applying your keyword query to the point you're on in the tree and the narrower points below it. For example, if you're in a branch of securities law and enter "civil liability" into the search box, you'll get results only within that branch of securities law; you won't get results regarding civil liability in other practice areas.
- If you want to see your search term in all of the areas of law on the site, choose "Search from Tree Top" at the search box.
- Search looks for keywords in the text of topics, rules, and references, and in case names. It gets you to the rule you're looking for; it does not search the text of cases. Once you've found the rule you want, you'll find cases and other authorities supporting it. Because you're looking for the rule you need, and the authorities supporting that rule, you won't have to skim through irrelevant cases that happen to contain your search term.
How
- Type a keyword or two (or more) into the search box in the gray bar near the top of the screen. (A)
- See results under the "topics/rules/references" tab or under the "cases" tab. (B)
- Click on a result you're interested in, and you'll go to that point in the tree. From there you can continue your research. See Browsing The Tree. (C)
- Want fewer results? Go to the menu box ("Narrow Down") on the right. When you click to narrow down, your search will automatically be reapplied to that narrower point in the tree and the points below it. (D)
- Want more results? Go to the navigation trail (in red just below the gray bar at the top) and click on an earlier branch. Your search will automatically be reapplied at a broader point in the tree to that point and below it. (E)
- Didn't find what you were looking for or got too many results? Try more, fewer, or different keywords.
- Spindle search syntax:
| Query | Results |
|---|---|
| civil | Contains the term civil |
| civil liability (civil AND liability) | Contains the term civil and the term liability |
| civil OR liability | Contains the term civil or the term liability or both |
| civil -liability | Contains the term civil and not the term liability |
| "civil liability" | Contains the exact phrase civil liability |
| civil* | Contains at least one term that begins with civil |
| civil! | Contains at least one term that begins with civil |
| civil~ | Contains terms that are similar in spelling to civil |
- What do the icons mean? Scroll over them or see the Icon Key.
- To leave Search: If available, click on "Swing Back" (top right) and you'll go back to the topic/rule/reference you were on before entering Search. Or, click the "Exit Search" button to return to browsing topics/rules/references. (F)
Reading Cases and Other Authorities
What
Spindle gets you to the rules you need and the authorities — cases, statutes, regs, etc. — that support them. Spindle links you to other sites, free and fee-based, that provide cases or other authorities. If you have a Westlaw, Lexis, or Fastcase account, you can log in to one of those and view cases there. (You are responsible for any fees.) Fastcase also sells cases a la carte.
How
- When you've found a case you want to read, click on the title. You'll get an options box providing choices for where to read the authority; some or all of the following depending on the type of authority and the citation: Google Scholar, Cornell Legal Information Institute, Public Library of Law, Westlaw, Lexis, or Fastcase.
- Google Scholar and Public Library of Law offer cases for free (but PLOL requires free registration). Cornell LII offers federal statutes, regulations, and rules for free. Clicking on the link for one of those sites will bring you there and automatically run a search for the authority.
- Clicking on the link for Westlaw, Lexis, or Fastcase (which sells a case for $4.99, as of this writing) will take you to the authority on those sites, sometimes right to a pin-cited page. (But if the citation has a typo in it, the link won't work. Please fix it if you find the error by hovering over the case, clicking "edit," and correcting it).
SpinDoc
What
SpinDoc is your virtual legal pad. It lets you add authorities automatically, in proper Bluebook form (with a parenthetical if there is one) and add your own notes or text, so you can start writing your document right away. Only you have access to it.
How
- Find a case or other authority you want to put in your SpinDoc.
- When you hover over the authority, you'll see a choice for "add to SpinDoc." Click there, and the case will be placed in your SpinDoc. You'll see the SpinDoc symbol
above the authority name confirming that it's been added. (A) - To go to your SpinDoc, click on "SpinDoc" in the gray bar at the top of the page, or click on the SpinDoc symbol above the authority. (B)
- To add your own text, once in SpinDoc, click on "add notes" and start typing. (C)
- If you've added a new authority to SpinDoc but don't see it, click "refresh." (D)
- To view rules and authorities in the tree, or to remove them from your SpinDoc, or to read them on another site, click on them and choose the appropriate option.
