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Searching Caselaw

Research criminal caselaw across multiple jurisdictions with AI assistance.

How It Works​

Second Seat determines the right approach based on your question:

  • Quick questions — "What is the standard for a Terry stop in New York?" — answered directly from legal knowledge with citations.
  • Statute lookups — "Look up PEN § 187" — retrieves the statute from the official legislative database.
  • Deep research — "Research case law on guns found during car stops" — runs a comprehensive multi-source search, analyzes cases, and writes a structured memo. See Deep Research for details.

You don't need to choose an approach — just ask your question and Second Seat routes it appropriately.

Effective Research Questions​

Issue-Based​

  • "What is the standard for a Terry stop in New York?"
  • "When can a defendant withdraw a guilty plea?"
  • "What constitutes 'depraved indifference' under NY Penal Law?"

Fact-Pattern (triggers deep research)​

  • "Research case law on guns found in bags during car stops"
  • "Find cases where identification was suppressed due to suggestive procedures"
  • "Comprehensive analysis of warrantless searches of containers in vehicles"

Statutory​

  • "Look up CPL 30.30"
  • "What does 'physical injury' mean under the assault statutes?"
  • "Look up California Penal Code § 187"

Cross-Jurisdiction​

  • "How does California handle Pitchess motions for officer records?"
  • "Compare NY and CA approaches to search incident to arrest"

Verifying Citations​

Always verify the cases cited by the AI. While Second Seat strives for accuracy:

  1. Check that the case exists
  2. Confirm the holding is accurately stated
  3. Verify the case hasn't been overruled