Verified authorities
Every case Judicio cites in a strategy report is checked against the public case-law record before you read it, and the outcome of that check rides on the authority wherever it appears. This page is the badge vocabulary in full: what each badge asserts, what it does not assert, and what you should do about it.
Two checks run, and they answer different questions. Verification asks whether the citation resolves to a real judgment that matches. Treatment asks whether later courts have done anything to it. An authority can be perfectly verified and still be overruled.
Where the checks land
A report arrives with its authorities already checked, so the badges are on screen from the moment you open it. The header counts them for you, and the grounds rail flags the grounds whose citations still need a look.
Where the badges appear
| Surface | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Law & evidence tab | The full authority list, one card each, with every badge. |
| Sources rail | The same authorities as a scrolling list, reached from any numbered citation chip or the Sources header button. |
| Ground detail view | A compact row per cited authority: case name, citation and its verification badge. See Reviewing grounds. |
| Opposition browser | The same compact rows, under their argument and under your rebuttal. |
| Ground card | Not a badge but a flag: Check cites appears when any authority the ground relies on is not fully verified. |
| Header tooltip | The information icon beside the header badges gives the tally: authorities cited, verified, and needing attention. |
The four verification badges
Exactly one of these sits on every authority.
| Badge | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | The full text was fetched and the pinpoint matches the citation. | Nothing. This is the good case. |
| Citation mismatch | A judgment was found, but it does not line up with the quoted citation or pinpoint. | Open the authority and check it before you rely on the proposition. The badge carries a note explaining what did not match. |
| Not checked yet | The verification chain has not reached this authority. | Wait, then reload. This is common on a fresh report, because the report is shown before the checks finish. |
| Not found | No full text could be located for the citation. | Check it yourself. Nothing has been confirmed, and nothing has been disproved either. |
Not checked yet and Not found are deliberately different badges. One says the check has not run; the other says it ran and could not match the text. Treating them as one would let a report claim a check that never happened.
Where a check produced an explanation, the authority card repeats it under the badges: headed Verification note on a mismatch, and Not located otherwise.
When the whole chain is incomplete
If the verification chain did not finish, a banner under the report header reads Some verification checks did not complete. Authorities the chain never reached carry Not checked yet rather than a verdict.
Treatment badges
Treatment says what later courts, or the legislature, have done with the authority. It is a separate check with its own result.
| Badge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Followed | A later court applied it. |
| Distinguished | A later court held it did not govern facts like these. |
| Overruled | It is no longer good law. |
| Superseded | It has been displaced, typically by statute or a later authority. |
A treatment badge appears only when the check completed and reported one of these outcomes. No badge appears when no treatment was reported or when the check has not completed. The absence of a badge alone does not confirm that treatment was checked or that the authority remains good law. Check the key authorities yourself before relying on them.
Followed, Distinguished, Overruled and Superseded each carry a note explaining the treatment. Hover the badge to read it.
Stance badges
Stance is not a trust signal. It says which way the authority cuts.
| Badge | What it means |
|---|---|
| For you | The authority supports your side. |
| Against you | The authority helps the opposition. |
A strategy report cites both on purpose: the authorities against you are the ones the other side will open with. An authority marked Against you carries a How to distinguish callout explaining why it does not govern the present facts.
What an authority card contains
| Part | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Case name | The case as it is cited. |
| Citation line | The citation, the court and the year. |
| Holding | One or two sentences on the holding relied on. |
| Stance badge | For you or Against you. |
| Pinpoint | The paragraph or paragraphs relied on, prefixed with a paragraph mark. |
| Verification badge | One of the four above. |
| Treatment badge | One of the four above when treatment was checked and reported; otherwise no badge. |
| Verification note | Present where a check produced an explanation. |
| How to distinguish | Present on an opposing authority. |
In the Sources rail each entry also offers a control to open the archived judgment, so you can read the source that was checked rather than search for it again. Where a citation has no public source to archive, the rail says so instead of failing quietly.
How to work through them
- Read the header tooltip first. It tells you how many authorities need attention before you open anything.
- Open the Law & evidence tab and work down the list, or use the Check cites flag on the grounds rail to find the grounds whose citations need a look.
- Deal with Citation mismatch and Overruled before a hearing. Both are the kind of thing opposing counsel is happy to point out for you.
- Treat Not found and Not checked yet as work to do, not as failures of the case. Neither confirms the citation. Check later treatment separately; a missing treatment badge is not confirmation that the authority remains good law.
- Where you need the judgments themselves in hand, export the report with the evidence pack. See Exporting and drafting.
Judicio can make mistakes. Read the key authorities yourself before relying on them.
Next steps
- Understanding the report - where the citation chips and the Sources rail sit.
- Reviewing grounds - the Check cites flag, and acting on a ground.
- Exporting and drafting - the authorities appendix and the evidence pack.