> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://exa.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Legal & Public Records

> Find court opinions, patents, sanctions, government contracts, and other public records with Exa Search.

export const PlaygroundQuery = ({query, category, filters}) => {
  const PLAYGROUND = "https://dashboard.exa.ai/playground/search";
  const DEFAULT_FILTERS = {
    type: "auto",
    highlights: true
  };
  const params = [`q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`];
  if (category) params.push(`c=${encodeURIComponent(category)}`);
  params.push(`filters=${encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({
    ...DEFAULT_FILTERS,
    ...filters
  }))}`);
  const href = `${PLAYGROUND}?${params.join("&")}`;
  return <div className="playground-query not-prose">
      <code className="playground-query-text">{query}</code>
      <a className="playground-query-run" href={href} target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" title="Open in API playground" aria-label={`Open "${query}" in the API playground`}>
        {}
        <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
          <path d="M21 13v6a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h6" />
          <path d="m21 3-9 9" />
          <path d="M15 3h6v6" />
        </svg>
      </a>
    </div>;
};

Use Exa Search for primary legal sources and government records alongside the commentary written about them.

## Included

* US court opinions, with full text, court, docket, and citation metadata
* Granted US patents, with abstract, claims, description, inventors, and assignees
* Statutes, regulations, and agency guidance
* Sanctions lists and watchlists
* Government contracts and procurement records
* Census data and other public statistical records

## Use it for

* Case-law research and legal RAG
* Regulatory and policy monitoring
* Prior-art and freedom-to-operate searches
* Compliance screening and due diligence
* Public-sector market research

## Example queries

### Find case law

Describe the legal question and jurisdiction in plain language rather than a citation.

<PlaygroundQuery query="California appellate decisions on non-compete enforceability" />

### Search patents

Describe what the invention does, the way a claim would.

<PlaygroundQuery query="patents on cooling battery packs with immersion dielectric fluid" />

### Screen against sanctions

Name the list and the entity class you are screening.

<PlaygroundQuery query="OFAC sanctions listings added for shipping companies" />

### Research government spending

Name the buying agency or service category and the time window.

<PlaygroundQuery query="federal contracts awarded for cloud migration services" />

### Pull public statistics

Name the dataset and geography.

<PlaygroundQuery query="census tract population change in the Austin metro area" />

## Make a request

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from exa_py import Exa

  exa = Exa()

  results = exa.search(
      "California appellate decisions on non-compete enforceability",
      type="auto",
      num_results=10,
  )
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  import Exa from "exa-js";

  const exa = new Exa();

  const results = await exa.search(
    "California appellate decisions on non-compete enforceability",
    {
      type: "auto",
      numResults: 10,
    }
  );
  ```

  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -s -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "query": "California appellate decisions on non-compete enforceability",
      "type": "auto",
      "numResults": 10
    }'
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Get structured data with Exa Agent

For structured data that requires research across multiple sources, use an [Exa Agent task run](/docs/agent/quickstart). Describe the jurisdictions, record types, criteria, and output fields you need, and Agent returns schema-validated results with citations.

<Card title="Start an Agent task" icon="bot" href="/docs/agent/quickstart" cta="Open Agent guide" arrow="true">
  Screen an entity across record types or trace a regulatory change through primary sources and coverage.
</Card>