The American Law Reports, or ALR, are an invaluable resource for case-law research. Almost everyone will refer to this resource by its shorthand moniker of ALR. The ALR contain articles called Annotations, which summarize the law on a particular issue. 

I. Annotations

The term “Annotation” may sound familiar in the context of a note or reference added to a text—such as cases, statutes, and other secondary sources.

ALR entries are also known as Annotations, because ALR entries traditionally...