- To empty your SpinDoc, click "remove all." (E)
- To get your SpinDoc into a word processing document, using Internet Explorer click the "Copy To Clipboard" button, then paste into your document. For Firefox, Safari, and other browsers highlight the text, copy (control-c/command-c), and paste (control-v/command-v) into your word processing document. (F)
- If the authority in your SpinDoc has been edited on the site since you added it to your SpinDoc, the authority will be highlighted in your SpinDoc. You can look at the edit and replace the original authority (if you want to) with the revised one: click on the authority in your SpinDoc, click on "Go To Authority," and if you want to replace it with the new version, then hover, click "remove from SpinDoc" and then "add to SpinDoc." If you don't see the revised authority in your SpinDoc, click "refresh." (G)
- Your work is automatically saved every time you make a change and will be there the next time you log in.
Icons
What
Spindle takes advantage of the brain's quick processing of pictures by using images wherever possible. Your research will speed up as you get used to the icons, because you'll be able to filter and sort rapidly by scanning the images, honing in on what you need.
How
Scroll over the image or click on "Icon Key" to learn what the icons mean. They are also described here.
Spinning Top: A topic of law.
A topic may be general ("Securities law") or very specific ("Whether an auditor's failure to correct a certified opinion that it provided in the belief that it was accurate but that it later learned to have been false or misleading is an actionable omission under Rule 10b-5.").
Top With Exclamation Point: A topic where there is a split among court decisions or other authorities.
When authorities disagree about the law, there's a split. Here the exclamation point beside the top alerts you that there are different ways to go.
Ruler: A rule of law.
Ruler With Asterisk: A general rule of law, which is a rule that has exceptions.
Asterisk: An exception to the general rule.
Frog: A cross-reference that jumps to a related topic or rule in another part of the Spindle Tree.
Bee: A "pollinator," indicating that a new section needs to be created and that there will be a cross-reference to it from here.
Handcuffs: Criminal action.
The decision is in a criminal action.
Eagle: Administrative action.
The decision is in an action seeking review of an administrative proceeding.
Traffic Symbol for Do Not Enter: Pre-discovery issues.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and addresses a motion that can be decided prior to, or regardless of, discovery. Examples include motions to dismiss or amend, add crossclaims and counterclaims, and matters of joinder and class certification — that is, all motions filed pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 3-25 or state equivalent.
Stack of Paper: Discovery & depositions.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides a discovery or deposition issue, filed pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 26-37 or state equivalent.
Witness Taking Oath: Trials and evidence.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides a trial or evidentiary motion filed under Fed. R. Civ. P. 38-53 or Federal Rules of Evidence or state equivalent.
Gavel: Judgment.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides a judgment motion such as a motion for summary judgment or motion for a new trial, or another motion filed pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 54-63 or state equivalent.
Bag O' Cash: Remedies.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides an issue regarding remedies under Fed. R. Civ. P. 64-71 or state equivalent.
Empty Box: Other.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides an issue other than those identified above.
Mixer: Mix of postures.
The judicial opinion is in a civil action and decides issues in more than one posture (for example, a ruling on a discovery dispute and summary judgment).
Green Pi: For the plaintiff.
The decision or the application of the rule was in the plaintiff's favor.
Blue Delta: For the defendant.
The decision or the application of the rule was in the defendant's favor.
Green Pi With Blue Delta: Decision for both parties, mixed, or uncertain outcome.
The decision or the application of the rule was in both party's favor, was mixed in its outcome, or the outcome is uncertain.
Grey Pi With Grey Delta: Neither party won.
The decision or the application of the rule did not favor either party.
Governmental Building: The decision or the application of the rule upheld or supported the administrative action.
Red Strike Out Government Building: The decision or the application of the rule reversed or opposed the administrative action.
Government Building With Red Strike Out Government Building: The decision or the application of the rule partially upheld or supported the administrative action and partially reversed or opposed it.
Grey Government Building With Grey Strike Out Government Building: The decision or the application of the rule neither supported nor opposed the administrative action.
Gold Seal: Fully Vouched.
At least 2 people have agreed that this authority does stand for the rule it is cited to support.
Half Gold Seal: Partially Vouched.
One person has said that this authority does stand for the rule it is cited to support.
Silver Seal: Edited Since Fully Vouched.
The authority has been edited since it was fully vouched.
Half Silver Seal: Edited Since Partially Vouched.
One person said that this authority stands for the rule it is cited to support, and then the authority was edited.
Gold-Silver Seal: Vouched-Edited-Vouched.
The authority was vouched (partially or fully), then edited, and then partially vouched in its current form.
Red X: Rejected.
At least one person thinks that this authority cannot reasonably be read to support this rule.
Gold U: You vouched for this authority.
You agreed that this authority stands for the rule it is shown to support.
Silver U: You vouched for this authority, and then it was edited.
You agreed that this authority stands for the rule it is shown to support, and then the authority was edited. The edit may or may not change your view.
Red U: You rejected this authority.
