The Topic and Key Number System

Headnotes and the Topic and Key Number System

• When West receives an opinion from the court, a West attorney-editor identifies the points of law discussed in the case.

• Each point of law is summarized in a headnote.

• After carefully analyzing the point of law that the headnote discusses, the West attorney-editor assigns the headnote to at least one key number in the West Topic and Key Number System.

This headnote summarizes the second point of law discussed in this case on Westlaw. The headnote is assigned to key number 90.1(1.2) under Topic 92 (Constitutional Law).

Headnote

Key Number 90.1(1.2)

Topic Number (92)Headnote Number (2)

The West Topic and Key Number System

• is an extensive outline of the entire body of case law in this country.

• is an index to the entire National Reporter System, helping you more easily locate cases with similar legal issues in any jurisdiction.

• is a classification system with at least one topic and key number assigned to each point of law.

The West Topic and Key Number System

• divides the law into approximately 400 broad digest topics.

• breaks down each topic into subheadings

• contains approximately 100,000 specific key numbers

Topics• The topic are arranged alphabetically and numbered between 1 and 450.

• Each topic addresses a broad legal issue.

• Some topics have been added after the original 414 topics were assigned numbers.– See, 48A Automobiles– See, 48B Aviation

• Other topics have been eliminated or renamed (e.g., West attorney-editors no longer use topic 3).

Topics and Key Numbers

• Each topic is broken down into subheadings.

• There can be as many as eight levels in the topic and key number hierarchy.

• This process continues until further breakdown of a legal issue is unproductive and a specific key number is assigned. See, 92k90.1(1.2), above.

92 Constitutional Law (Topic) 92V Personal, Civil and Political Rights (Subheading)

92k90 Freedom of Speech and of the Press 92k90.1 Particular Expressions and Limitations 92k90.1(1.2) k. Election Regulations

(Specific Key Number)

Topics, Subheadings, and Key Numbers

• This is a breakdown of subheading 90.1 (Particular expressions and limitations) under the Constitutional Law topic and subheading V. (Personal, Civil and Political Rights) in the print version of the digest.

• 92k90.1(1.2) is the specific key number dealing with Election regulations.

Currentness of Topics

Topics or portions of topics are added, renamed, expanded, contracted, merged, or eliminated as law, society, and political sensitivity

dictate.

• Insurance topic was reorganized in 1998; Negligence topic was reorganized in 1999

• RICO topic was added in 1990; Sentencing topic was added in 2000

• Drunkards topic became inactive in 1978 and all new cases were classified under a new topic, Chemical Dependents. The new topic also contains some issues that were previously categorized under Drugs and Narcotics

• Insane Persons topic was renamed Mental Health

Currentness of Key Numbers

Key numbers are added, renumbered, or transferred to other topics as law, society, and political sensitivity dictate.

• What was once a specific key number may be expanded over time to provide deeper analysis of a growing area of the law.

• Translation tables in print volumes aid in moving between the old and new classifications.

• On Westlaw, a “Formerly” line is added to key numbers that have changed so you can search by old or new key number. (See below.)

Think of the topic and key number as an address:

– Each street in the city represents a digest topic.

– There are many houses on each street and each house has its own number.

– In order to find a particular house, you must know both the street name (topic) and the house number (key number).

Question

The West Topic and Key Number System

1. Divides the law into approximately 400 broad legal topics

2. Divides the law into approximately 100,000 specific key numbers

3. Is an index to every case in the National Reporter System

4. All of the above

Question

The West Topic and Key Number System

1. Divides the law into approximately 400 broad legal topics

2. Divides the law into approximately 100,000 specific key numbers

3. Is an index to every case in the National Reporter System

4. All of the above