Search Tips for Judicial Decisions Database

Instructions and Search Tips for Open Text Database

OpenText Search [Public] Page

  1. The five full-text searchable databases are:
    • Deputy Commissioner, which includes Deputy Commissioner decisions filed since 1994.
    • Enterprise, which allows the general public to search the following four databases simultaneously: Deputy Commissioner, Full Commission, N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and Statutes.
    • Full Commission, which includes Full Commission decisions filed since 1994.
    • N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, which includes precedent-setting decisions filed since 1994.
    • Statutes, which includes pertinent portions of the N.C. General Statutes.
  2. Searching Multiple Databases Simultaneously: To search several databases simultaneously, click to select the first database, and then press Ctrl and click to select each additional database to search. When you have finished, release the Ctrl key.

Search Term(s)

  1. In the Full Text section, indicate whether to Look for: All Words, Any Words, Exact Phrase, or Complex Query.
    • TIP #1: To search for citations of a specific statute, such as N.C. Gen. Stat. §97-88.1, choose the Exact Phrase option and type 97-88.1 in the text box.
    • TIP #2: To look for decisions filed by a particular Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner, choose Exact Phrase and type Gillen in the text box, for example, to find decisions filed by Commissioner James C. Gillen.

  2. To search for more than one term at a time, click the small green + button at far right of Full Text section to open another search-term text box.

Scope of Search

In the Slices section, click to select the database(s) to search. To search more than one database at the same time, click to select the first database, and then press and hold down the Ctrl key and click to select each additional database to search. When you have finished, release the Ctrl key.

Advanced Search Results Page

Viewing and Downloading Files Listed on the “Advanced Search Results” Page

First, click the hypertext link for Filename.doc, Filename.pdf, or Filename.htm at far left to display a Document Overview page for each Microsoft Word, PDF (portable document format), or HTML (hypertext markup language) file listed in the Advanced Search Results. (Some documents will not have a Document Overview available.)

To download a file, click the Functions menu (˅) just to the right of the file name (Filename.doc, Filename.pdf, or Filename.htm) and select the Download option at the top of the list.

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