Reviews and annotates a legal opinion, returns key takeaways, holdings, details, excerpts, and tells you how you can use this case in your response. REQUIRED before citing a case.
This tool returns what the case ACTUALLY supports (not necessarily what you asked about). Use this to: 1. Find out what propositions this case actually supports 2. Extract verified quotes 3. Understand the scope/limitations of each proposition 4. Know what the case does NOT address (to avoid misattribution)
DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION (provide exactly ONE — omit the others):
- opinionId: Midpage document ID from search results (e.g., "7228818", "c4efd75e-22e7-471f-8bda-95e10a13e588"). OMIT this field if you don't have a Midpage ID.
- reporterCitation: Bluebook citation (e.g., "556 U.S. 662", "123 F.3d 456") — NOT WL/LEXIS
- docket: For cases without reporter citations:
- courtAbbreviation: e.g., "S.D.N.Y.", "9th Cir."
- docketNumber: e.g., "12-cv-20100" (omit "No." prefix)
HOW TO CHOOSE: 1. If you have an opinionId from search results, use ONLY opinionId (fastest) 2. If you have a reporter citation like "556 U.S. 662", use ONLY reporterCitation (omit opinionId) 3. If you only have a docket number (e.g., "No. 20-16900 (9th Cir.)"), use ONLY docket tuple 4. NEVER use WL or LEXIS citations — use docket tuple instead 5. NEVER pass "0" or placeholder values — omit fields you don't have
INPUT:
- question: The legal question you want answered. Be specific about the legal element.
RETURNS:
- citation: Exact bluebook citation string for the case
- url: General Midpage link for the case as a whole
- supportedPropositions: Array of propositions this case supports, each with:
- proposition: Cite-ready statement of what the case holds (USE THIS TEXT when citing)
- quote: Verbatim quote supporting the proposition
- scope: Limitations, conditions, what it does NOT apply to
- centrality: "core_holding" (strongest), "supporting_analysis" (strong), "secondary_matter" (medium), or "background" (weakest)
- opinionSection (optional): the non-majority opinion that this proposition comes from (e.g., "Jackson, Concurring", "Smith, Dissenting").
- deeplinkURL: Shareable Midpage deep link that auto-scrolls to that sentence range
- doesNotAddress: Topics from your question the case does NOT address. CHECK THIS BEFORE CITING.
- summary: Brief summary of what the case is actually about
- disposition: Short procedural outcome phrase describing what this court did in this opinion, when available
- jurisdiction: Court and jurisdiction
- treatment: Citator status and citation count
HOW TO USE THE OUTPUT: 1. Check doesNotAddress first - if your intended use is listed, DO NOT cite this case for that purpose 2. Find a supported proposition that matches your intended use 3. Use the proposition text (or close paraphrase) when citing - it's verified to match the quote 4. Include scope limitations when relevant (especially qualifiers) 5. Prefer "core_holding" and "supporting_analysis" over "secondary_matter" or "background" for stronger authority 6. Never characterize non-majority propositions as the court's controlling holding; clearly signal when they come from concurrence/dissent text 7. If a proposition is from any non-majority opinion, it must include opinionSection (e.g., "Jackson, Concurring") 8. When citing a specific supported proposition or quote, prefer that proposition's deeplinkURL over the top-level url 9. Use the top-level url only when referring to the case generally rather than a specific proposition or quote
EXAMPLE: If you ask "Is expert testimony required to prove truth as a defense to a defamation claim?" and the case mentions that an expert testified in such a case in passing:
- supportedPropositions will contain "An expert testified in order to prove truth of the matter asserted" as background
- doesNotAddress will contain "Whether expert testimony is REQUIRED" (what you asked about)
- You should NOT cite this case to say that such testimony is REQUIRED just because the testimony was provided in this one case.
WRITING RULES: 1. FAVOR paragraph-driven writing: Write like an attorney with clear topic sentences, crisp rule statements with hyperlinked citations, and thoughtful analysis. 2. FAVOR direct, concise answers: Keep answers short. Answer the question asked, not an expanded version. 3. FAVOR embedded-quotes in prose: Weave quotes into paragraphs (modify with brackets [] or ellipsis ... while keeping verbatim). 4. LIMIT lists and bullet points: Use sparingly or unless asked. 5. AVOID block quotes: Don't dump quotes in block format. 6. AVOID repetition/summaries. 7. AVOID emojis.
CITATION RULES:
- ALWAYS include a citation after each quoted passage
- ALWAYS mention relevant scope limitations when citing if relevant
- OFTEN add parentheticals after citations beginning with "ing" words or quotes.
CITATION FORMAT: Every citation must be a markdown hyperlink using the returned fields. When citing a specific supported proposition or quote, use: [{citation}]({deeplinkURL})
When referring to the case generally, use: [{citation}]({url})
Example proposition citation: [International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945)](https://app.midpage.ai/document/1234567?lines=10-12)
Example general case citation: [International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310 (1945)](https://app.midpage.ai/document/1234567)
- Use the exact citation string returned by the tool—never abbreviate or modify
- NEVER use short cites (id., supra)—always full citation with link
- Prefer deeplinkURL whenever the citation is tied to a specific supported proposition or quote
- NEVER invent reporter pin cites. If you want a Midpage line-specific link, use the returned deeplinkURL
- NEVER cite to LEXIS or WL citations; always cite to the exact bluebook citation provided (which may be a docket-number citation in liue of a reporter for unpublished cases)
- Include a citation after every legal proposition or quote
