This rule of legal research cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Citing a case that has been overruled, reversed, modified or distinguished away by subsequent decisions could lead to disastrous consequences. As with statutes, none of the bound digest volumes are completely replaced on a yearly basis. West publishes pocket-parts for every volume of every digest. Always be sure to look up your Key Number in the pocket-part after checking the bound volume.

Our Problem

Volume 10A of the United States Supreme Court Digest, which contains all of the 'Obscenity' Key Numbers, was published in 1984. If we had looked at Key Number 1.4 only in the bound volume and had not examined the pocket-part, we would have missed the most vital case for our research problem, Pope v. Illinois.

Reading The Digest

Under each Key Number, you will find the headnotes for every case on that point of law for every case from your jurisdiction. Under our Key Number, Obscenity 1.4 (which covers contemporary community standards), we find the headnote from a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision originating from Illinois, Pope v. Illinois. The language from the headnote tells us that the Court has indeed modified the community standards test since the Miller decision. The final step of your research, then, is to find Pope v. Illinois. The citation to all published versions of the case (481 U.S. 497, 107 S. Ct. 1918, and 95 L. Ed. 2d 439) appear at the end of the individual headnote.