Rose’s Notes on United States Reports
Rose’s Notes on United States Reports is an influential legal resource originally published in thirteen volumes in 1899 by California lawyer Walter Malins Rose. This work serves as an annotated citator, meticulously organizing the legal principles found in all Supreme Court decisions through to United States Reports volume 172. Each legal principle is accompanied by citations to later cases that reference it, offering a comprehensive cross-referenced list that includes decisions from the Supreme Court, federal courts, and state courts of last resort. Unlike typical citators that provide mere listings, Rose's Notes offers substantial analysis and discussion, enhancing the understanding of how legal principles are applied through various rulings. The work was subsequently revised and expanded by Charles L. Thompson, who updated it to include additional cases through volume 283 of United States Reports. Despite its historical significance, the use of Rose’s Notes has diminished over time, yet it remains a valuable resource for those interested in the evolution of legal thought and precedent in the United States.
Subject Terms
Rose’s Notes on United States Reports
Date: 1899
Description: A thirteen-volume annotated citator of principles from Supreme Court decisions.
Significance: The work analyzes federal and state court cases and links them to legal principles found in earlier Court decisions.
Originally printed in thirteen volumes in 1899, Rose’s Notes on United States Reports is an annotated citator that is waning in use. The notes were produced by Walter Malins Rose, a young California lawyer. Rose chronologically arranged the legal principles he found in all Supreme Court decisions from the first decision published in Alexander J. Dallas’s volume 2 to those published in United States Reports volume 172. To the legal principles found in each Court case, Rose attached citations to all later cases citing that particular principle. The cross-referenced list included cases from the Supreme Court, intermediate and lower federal courts, and the courts of last resort in all the states. These later decisions were analyzed in order to highlight the points of law to which they referred and to illustrate how the cited principle was used. Rose’s Notes provided depth of analysis and discussion; other citators merely provided listings of citings. The notes were revised and updated by Charles L. Thompson, who published an expanded edition (1917-1920) and supplemented it twice (1925 and 1932), extending coverage of the citing cases through United States Reports volume 283.