You think that this authority cannot reasonably be read to support this rule.
Legal pad: This authority has been added to your SpinDoc.
Contribute
Using Spindle's editing tools and guidelines for best practices for contributors.
Spindle Contributors
All Spindlers can add or edit authorities, edit the tree, comment on authorities, sources, and rules, and vouch or reject authorities.
Branch Managers
"Branch Managers" are chief editors and people they designate. They create sections of the Spindle tree and can delete. Sometimes a Branch Manager may hide a draft section of the tree. Until a hidden section is released (unhidden), related areas may be locked, making them uneditable by other contributors.
Vouch or Reject
What
Spindle's vouching system lets users weigh in on whether the authority stands for the rule it is said to support.
How
- Vouch for or reject the authority: Read the authority, and if it supports the rule, hover over the case and click "vouch." If it does not support the rule, hover over the authority and click "reject." Consider adding a comment to explain why you have rejected it.
- Once you vouch, a "U" will appear as a reminder that you vouched for the authority as support for this rule. The "U" will be there whenever you return to this rule and authority. If the authority is edited after you've vouched for it, that might change whether you continue to vouch for it, and your "U" will turn silver, to notify you that there's been an edit. If you reject the authority, your "U" will be red.
- Vouching/Rejecting Image Key:
Gold Seal: Fully Vouched.
At least 2 people have agreed that this authority does stand for the rule it is cited to support.
Half Gold Seal: Partially Vouched.
One person has said that this authority does stand for the rule it is cited to support.
Silver Seal: Edited Since Fully Vouched.
The authority has been edited since it was fully vouched.
Half Silver Seal: Edited Since Partially Vouched.
One person said that this authority stands for the rule it is cited to support, and then the authority was edited.
Gold-Silver Seal: Vouched-Edited-Vouched.
The authority was vouched (partially or fully), then edited, and then partially vouched in its current form.
Red X: Rejected.
At least one person thinks that this authority cannot reasonably be read to support this rule.
Gold U: You vouched for this authority.
You agreed that this authority stands for the rule it is shown to support.
Silver U: You vouched for this authority, and then it was edited.
You agreed that this authority stands for the rule it is shown to support, and then the authority was edited. The edit may or may not change your view.
Red U: You rejected this authority.
You think that this authority cannot reasonably be read to support this rule.
Editing Authorities
What
Edit an authority to complete or fix a citation; add or change a signal, pin cite, or subsequent history; include or revise a parenthetical; and contribute to a short summary.
When you edit an authority it will appear with your name linked to your profile page.
How
- Hover over the authority and click "Edit."
- Click on the part of the citation you want to edit and you'll be given options for editing. Make your change and click "Save."
- If you change your mind, click "Cancel."
- To add a citation to the slip opinion or an electronic database, to enter subsequent history, or details such as "en banc" or the dissenting or concurring judge, choose "more."
- To add a summary of the case, rule, statute, etc, click "... summary."
Adding Authorities
What
Add authorities that can reasonably be read to support the stated rule. Use signals "see" or "cf.," as appropriate, for authorities that provide indirect support. For direct support, select "[no signal]." The same authority may be added as support for multiple, and even contradictory, rules. So long as the authority arguably supports the rule, it should be added.
You need not have read the authority yourself before adding it; feel free to pull authorities from reliable sources. For example, if a decision you have read cites a second decision for the rule of law you're viewing on Spindle, add that cited case as an authority. Just be sure not to vouch for an authority (or reject it) before reading it yourself. (See the vouching section and video for more.)
For guidelines for entering case posture, see Posture.
Case names should not be abbreviated (they are automatically Bluebooked, including with proper abbreviations, when entered into SpinDoc), except that these terms should be abbreviated: Ass'n, Bros., Co. Corp, Inc., Ltd., and No., when they are not the first word of the case, and commonly known abbreviations for parties should also be abbreviated, such as NAACP, NRDC, FEC, SEC, NLRB.
Consider adding a short parenthetical to explain how the authority supports the rule of law. Explanatory parentheticals are optional. They are recommended when the relevance of a particular authority to the proposition might not otherwise be clear. Parentheticals should be short enough to be appropriate in a brief or legal memorandum.
Explanatory information should take the form of a present participial phrase (for example, "ruling that evidence was admissible as excited utterance exception to hearsay rule"), a quoted sentence, or a short statement that is appropriate in context. The parenthetical appears with the rule for which the authority is cited and will not appear elsewhere in the system.
You might add a brief summary to give researchers a brief overview of the authority in general. The summary you enter goes with the decision, statute, or other source that it summarizes and will appear wherever that source is cited, in support of any rule.
