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The Case and Subject Index series contains Docket Sheets, arranged by civil and criminal dockets. The Sheets have been kept in numerical order (with gaps). They are not necessarily in chronological order. The Alphabetical Index Cards for the District Court provide an entry into the Docket Sheets by the name of the party first listed in the case, normally the plaintiff. Docket Sheets include a docket number assigned to the case, the names of the parties involved and their attorneys, the nature of the case and brief remarks about actions taken by the court. The Docket Number Index Cards for the Court of Appeals includes the names of the parties involved, the judges, and the citations to published opinions. This series also includes a small amount of biographical material about Kent.

The District Court Series consists of case files, arranged numerically by docket number. The case files include unbound papers filed in the proceedings, such as briefs, motions, opinions and correspondence. The Case Files relate to Habeas Corpus petitions by state prisoners and Constitutional or Statutory litigation involving such issues as refusal to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (Horace Chandler Davis v. United States, box 10), school desegregation (Berry v. Benton Harbor School District, box 3, or Bradley v. Milliken, boxes 11 and 18), unfair labor relations (Benton Harbor Malleable Industries v. United Auto Aircraft and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, box 8), or Indian treaty rights (L'Anse, Ontonagon, and Vieux Desert bands of the Chippewa Indians of Lake Superior v. Michigan Conservation Department, box 5). The majority of the Judges Case Files reflected cases based on personal injury, breach of contract, and other actions based on the diversity jurisdiction of the Federal Court, involving parties from different states. The Docket Sheets can be used to determine the types of documents filed in these cases, the lawyers and parties involved, and the length or complexity of such cases.