Learn something new every day More Info... by email An advance
sheet is a pamphlet containing the text of several recent court
decisions, providing people with access to a preliminary
publication of those decisions. The final publication is in a
bound volume with the text of several such pamphlets, with the
bound volume being the formal version people will consult when
using legal opinions in legal arguments and other matters. An
even less formal document, a slip opinion, is a reproduction of
a single opinion, usually produced because there is close public
interest and the court wants it to be available immediately.
Some important differences can be seen between advance sheets
and formal bound opinions. Judges are allowed to reword or
adjust the opinion, although they cannot reverse or
substantially change it. The pagination in the final version can
differ from the advance sheet, and people may encounter
different language, citations, and other variations from the
earlier version. The bound version supersedes