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For public access to court records, identify whether the case is federal or state/local and search the system maintained by that judiciary. Use PACER for federal cases. For state or local matters, use the official court portal or clerk, and treat access restrictions as part of the record rather than assuming a blank online search means no case.
Federal and state court access are separate paths
The first routing decision prevents most false no-results.
Federal court
- PACER / PACER Case Locator
- District, bankruptcy and appellate cases
- Federal case number and filing court
State or local court
- State judiciary or local clerk portal
- Trial and appellate systems vary by state
- Court-specific access and confidentiality rules
Public access has several levels
A case can be public without every document being remotely available.
| Access level | What you may see | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Online index | Basic parties, case number, dates or docket summary | Open the case in the owning court system. |
| Online document | A public filing image or order | Confirm it belongs to the correct docket event. |
| Courthouse terminal / clerk | Records not exposed remotely | Use the court’s inspection or copy process. |
| Restricted / confidential | Limited or no public access | Do not infer the hidden contents. |
Turn a public court search into a verified case record
Use identifiers and docket events rather than a name match alone.
1
Identify jurisdictionFederal versus state/local determines the search system.2
Find the courtNarrow to the district, county, division or appellate court that owns the case.3
Capture the case numberUse the court-issued case number as the durable identifier.4
Read the current docketVerify filing, orders and disposition instead of reporting a stale search hit.Why public does not mean every record is open online
Court transparency operates alongside privacy and confidentiality rules.
Federal and state judiciaries publish large amounts of case information, but the systems have different coverage. PACER is federal only. State portals may expose indexes, summaries, images, or only selected case types. The appropriate clerk remains important when the public record exists but the online interface does not provide the needed document.
A correct search result should also preserve the access boundary. Sealed filings, confidential case types, redacted personal identifiers, or records available only at a courthouse should not be described as missing facts. Report what the official system actually exposes and, where necessary, direct the next step to the court that owns the file.
Related guides
Public access to court records: identify the court before the database: common questions
No. PACER is the federal judiciary system for federal court records.
Yes. Court systems can limit remote access even when inspection or clerk access is available.
Save the court and court-issued case number, then use the docket for later verification.