Find the case to cite for a proposition
find_authorityFind the case to cite for a proposition. Paste the proposition or the language you need authority for VERBATIM; do not convert it to keywords. The result names the source case to cite (source_case), the verbatim passage, and how many courts have adopted it (quoted_by_cases); match_kind says how it matched: exact_phrase (the passage contains your words), relaxed (it shares your distinctive words), proposition (a rule later courts cite that case for). A miss means no court has quoted or been cited for that wording; try find_issues for the doctrine, or search_cases with 3-4 distinctive words. Routing: a proposition or quoted language -> find_authority (pasted verbatim); a doctrine name or fact pattern -> find_issues; a party name, statute number or keywords -> search_cases. Quotation marks mean pasted from a tool result (opinion text, passage, best_match). If you typed a quote from memory, run verify_quote and use best_match. Run check_brief on the finished draft and apply its corrections. Copy cite_as for the citation (first page, then pin). The first 3 rows carry star_page and cite_as. A quotation inside the proposition (in quotation marks) is also searched on its own: passages that contain it word for word come first, match_kind quotation (matched_quotation names it). It also finds, by meaning, the PAGES later courts cite for a paraphrased proposition (match_kind cited_for_label: pin page, cite_as with the pin, a generated label of what the page is cited for, how many courts cite it, and the treatment of those citations), and returns string_cite: those pages one per case in Bluebook order with "(cited for …)" parentheticals to rewrite from the opinion. Up to 3 semantic_case rows at the end are whole opinions closest in meaning to the proposition: leads to read, not quotations. Every row carries match_sentence (the passage sentence or label that matched) and closeness: verbatim | close | related, measured on wording and meaning (related = it shares the subject and may paraphrase the rule or only touch it: read it before citing); rows only loosely related are left out. no_close_authority: true means no row matches the proposition closely in wording: read the related rows' match_sentence before citing one, or use search_cases with distinctive words, find_issues, or a rephrased proposition.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| state | No | Optional two-letter state code: relaxed and proposition matches are limited to that state's courts and the federal courts (a federal court sitting in the state cites both), that state's own courts first; other states' courts are left out (falls back to all courts when none qualify); verbatim exact-phrase matches from any court are kept, that state's first | |
| proposition | Yes | The proposition or quoted language, verbatim (three or more words; up to ~300 characters are used) |