google-scholar-case-law-api

Search US state and federal case law on Google Scholar and pull full case details. Apify-backed n8n community node, pay-per-result, and usable as an AI agent tool.

Package Information

Released: 4 mo ago
Downloads: 14 weekly / 308 monthly
Latest Version: 0.1.1
Author: John Cole

Available Nodes

Google Scholar Case Law icon
Google Scholar Case Law
Search US state and federal case law on Google Scholar and pull full case details

Documentation

n8n-nodes-google-scholar-case-law-api

An n8n community node that searches US state and federal case law on Google Scholar and pulls full case details. It is backed by the Google Scholar Case Law API on Apify and bills per result, so there are no subscriptions and no minimums.

Installation · Credentials · Operations · Output · Example workflows · Pricing · Resources

What it does

Give the node a search query and it returns one item per case-law result with the case title, name, court, snippet, and a direct Google Scholar link. You can restrict the search by court, decision year, and language, and optionally fetch full case details (parties, dates, citations, cited cases) for every result or for known case IDs. It also works as an AI Agent tool, so an agent can do legal research on demand. This is great for legal research, citation tracking, and docket monitoring.

  • Search US state and federal case law by query
  • Filter by court code, decision year range, and language
  • Pull full case detail by case ID, or for every search result
  • Choose how much data to return per result: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields

Installation

Follow the n8n community nodes installation guide:

  1. In n8n, open Settings > Community Nodes.
  2. Select Install.
  3. Enter n8n-nodes-google-scholar-case-law-api as the npm package name.
  4. Agree to the risks of using community nodes, then select Install.

After it installs, the Google Scholar Case Law node appears in the nodes panel.

n8n Cloud only allows verified community nodes. Until this node is verified, install it on a self-hosted n8n instance.

Credentials

You need a free Apify account and an API token.

  1. Sign in to the Apify Console.
  2. Open Settings > Integrations and copy your Personal API token.
  3. In n8n, create a new Apify API credential and paste the token.
  4. Use the credential's Test button to confirm it works.

The node also supports Apify OAuth2 if you prefer to connect that way.

Operations

Case > Search returns case-law results for a query and/or case IDs.

Parameter Description
Search Query The case-law query, for example patent infringement. Provide a query, Case IDs, or both.
Case IDs Comma-separated Google Scholar case IDs to pull full detail for.
Max Results Maximum number of search results (up to 100).
Court Codes Comma-separated Google Scholar court codes (e.g. 158 for the Supreme Court).
Year From / Year To Restrict the decision year range.
Language Code Two-letter interface language code.
Sort by Date / Exclude Citations Sort newest-first; drop bare citation entries.
Fetch Details for Search Results Pull full case detail for every result.
Output How much data to return: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields.

Output

Each result is returned as its own n8n item. The Output parameter lets you choose how much to return:

  • Simplified (default): a compact object with title, name, court, snippet, link, caseId, resultId, resultType, and position. This mode is also used automatically when the node runs as an AI Agent tool, to keep responses small.
  • Raw: every field the API returns for each result, using the original field names below.
  • Selected Fields: pick exactly which fields to include.

Fields (Raw and Selected Fields)

Field Type Description
result_type string search_result, case_detail, or error
result_id string Opaque search-result identifier, useful for de-duping
position integer 1-indexed position within the search page
title string Case title, including reporter citation when available
name string Short party names, for example Brown v. Board of Education
court_name string Court that decided the case
snippet string Short text preview from the search result
link string Direct Google Scholar URL for the opinion
case_id string Google Scholar case identifier, used to fetch detail
publication_info object Author, source, and date metadata
dates array Decision-related dates with type labels
short_citations array Short case reference strings
case_numbers array Docket numbers
cited_cases array Cases referenced by this opinion
fetched_at string ISO 8601 timestamp of when the row was produced

Example workflows

1. Track new opinions on a topic

  1. Schedule Trigger (weekly).
  2. Google Scholar Case Law: Search Query data privacy, Sort by Date on.
  3. Filter: keep results newer than your last run, then notify by email.

2. Pull full detail for known cases

  1. Set: a list of case_id values.
  2. Google Scholar Case Law: paste them into Case IDs.
  3. Postgres: store name, court_name, and dates per case.

3. Let an AI Agent do legal research

  1. AI Agent node.
  2. Attach Google Scholar Case Law as a tool.
  3. Ask "Find recent Supreme Court cases on qualified immunity." The agent calls the node (in Simplified mode) and returns matching cases.

Pricing

This node calls the Google Scholar Case Law API on Apify, which is billed pay-per-result, with no subscription and no minimums. Apify also includes a free monthly usage tier that covers typical volumes. See the Actor page for current rates.

Resources

License

MIT

Discussion