Headnote
An editor-written summary at the start of a reported decision outlining the facts, issues, and holding; useful for research but not part of the law.
A headnote is a summary placed at the beginning of a reported court decision by an editor or publisher. It typically sets out the key facts, the legal issues, the court's holding, and the main authorities considered, along with subject classifications that help with indexing.
Headnotes are valuable research shortcuts: they let you quickly assess whether a case is relevant before reading the full reasons. But they are written by editors, not judges, and form no part of the decision itself. Courts and citation guides caution against quoting or relying on a headnote as authority; always verify any proposition against the actual reasons for judgment and cite a pinpoint paragraph from the decision, not the headnote.