How to Search Court Records Online: Federal and State Courts

Court records are among the most important categories of public records in the United States. They document lawsuits, criminal cases, bankruptcies, divorces, restraining orders, and more. If you've ever needed to verify someone's legal history, research a business dispute, or just understand what happened in a case that made the local news, court records are where you go. But actually finding them can be surprisingly complicated, because the American court system is fragmented across federal, state, and local jurisdictions -- each with its own record-keeping system, its own website (or lack thereof), and its own rules about what's public.

I've spent years navigating these systems, and I'll walk you through how they work, what you can realistically find online, and where you'll hit walls.

The Structure of the U.S. Court System

Before you can search court records, it helps to understand how the courts are organized, because the structure determines where the records live.

The federal court system has three tiers. At the bottom are U.S. District Courts -- 94 of them across the country -- where federal trials happen. Above those sit 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals (circuit courts) that handle appeals from the district courts. At the top is the U.S. Supreme Court. There are also specialized federal courts: U.S. Bankruptcy Courts (which are technically units of the district courts), the U.S. Tax Court, and the Court of Federal Claims, among others.

State court systems vary by state, but most follow a similar pattern: trial courts at the bottom (sometimes called circuit courts, superior courts, or district courts depending on the state), intermediate appellate courts in the middle, and a state supreme court at the top. Many states also have specialized courts for probate, family law, small claims, and traffic offenses.

The key takeaway: a case filed in a federal court won't appear in a state court database, and vice versa. If you're searching for someone's court history, you might need to check both systems -- and possibly multiple state systems if they've lived in different states.

PACER: The Federal Court Records System

PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records, and it's the system used to access records from all federal courts -- district courts, bankruptcy courts, and appellate courts. Virtually every federal case filed since the mid-1990s is in PACER, and many courts have added older cases as well.

What You'll Find in PACER

PACER contains docket sheets and documents for federal cases. A docket sheet is essentially a table of contents for a case -- it lists every filing, motion, order, and judgment in chronological order. From the docket, you can usually access the actual documents: complaints, answers, motions, court orders, jury instructions, sentencing memoranda, and more.

For a typical federal civil lawsuit, you might find hundreds of docket entries spanning years. For a criminal case, the docket will show the indictment, plea agreements, trial proceedings, sentencing, and any appeals.

How to Use PACER

To use PACER, you need to create an account at pacer.uscourts.gov. Registration is free. PACER charges $0.10 per page for documents you access, with a cap of $3.00 per document. If your quarterly usage is under $30, the fees are waived entirely -- which is generous enough for most casual users. You can search by party name, case number, date range, or type of case.

The search interface is functional but dated. You'll typically start at the PACER Case Locator, which searches across all federal courts at once, or you can go directly to the CM/ECF (Case Management / Electronic Case Files) system for a specific court.

One important note: PACER's search finds cases based on the parties and attorneys involved. If you search for "John Smith," you'll get every federal case nationwide where a John Smith was a party. Common names produce a lot of results, so filtering by court, state, or date range is essential.

Free Alternatives to PACER

PACER's per-page fees have long been controversial -- these are public records, after all. A few free alternatives exist. RECAP, run by the Free Law Project, is a browser extension and online archive that stores PACER documents uploaded by other users. If someone else already accessed a document, you can get it for free through RECAP at courtlistener.com. The coverage isn't complete, but it's substantial for high-profile cases.

Many bankruptcy courts offer free access to basic case information through their individual websites. And opinions from federal appellate courts are typically available for free on the courts' own websites or through legal research databases.

State Court Records

State court records are where the majority of legal cases live. About 95% of all court cases in the United States are filed in state courts, not federal courts. This includes most criminal cases, divorces, child custody disputes, evictions, personal injury lawsuits, contract disputes, probate matters, and small claims cases.

The Patchwork Problem

There is no national database for state court records. Each state manages its own system, and the quality of online access varies enormously. Some states have made impressive progress in digitizing and centralizing their records. Others are still in the early stages.

States with relatively good statewide online access include:

• New York -- the eCourts system provides case information for courts across the state, though document access is limited in some courts
• Florida -- most county clerks offer online case searches, and the state maintains a portal linking to county systems
• Texas -- has multiple systems depending on the court level, but most records are searchable online
• Virginia -- offers a statewide case information system for circuit and district courts
• Wisconsin -- CCAP (Consolidated Court Automation Programs) provides excellent statewide online access

In other states, you may need to visit individual county court websites or even contact the clerk of court directly. Some rural counties still don't have their records online at all.

What State Court Records Contain

A typical state court case record includes the names of the parties, the type of case (civil, criminal, family, etc.), the filing date, the assigned judge, a list of filings and hearings, and the disposition (how the case ended). Whether you can access the actual documents online -- rather than just the docket summary -- depends on the court.

Criminal case records in state courts usually include the charges filed, the plea entered, trial dates, the verdict, and the sentence. They may also include information about probation, restitution, and compliance with court orders.

Types of Court Records

Civil Records

Civil court records document non-criminal disputes between parties. These include contract disputes, personal injury claims, property disputes, landlord-tenant cases, debt collection lawsuits, and more. Civil cases are generally public, though some documents within a case may be sealed -- particularly those involving trade secrets, medical records, or minor children.

