Options for Searching the Document Database

The material in the ADB Document Database is retrieved through Coveo, a program which uses flexible search commands.
 

To Search By Attorney's Name:

Use this feature if you want to search for cases involving a particular attorney.  Enter the attorney's last name or full name and then click on the the "Search" button.
 

To Search By Keyword:

Searches may be for a single word appearing in the notice or opinion.  Just type the word then hit "Search." To search using multiple words, phrases, wildcarded words, or words in proximity to other words, use the search operators (see below). After a search is typed and submitted, the system searches its thesaurus for the terms used.
 

Search Operators and Other Functions

" "Phrase

Use quotation marks (" ") around your terms to search for phrases.  For example, the query "felony firearms" will search for those terms in order and found in any record.  The program treats the phrase as one long word and will generally take more time to return results.

Example: "driving under the influence"

And

The "and" operator is used to find two or more words that occur in the same record or "level" (if your search originates from the "database page.") The "and" operator performs a set intersection on records which contain one word and records which contain another word. The result is a set of records which contain both words. Word one and word two are joined in the query by the "and," the ampersand symbol (&), or a blank space.

Example: search and seizure or search & seizure

* or ? Wildcards

The asterisk (*) wildcard is used to replace 0 or more characters in a search word, i.e., sentenc*. The question mark (?) wildcard is used to replace any single character in a search word, i.e., mari?uana.

Example: sentenc*
Example: mari?uana

Or

The "or" operator is similar in function to the "and" operator. Both help you find multiple words; however, the "or" operator does not require both words to be in the same record to register a hit.  The "or" operator performs a set union on the records which contain one word and the records which contain another word. Word one and word two are joined in the query by the word "or," or the vertical pipe "|".  Note: To narrow a search, use "and."  To broaden a search, use "or."

Example: guns or knives

Not

The "not" operator is used when you want to exclude a word from a search.  The "not" operator can be used with several words or with a single word.

Example: murder NOT suicide