When you add an authority it will appear with your name linked to your profile.
How
- To add a new authority, click "contribute new authority."
- Choose the type of authority from the drop-down menu.
- You will be prompted to add the relevant information. Please enter as much as you can (following the guidelines in What, above), but don't worry if you don't have all of the information.
- When entering a case name, the system will propose case names to save you some typing. If it finds the right case, choose it. Please carefully read the case name and citation to be sure it's the decision you mean to enter and not a similar one (because a single case can have multiple decisions). If the decision is the one you want, but there are errors in the citation, please fix them.
- Consider adding a short parenthetical to describe the ruling (following the guidelines in What, above).
- If you need to use italics within a parenthetical, put two single quotation marks where you want italics to begin and two more where you want them to end. After you save the authority, the text between the marks will be italicized.
- For cases, choose "more" to enter unpublished citation information or parallel citations, to identify the decision as "en banc" or the opinion as concurrence or dissent, to enter a case's subsequent history.
- Add a summary of the decision, statute, or other source by choosing "summary" (it will read "case summary," "section summary," "rule summary," etc., to correspond to the type of authority). If you summarize some, but not all, of the decision or other source, please note within your summary that there are other issues that are not yet summarized; other Spindlers can summarize those.
Commenting
What
Comment on topics, rules, and authorities, and be a part of the conversation. Did the case come out the wrong way? Is there another authority with different reasoning? Should the law be moving in another direction? State your view, add links to other material, and refer to related authorities. Your comment will appear with your name, linked to your profile page.
Comments can be added to topics, rules, and references, as well as to sources (cases, statutes, regs, etc.). A comment can be made about a source as an authority for a particular rules and about the source in general.
How
- To comment on a topic, rule or reference, click on "Add Comment" under the text.
- To comment on an authority as support for the rule, click "Authority Comment" under the authority.
- To comment on a source in general (case, statute, reg, rule), click "Case/statute/reg/rule Comment" under the citation. Note that this general source comment will appear wherever this source is cited in Spindle.
- No matter where you're making your comment, the process is the same. Write your comment, then click "Preview and Submit" to review it and see how it will appear. Click "Save This Comment" when you're ready to post it; you won't be able to make further changes or delete it. Click "Resume Editing Comment" to continue working on your comment or to erase it.
- To include a link in your comment, type the following: open square bracket ([), the url (the web address), space, the word(s) you want to be clickable, and close square bracket (]). For example, to include a link to a blog post on an issue you're commenting about, type this:
There's a great post about this on Joe Schmo's [http://joeschmoblog.com blog].
In your comment it will look like this:There's a great post about this on Joe Schmo's blog.
The reader will be taken to that web address upon clicking "blog."
Fixing Typos or Other Minor Errors in Topics, Rules, or Pollinators
What
Please fix typos or other minor errors in topics, rules, or pollinators. Edits should not change the meaning of the topic, rule, or pollinator. To make more substantial changes, please see the Extended Contributor Guide.
How
- Browse to the topic or rule you want to edit.
- Hover over the long text and select "edit."
- An edit box will appear allowing you to edit the short text or the long text. Please don't edit the icon unless you have read Extended Contributor Guide.
- Click on the appropriate fields and make your changes.
- When you're finished choose "save." Or, to undo, click "cancel."
- Your edit should not change the meaning of a topic, rule, or pollinator that already has authorities.
If you are editing a rule that has supporting authorities, your name and a link to your profile will be shown as an editor of those authorities, and any gold vouches for those authorities will turn silver.
Deleting a Topic, Rule, or Pollinator
What
You can propose to a branch manager — an editor overseeing the area of law — that a topic, rule, or reference be deleted. Branch managers will make deletions where the topic, rule, or reference is a duplication or where there is a rule that has no authority whatsoever supporting it.
How
- Browse to the topic, rule, or pollinator that you think should be deleted.
- Hover over the long text and click "nominate for delete" and "ok" (or "cancel" if you've changed your mind).
- Click "add comment" to explain why you think it should be deleted.
- If you change your mind, hover over the long text and choose "clear reject."
Editing the Tree
For more on editing and adding branches to the tree, see the Extended Contributor Guide.
Profile
What
You created a Spindle profile when you first activate a Spindle account. Your name, along with a link to your profile page, appear whenever you add or edit an authority; add, edit, or move a branch, or make a comment.
You can edit your profile, or view your public profile, at any time.
How
To edit your profile or view your public profile, click "profile" in the red bar at the top of the page. To edit, make your changes and click "update." To see your profile, click "View Your Public Profile."