I thought all applelate court decisions were published. No?
"I thought all applelate court decisions were published. No?"
I don't do appellate work, but I don't think so. I could be wrong.
No. Not all are published, but all are written. Google ...
appellate court unpublished opinions
... and you'll get a number of examples, e.g., http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/opinions/
The substantive difference is that unpublished opinions aren't persuasive in future legal cases, and should not be cited as providing or applying a certain point of law. That may change in the future
Judicial Conference Supports Citing Unpublished OpinionsI suspect, but don't know for a fact, that some opinions are unpublished due to state secrecy.
Tony Mauro | Legal Times | 09-21-2005The policy-making body of the federal judiciary on Tuesday endorsed a sweeping rule change that will allow lawyers to cite unpublished opinions in federal appeals courts nationwide beginning in 2007.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1127207112718