Bookmarklets

A collection of JavaScript bookmarklets designed to streamline legal research by providing quick access to major legal databases and search engines.

What are Bookmarklets?

Bookmarklets are small JavaScript programs stored as bookmarks in your browser. When clicked, they execute JavaScript code on the current webpage, allowing you to perform actions like searching selected text or opening search prompts.

Installation

1. Copy the entire JavaScript code from any bookmarklet file
2. Create a new bookmark in your browser
3. Paste the code as the bookmark URL/location
4. Give the bookmark a descriptive name
5. Save the bookmark to your bookmarks bar for easy access

Micro.blog Bookmarklets

Post Link to Micro.blog

• Primary function: Posts selected text as blockquote to Micro.blog with domain link
• Fallback: Prompts for commentary if no text is selected
• Target: Micro.blog posting interface
• Link format: Includes 🔗 domain.com link without www prefix
• Installation: Copy the code below and create a new bookmark with this as the URL

javascript:(function(){'use strict';var w=window,d=document,s=w.getSelection().toString(),u='',domain=w.location.hostname.replace(/^www\./,''),comment='';if(s.length>0){u='https://micro.blog/post?bookmarklet=true&text=>%20'+encodeURIComponent(s)+encodeURIComponent('\n\n[🔗 *'+domain+'*]('+w.location.href+')')}else{comment=prompt('Add your comment:','');if(comment!==null){comment=comment.trim();u='https://micro.blog/post?bookmarklet=true&text='+encodeURIComponent(comment)+encodeURIComponent('\n\n[🔗 *'+domain+'*]('+w.location.href+')')}}if(u)w.open(u,'Post to Micro.blog','location=0,links=0,scrollbars=0,toolbar=0,width=594,height=615')})();

Legal Research Bookmarklets

Selection-Based Bookmarklets (Instant Search)

These bookmarklets instantly search for any text you have selected on a webpage. If no text is selected, they'll prompt you to enter a search query.

google-scholar-selection.js

Google Scholar Case Law Search

• Primary function: Searches selected text in Google Scholar with legal document filtering
• Fallback: Prompts for search query if no text is selected
• Target: Academic papers, case law, and legal documents
• Search parameters: Includes as_sdt=6,31 for legal document filtering

courtlistener-selection.js

CourtListener Selection Search

• Primary function: Searches selected text in CourtListener's federal case database
• Fallback: Prompts for search query if no text is selected
• Target: Federal court opinions, briefs, and oral arguments
• Best for: US federal case law research

justia-selection.js

Justia Selection Search

• Primary function: Searches selected text within Justia's legal resources
• Fallback: Prompts for search query if no text is selected
• Target: Cases, statutes, regulations, and legal resources
• Method: Uses Google site search (site:justia.com) for reliable results

Prompt-Based Bookmarklets (Always Ask for Input)

These bookmarklets always open a search prompt, with smart pre-population if you have text selected.

google-scholar-prompt.js

Google Scholar Query Prompt

• Function: Always prompts for search input with selected text pre-filled
• Smart feature: Auto-populates prompt with selected text as default
• Target: Academic papers, case law, and legal documents
• Benefit: Allows editing of search terms before searching

courtlistener-prompt.js

CourtListener Query Prompt

• Function: Always prompts for search input with selected text pre-filled
• Smart feature: Auto-populates prompt with selected text as default
• Target: Federal court opinions, briefs, and oral arguments
• Benefit: Perfect for refining case name searches

justia-prompt.js

Justia Query Prompt

• Function: Always prompts for search input with selected text pre-filled
• Smart feature: Auto-populates prompt with selected text as default
• Target: Cases, statutes, regulations, and legal resources
• Benefit: Ideal for complex or multi-term legal searches

Usage Examples

Quick Case Law Research

1. Select a case name on any webpage
2. Click the google-scholar-selection.js bookmarklet
3. Instantly see Google Scholar results for that case

Refining Search Terms

1. Select approximate text (e.g., "Miranda warning")
2. Click the courtlistener-prompt.js bookmarklet
3. Edit the pre-filled text to "Miranda v. Arizona"
4. Search with refined terms

Research Without Selection

1. Click any prompt-based bookmarklet
2. Type your search query from scratch
3. Search across your chosen legal database

Database Coverage

Database	Selection Bookmarklet	Prompt Bookmarklet	Content Focus
Google Scholar	✅	✅	Academic papers, case law, citations
CourtListener	✅	✅	Federal cases, briefs, oral arguments
Justia	✅	✅	Cases, statutes, regulations, legal resources

Features

• Opens in new tab: All searches open in new tabs, preserving your current page
• Smart text handling: Automatically trims whitespace from selections
• Graceful cancellation: Handles cancelled prompts without errors
• URL encoding: Properly encodes special characters in search queries
• Cross-browser compatibility: Works in all modern browsers

Tips for Effective Use

• For quick lookups: Use selection-based bookmarklets
• For refined searches: Use prompt-based bookmarklets
• Case names: Select just the case name for best results
• Legal terms: Select specific legal terminology for focused results
• Statutes: Include section numbers when searching for specific provisions

Firefox Keywords (Highly Recommended)

Firefox supports keywords for bookmarks, allowing you to trigger bookmarklets by typing short commands in the address bar. This is incredibly efficient for legal research:

Setup Instructions:

1. Save any bookmarklet as a bookmark
2. Right-click the bookmark → "Properties"
3. Add a short keyword (e.g., gs for Google Scholar)
4. Save the changes

Keyword Suggestions:

• gs - Google Scholar (selection or prompt)
• cl - CourtListener
• jus - Justia
• gsp - Google Scholar Prompt (if you have both versions)
• cls - CourtListener Selection

Usage:

Just type your keyword in the Firefox address bar and press Enter. No mouse clicking required!

Example workflow:

1. Select case name: "Miranda v. Arizona"
2. Type gs in address bar + Enter
3. Instant Google Scholar search in new tab

Other Browser Alternatives

Chrome/Edge: While they don't have native keyword support, you can:

• Pin bookmarklets to the bookmarks bar for one-click access
• Use extensions like "Shortkeys" for keyboard shortcuts
• Create custom search engines in settings (for prompt-based functionality)

Safari: Similar to Chrome - use bookmarks bar or create custom search engines

Browser Compatibility

These bookmarklets work in:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge
• All Chromium-based browsers

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests to improve these bookmarklets or add support for additional legal databases.

License

MIT License - Feel free to use, modify, and distribute these bookmarklets.

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Happy legal researching! 📚⚖️

Made with help from Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4 by joeross