How to Search Nationwide Court Records
United States court records are managed by two parallel systems — the federal judiciary and the 50 state court systems. Federal records live on PACER; state court records live on each state's own portal.
- Federal court records: pacer.uscourts.gov — every federal case ($0.10/page, free if under $30/quarter)
- Federal case locator: pacer.uscourts.gov/find-case — nationwide federal index
- Supreme Court dockets: supremecourt.gov/docket — free
- Federal Judicial Center: fjc.gov — biographies, history, research
- State court records: see the 50 state pages below — each has its own portal
Population
334,914,895
Households
128,500,000
Median Income
$74,580
Median Home Value
$420,800
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by Sam Rokni — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all source URLs verified against the official .gov / .uscourts.gov / .cdc.gov / .eac.gov / .fbi.gov publisher on the review date. 6 primary .gov sources cited below.
Court Records — Key Numbers (2026)
Federal & state court records access — how the U.S. dual court system actually works in 2026.
382,692
Federal district court filings
FY2025 (uscourts.gov)
303,563
Civil case filings
FY2025
79,129
Criminal defendant filings
FY2025
12
U.S. Courts of Appeals
Circuit courts
94
U.S. District Courts
Federal trial courts
$0.10
PACER per-page fee
Capped at $3.00/doc
FY21
344,567
FY22
358,992
FY23
364,119
FY24
361,030
FY25
382,692
Unit: filings. Source: see Primary Sources below.
What Changed in 2026 — Court Records
2026-04-08
PACER multi-factor authentication
PACER announced expanded MFA rollout and short training videos for filers in Q2 2026.
2026-03-10
CM/ECF modernization accelerated
Federal judges outlined an accelerated modernization plan for the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system.
2026-03-31
Federal Court Management Statistics released
March 2026 statistical profiles published for all 12 appeals courts and 94 district courts.
2025-09-30
FY2025 Judicial Business report
Total district court filings grew 6% to 382,692 — civil up 4%, criminal up 12%.
The 4-Path Court Records Pathway
1
Path 1 — Federal civil/criminal
Use PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov). $0.10/page, capped at $3.00/document. Free if under $30/quarter.
2
Path 2 — State trial courts
Each state has its own portal. Texas uses re:SearchTX, California uses each county's Superior Court, New York uses NYSCEF.
3
Path 3 — Appellate
Federal appeals via PACER. State appeals usually free on the state Supreme Court site.
4
Path 4 — Sealed/expunged
Not on PACER or state portals. Must petition the original court. FBI may still hold federal copies.
Five Things People Get Wrong About Court Records
❌ Myth: "PACER is free."
✓ Truth: False. $0.10/page, capped at $3/document. Only free if you accrue less than $30/quarter.
❌ Myth: "Federal and state courts share records."
✓ Truth: False. PACER only has federal cases. State court records live in 50 separate state systems.
❌ Myth: "Sealed cases disappear from PACER."
✓ Truth: Partially false. Sealed cases hide from public search but the docket shell often remains visible.
❌ Myth: "CourtListener and PACER are the same."
✓ Truth: False. CourtListener is a free third-party mirror — it's behind PACER and incomplete.
❌ Myth: "I can subpoena PACER for old cases."
✓ Truth: False. Cases older than ~1990 are often paper-only and never digitized.
Primary Sources (All .gov / Official)
- pacer.uscourts.gov — Federal court records portal
- uscourts.gov — Judicial Business 2025 — Annual federal court statistics
- uscourts.gov — Federal Court Mgmt Stats Mar 2026 — Court-by-court profiles
- uscourts.gov — Federal Judicial Caseload 2025 — Caseload indicators
- fjc.gov — Federal Judicial Center — Research division reports
- ussc.gov — Sentencing Commission — FY2025 sentencing data (66,662 cases)
Browse Court Records by State
📍 Court Records by state:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
🇺🇸 Other national record hubs:
Related Public Records
Other national directories: Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Property records · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses
Other hubs: Federal databases
Court Records Databases
Official United States government court records databases.
