Case-law access map · checked November 7, 2026
North Carolina: where to read court opinions for free
Free and searchable from 1778 to today (CourtListener from 1800; Caselaw Access Project to 2017).
Appeals courts: free and searchable from 1778 to today (CourtListener).
As we read the highest court's own website and the free indexes on November 7, 2026. CourtListener's years come from its public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026). The table has each court and source.
Not legal advice. Check the court's own website before relying on any listing.
Courts and sources
Each line is one court read from one source. Years are the span that source lists; “inferred” means taken from a description of the site, not from the site itself. A site that refused our automated check may still open in a browser.
| Court | Level | Source | Years | Text search | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Supreme Court | Highest court | appellate.nccourts.org | from 1998 | Not checked | Opened in our check |
| Supreme Court of North Carolina | Highest court | CourtListener evidence | 1800–2026 | Yes | Opened in our check85,626 opinions in CourtListener's public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026); newest Aug 14, 2026; 4,717 with approximate dates. |
| Court of Appeals of North Carolina | Appeals | CourtListener evidence | 1778–2026 | Yes | Opened in our checkStart year raised from 1777 to 1778 (the Caselaw Access Project's start); CourtListener's earlier date falls before the court began.45,680 opinions in CourtListener's public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026); newest Sep 16, 2026; 194 with approximate dates. |
| North Carolina Court of Appeals | Appeals | appellate.nccourts.org | from 1998 | Not checked | Opened in our check |
| Superior Court of North Carolina | Appeals | CourtListener evidence | 1778–1894 | Yes | Opened in our checkCourtListener shows no automatic collection of new opinions from this court.1,341 opinions in CourtListener's public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026); newest Jun 5, 1894; 551 with approximate dates. |
| North Carolina - all reported decisions in CAP reporters | Other | Caselaw Access Project (Harvard) evidence | 1778–2017 | No | Opened in our check |
| North Carolina - state appellate and supreme courts (published opinions) | Other | Google Scholar | from 1950 | Yes | Opened in our check |
| North Carolina Business Court | Other | CourtListener evidence | 1996–2026 | Yes | Opened in our check1,406 opinions in CourtListener's public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026); newest Sep 10, 2026. |
| North Carolina Industrial Commission | Other | CourtListener evidence | 1993–2011 | Yes | Opened in our checkCourtListener shows no automatic collection of new opinions from this court.7,182 opinions in CourtListener's public bulk files (snapshot of Sep 30, 2026); newest Dec 8, 2011. |
Where else to look
- CourtListener: Lists 5 North Carolina courts.
- Caselaw Access Project (Harvard): Holds published opinions from 1778 to 2017.
- Google Scholar: Its help page says its case law covers state appellate and supreme courts since 1950.
- appellate.nccourts.org: Official court website.
- Justia: Also publishes opinions; we did not check it state by state.
Known gaps
- CourtListener's court record shows no automatic collection of new opinions from Superior Court of North Carolina. Check the court's own website for recent ones.
- We could not confirm that opinion text can be searched on North Carolina Supreme Court's website.
- The Caselaw Access Project holds published opinions only through 2017.
- Our survey lists no free statewide source of trial-court opinions for this state.
Corpus
Corpus holds the statutes, not the opinions
For the law itself, Corpus searches North Carolina statutes, and each result cites its section and links the source.
Data: Corpus Open (open source). CourtListener bulk data (public domain), snapshot Sep 30, 2026.
Read by Corpus on November 7, 2026. Sites change; check the court’s own website before relying on a line.
Not legal advice. Check the court's own website before relying on any listing. Corpus is not a law firm.