One thing people don't always realize: being named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Anyone can file a lawsuit against anyone for almost any reason. Cases get dismissed, settled, or decided in the defendant's favor all the time. The existence of a civil case on someone's record tells you something happened, but not necessarily who was right.

Criminal Records

Criminal court records document prosecutions by the government against individuals or entities accused of crimes. These range from misdemeanors (like petty theft or DUI) to serious felonies. Criminal records are generally public, including the charges, plea, verdict, and sentence.

However, some criminal records can be expunged or sealed by court order. Expungement effectively erases the record -- it's treated as though the case never existed. Sealing keeps the record but restricts who can access it. The availability of expungement varies significantly by state and by the type of offense. Many states have expanded expungement eligibility in recent years, particularly for marijuana-related offenses and non-violent crimes.

Bankruptcy Records

Bankruptcy cases are filed in federal bankruptcy court, so they're all in PACER. There are several types: Chapter 7 (liquidation), Chapter 13 (individual repayment plan), Chapter 11 (business reorganization), and Chapter 12 (family farmer or fisherman). Bankruptcy records include the petition, schedules of assets and debts, the trustee's reports, and the discharge order.

Bankruptcy records are fully public. They show detailed financial information -- every asset, every debt, every creditor. This is by design: creditors need access to this information to participate in the process. But it also means that anyone can look up anyone else's bankruptcy filing and see a comprehensive snapshot of their financial situation at the time of filing.

Family Court Records

Family court records -- divorces, child custody, adoption, and guardianship cases -- are typically more restricted than other court records. Most states limit public access to family court documents to protect the privacy of children and families. You can usually find the basic case information (parties, filing date, case type, disposition) but not the detailed filings.

Adoption records are almost always sealed. Juvenile court records are also sealed in most jurisdictions. These are among the few categories of court records where the default is confidentiality rather than openness.

Access Restrictions and Sealed Records

While the general principle in American law is that court records are public, there are important exceptions.

Sealed cases are cases where the court has ordered that the records be kept confidential. This can happen in cases involving national security, trade secrets, ongoing investigations, or the safety of witnesses or victims. In some jurisdictions, grand jury proceedings are automatically sealed. Sealing is supposed to be the exception, not the rule, and courts generally require a specific justification.

Redacted information is another layer of restriction. Federal courts have rules requiring parties to redact Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth (showing only the year), and the names of minor children from public filings. State courts have similar rules, though the specifics vary.

Protective orders can restrict access to specific documents within an otherwise public case. This is common in business litigation where discovery produces confidential commercial information. The case docket is public, but certain filings are accessible only to the parties.

How Court Records Appear in Background Checks

If you've ever had a background check run on you -- for employment, housing, or something else -- court records were almost certainly part of what was searched. Background check companies pull data from court systems at the federal, state, and county level to compile criminal history reports and civil litigation histories.

There are a few things to understand about this process:

• Coverage gaps exist. No background check company has access to every court in the country. Most rely on a combination of database searches (which can be incomplete or outdated) and direct courthouse searches (which are more thorough but more expensive). If you've lived in multiple states, a single-jurisdiction search might miss records from other places you've lived.
• Accuracy is imperfect. Court records are matched to individuals by name and date of birth, which means common-name matches can produce false positives. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumer reporting agencies are required to take reasonable steps to ensure accuracy, and you have the right to dispute errors.
• Time limits apply. The FCRA generally prohibits reporting criminal arrests (not convictions) older than seven years for employment purposes. Some states have additional restrictions. Convictions, however, can typically be reported indefinitely, unless they've been expunged or sealed.
• Context matters. A dismissed case, an acquittal, and a conviction are very different outcomes, but they all show up in the same court records. Good background check practices involve looking at dispositions, not just charges.

Tips for Searching Court Records Effectively

Based on years of experience, here are some practical tips:

Start broad, then narrow. If you're searching for someone's court history, begin with statewide searches in every state where they've lived. Then drill down to specific counties or courts if you find something relevant.

Try name variations. People go by different names -- middle names, maiden names, nicknames, name changes after marriage or divorce. Court records use the name as it appeared on the filing, which may not match what you're searching for. Try multiple variations.

Check both federal and state. A person could have a federal tax fraud case and a state-level DUI. These are in completely different systems. Don't assume that searching one system gives you the complete picture.

Look at the disposition. The most important part of a court record is how it ended. Was the case dismissed? Was there a jury verdict? A settlement? An acquittal? The outcome matters far more than the fact that a case was filed.

Understand what you're reading. Legal documents use specialized language. If you're not sure what a filing means, consider consulting with an attorney or using a legal dictionary. Misinterpreting a court record can lead to unfair conclusions about someone.

Using Court Records Responsibly

Court records serve a vital democratic function. They ensure that the justice system operates transparently and that the public can hold courts accountable. But like all public records, they come with a responsibility to use them fairly.

A court record is a snapshot of a legal proceeding, not a complete story. People get sued for things they didn't do. Criminal charges get dropped. Bankruptcies happen because of medical bills or job loss, not irresponsibility. Before drawing conclusions from a court record, make sure you understand the full context.

At OpenDataUSA, we include court record information as part of our comprehensive public records search, and we're committed to presenting it accurately and in context. If you want to search for publicly available records, including court records, you can start a free search here. For more guides on understanding public data, visit our blog.