Welcome to my library of historic case law relating to land! The land case law books include decisions, digests, and indexes. Many cases in the collection were in public domain states. Check for state-specific case law at that state’s law page.
The Department of the Interior has a great online collection of Department of the Interior and General Land Office Decisions and Decisions of the Department of the Interior. They offer PDF downloads. I added digitized volumes from other sites to the collection for those who would like to browse a book online without downloading it. The Department of the Interior decided on more than land cases, so check the books to see what they contain.
Also see the Historic Land Statutes page!
I wrote a blog post introducing the historic land law collection.
Collection Description and Early Decisions |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| U.S. Department of the Interior Administrative Decisions and Policies. Collection description. | U.S. Department of the Interior | |
| 1860 | Decisions of the Interior Department in Public Land Cases, and Land Laws Passed by the Congress of the United States | Internet Archive |
| 1870 | Land Laws: Regulations and Decisions, v. 2 | Internet Archive |
| 1881-1994 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, vols. 1-101 | U.S. Department of the Interior |
Land Decisions (L.D.)Published Jul 1881 through Dec 1929 in Vols 1 through 52D.O.I. links below are PDF downloads |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1881-1883 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1883-1884 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 2 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1884-1885 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 3 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1885-1886 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 4 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1886-1887 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 5 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1887-1888 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 6 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1888 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 7 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1889 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 8 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1899 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 9 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive Google Books |
| 1890 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 10 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1890 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 11 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1891 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 12 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1891 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 13 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1892 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 14 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1892 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 15 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1893 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 16 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1894 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 17 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1894 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 18 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1895 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 19 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1895 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 20 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1895 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 21 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1896 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 22 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1896 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 23 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1897 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 24 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1897 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 25 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1898 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 26 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1898 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 27 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1899 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 28 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1899-1900 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 29 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1900-1901 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 30 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1901-1902 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 31 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1903-1904 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 32 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1904-1905 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 33 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
| 1905-1906 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 34 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive Google Books |
| 1906-1907 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 35 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1907-1908 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 36 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1908-1909 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 37 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1909-1910 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 38 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1910-1911 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 39 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1911-1912 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 40 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1912-1913 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 41 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1913 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 42 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1914-1915 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 43 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1915-1916 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 44 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1916-1917 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 45 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1917-1918 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 46 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1919-1921 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 47 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1921-1922 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 48 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1922-1923 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 49 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1923-1924 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 50 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1925-1926 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 51 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1927-1929 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 52 | U.S. Department of the Interior Internet Archive |
Interior Decisions (I.D.) (v. 53-101)“Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA), Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA), Interior Board of Contract Appals (IBCA), Solicitor’s Memorandum Opinions (M Opinions), 1930 to 1970, important Administrative Decisions (A Decisions)” |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1930-1932 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 53 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1932-1934 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 54 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1934-1936 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 55 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1936-1938 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 56 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1939-1942 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 57 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1942-1944 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 58 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1945-1947 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 59 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1947-1951 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 60 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1952-1954 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 61 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1955 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 62 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1956 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 63 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1957 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 64 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1958 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 65 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1959 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 66 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1960 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 67 | U.S. Department of the Interior Hathi Trust |
| 1961 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 68 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1962 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 69 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1963 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 70 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1964 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 71 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1965 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 72 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1966 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 73 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1967 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 74 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1968 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 75 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1969 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 76 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1970 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 77 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1971 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 78 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1972 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 79 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1973 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 80 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1974 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 81 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1975 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 82 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1976 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 83 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1977 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 84 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1978 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 85 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1979 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 86 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1980 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 87 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1981 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 88 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1982 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 89 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1983 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 90 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1984 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 91 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1985 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 92 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1986 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 93 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1987 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 94 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1988 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 95 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1989 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 96 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1990 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 97 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1991 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 98 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1992 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 99 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1993 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 100 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
| 1994 | Decisions of the Department of the Interior, v. 101 | U.S. Department of the Interior Google Books |
Cases and Extras |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1879 | A Collection of Leading Cases on the Public Land Laws of the United States | Internet Archive |
| 1880 | Rules of Practice in Cases Before the United States District Land Offices, the General Land Office, and the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
Digests |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1888 | A Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, July 1881 to December 1887, v. 1-5, and a portion of v. 6 | Internet Archive |
| 1891 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-10 | Google Books |
| 1897 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-22 | Google Books |
| 1902 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior and General Land Office in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-30, part 1 | Hathi Trust |
| 1905 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Appealed Pension and Bounty-Land Claims | Google Books |
| 1913 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-40, part 1 | Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1913 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-40, part 2 [Table of Cases] | Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1927 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 1-50, part 2 [Table of Cases] | Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1928 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands (Indian Matters Included), v. 41-51, part 1 | Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1962 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands (Indian Matters Included), v. 51-61, part 1 | Hathi Trust Google Books |
| 1963 | Digest of Decisions of the Department of the Interior in Cases Relating to the Public Lands, v. 51-61, part 2 [Table of Decisions] | Hathi Trust Google Books |
Index-Digest (v. 53-101) & Extras |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1943-1954 | Cumulative Index-Digest of Unpublished Decisions for the Period 1943-1954, Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1955-Dec 1959 | Quinquennial Index-Digest: Decisions and Opinions of the United States Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1955-Dec 1964 | Decennial Index-Digest, Department of the Interior, Part 1 | Google Books |
| Jan 1955-Dec 1964 | Decennial Index-Digest, Department of the Interior, Part 2 | Google Books |
| 1965-1969 | Quinquennial Index-Digest: Decisions and Opinions of the United States Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| 1965-1974 | Cumulative Index-Digest of Unpublished Decisions for the Period 1965-1974 Inclusive | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1970 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1971 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1972 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1974 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1976 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1975-Dec 1979 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1980-Dec 1984 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1981 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1985-Dec 1989 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1985 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1986 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1987 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1988 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1989 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1990 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1991 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1993 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan 1990-Dec 1994 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
| Jan-Dec 1995 | Index-Digest of the Department of the Interior | Google Books |
Chronological Index of Decisions, Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) |
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Year |
Title |
Case Law Online |
| 1970-2024 | Chronological Index of Decisions, IBLA | U.S. Department of the Interior |