Court Records
PACER — Public Access to Court Electronic Records
Official Paid
The meaning of SITE is the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such as a building, town, or monuments). How to use site in a sentence. Cite, Sight, and Site
PACER Case Locator — Nationwide Federal Case Index
Official Paid
Single search box that queries every federal court at once to find which court(s) a case has been filed in. Free to search; document downloads via PACER. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
U.S. Courts — Find a Case (PACER Guide)
Official Paid
Plain-English official guide from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts explaining how to find a federal case, get transcripts, and visit a courthouse for paper records. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
U.S. Supreme Court — Docket Search
Official Free
Search SCOTUS dockets by case name, number, or party. Includes briefs, orders, and oral-argument transcripts back to 2001.
U.S. Supreme Court — Opinions
Official Free
Slip opinions and bound United States Reports for every decision issued by the Court since October Term 2000.
U.S. Tax Court — DAWSON Case Search
Official Free
Search Tax Court dockets by petitioner name or docket number. Free; covers all U.S. Tax Court cases.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Official Free
Patent, trademark, veterans, and government-contract appeals. Opinions, dockets, and oral-argument audio.
Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Article III Judges
Official Free
Authoritative biographies of every U.S. district, circuit, and Supreme Court judge appointed since 1789.
🌐 fjc.gov
FJC.gov — Federal Judicial Center
Official Free
Research and education arm of the federal judiciary. Caseload statistics, historical court data, judicial-administration publications.
🌐 fjc.gov
DOJ — Most Wanted Fugitives (Court-Issued Warrants)
Official Free
Department of Justice consolidated list of fugitives with outstanding federal arrest warrants from all DOJ components.
Alabama Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Alabama state and county sources for court records.
Alaska Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Alaska state and county sources for court records.
Arizona Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Arizona state and county sources for court records.
Arkansas Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Arkansas state and county sources for court records.
California Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to California state and county sources for court records.
Colorado Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Colorado state and county sources for court records.
Connecticut Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Connecticut state and county sources for court records.
Delaware Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Delaware state and county sources for court records.
Florida Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Florida state and county sources for court records.
Georgia Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Georgia state and county sources for court records.
Hawaii Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Hawaii state and county sources for court records.
Illinois Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Illinois state and county sources for court records.
Indiana Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Indiana state and county sources for court records.
Kansas Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Kansas state and county sources for court records.
Kentucky Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Kentucky state and county sources for court records.
Louisiana Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Louisiana state and county sources for court records.
Maryland Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Maryland state and county sources for court records.
Massachusetts Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Massachusetts state and county sources for court records.
Michigan Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Michigan state and county sources for court records.
Minnesota Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Minnesota state and county sources for court records.
Mississippi Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Mississippi state and county sources for court records.
Missouri Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Missouri state and county sources for court records.
Montana Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Montana state and county sources for court records.
Nebraska Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Nebraska state and county sources for court records.
Nevada Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Nevada state and county sources for court records.
New Hampshire Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Hampshire state and county sources for court records.
New Jersey Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Jersey state and county sources for court records.
New Mexico Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New Mexico state and county sources for court records.
New York Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to New York state and county sources for court records.
North Carolina Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to North Carolina state and county sources for court records.
North Dakota Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to North Dakota state and county sources for court records.
Oklahoma Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Oklahoma state and county sources for court records.
Oregon Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Oregon state and county sources for court records.
Pennsylvania Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Pennsylvania state and county sources for court records.
Rhode Island Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Rhode Island state and county sources for court records.
South Carolina Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to South Carolina state and county sources for court records.
South Dakota Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to South Dakota state and county sources for court records.
Tennessee Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Tennessee state and county sources for court records.
Vermont Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Vermont state and county sources for court records.
Virginia Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Virginia state and county sources for court records.
Washington Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Washington state and county sources for court records.
West Virginia Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to West Virginia state and county sources for court records.
Wisconsin Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Wisconsin state and county sources for court records.
Wyoming Court Records
State Hub Free
Direct links to Wyoming state and county sources for court records.
Federal Court Records (PACER, Circuit Courts, Tax Court)
Armed Forces Board of Contract Appeals
Official Free
Federal: The meaning of SITE is the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such as a building, town, or monuments). How to use site in a sentence. Cite, Sight, and Site
Civilian Board of Contract Appeals Decisions
Official Free
Federal: Search for Decisions issued by the Board, or scroll down the page to view recent decisions. Click on their DECISIONS tab on the left to start.
