First Principles of Business Law

9.2. Selection of cases in particular reports

The Victorian Reports and New South Wales Law Reports.

Each 'series' or collection of law reports publishes cases selectively, according to some characteristic or criterion.

For example, some series report decisions from a particular geographical jurisdiction, such as New South Wales or Victoria. Others report the decisions of a particular court, such as the High Court of Australia.

Other series report only cases involving a particular kind of law, such as tax, criminal or torts cases.

Reports series may not publish every decided case that falls within their general area of selection. The editor of the series decides whether or not a particular case has sufficient significance to be reported. However, even unreported decisions can be used as legal precedents. Though not published in a law reports series, they can be found in electronic databases.