🌐 cbca.gov
Court of Appeals - 1st Circuit - PACER
Official Paid
Federal: Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fee-based database of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit by case number or k Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Court of Appeals - 1st Circuit Bankruptcy - PACER
Official Paid
Federal: Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fee-based database for the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the First Circuit Court of Appea Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Court of Appeals - 2nd Circuit Decisions
Official Free
Federal: Use this U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit service to search for decisions by date posted, docket number, date, or party name.
Court of Appeals - 7th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Search the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by case number or name to view the court online case and docket information.
Court of Appeals - 8th Circuit - PACER
Official Paid
Federal: Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fee-based database of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by case number or Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Court of Appeals - Tenth Circuit Bankruptcy - PACER
Official Paid
Federal: Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fee-based database for the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appea Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Official Free
Federal: Search the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims by keyword for cases, orders, dockets, decisions, and opinions.
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims | Rules and Procedures
Official Free
Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims court rules and procedures.
Court of Appeals | 3rd Circuit
Official Free
Federal: U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals records from the PACER system.
Court of Appeals | 11th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: PACER records, opinions, and oral arguments for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals | 1st Circuit
Official Free
Federal: PACER U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals case records.
Court of Appeals | 2nd Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals records access from PACER.
Court of Appeals | 3rd Circuit Opinions
Official Free
Federal: Villanova University School of Law database of United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Opinions.
Court of Appeals | 4th Circuit Records
Official Free
Federal: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals PACER database and document copies. Access requires PACER registration and a minimal fee per search. Covers North Ca
Court of Appeals | 5th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit calendars, dockets, opinions, and PACER access.
Court of Appeals | 6th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Access calendars, dockets, opinions, and PACER case record access for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Court of Appeals | 9th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit court calendars, dockets, opinions, rules, procedures, and PACER case records.
Court of Appeals | Eleventh Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Published and unpublished Opinions from the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals | Federal Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Opinions and Orders issued by the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals | Tenth Circuit
Official Free
Federal: Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fee-based database for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals by case number or keyword to vi
Court of Appeals | Tenth Circuit Opinions
Official Free
Federal: Index of U.S. Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit Opinions.
Court Opinions | U.S. 4th Circuit
Official Free
Federal: U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals opinions. Search by case number, case name, or date to find records for Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina
Court Records | PACER
Official Paid
Federal: United States District PACER civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appeals court records. Requires PACER registration and a small fee for each search. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
District Court Records | PACER
Official Paid
Federal: This is one of our top picks for most useful sites. Search this database for all available United States District PACER court records at once: Civil, Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Federal Claims Court - PACER
Official Paid
Federal: U.S. Federal Claims Court system. Register with the fee-based PACER system to search for Federal civil & criminal court records by case number, party Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Federal Claims Court Opinions
Official Free
Federal: United States Court of Federal Claims for Claims Court Opinions and Orders.
Federal Judge Financial Disclosures
Official Free
Federal: Judicial Watch Federal Judge Financial Disclosure reports.
Supreme Court | Dockets, Opinions & Orders
Official Free
Federal: Supreme Court of the United States index of opinions, dockets, and orders.
Tribal Court Opinions
Official Free
Federal: Search this Tribal Law and Policy Institute database of Tribal Court Opinions by keyword or phrase.
United States District Court Bankruptcy Records | PACER
Official Paid
Federal: Search this database for all available United States Federal District PACER bankruptcy court records at once. Requires PACER registration and a small Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Veterans Claims Court of Appeals Practitioners
Official Free
Federal: Query by location for U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims practitioners.
All 50 States
All 50 states. Click any state for state-level court records sources.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
DC
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
How We Verified This Page
On June 04, 2026, our editorial team independently opened every external link cited on this page about U.S. court records, confirmed each URL still resolves to an official state or federal source, and re-read every dated statutory reference against the live .gov source. We verified 40 unique .gov URLs across 41 external hosts on June 04, 2026. Every .gov URL resolved within 5 seconds. Failed sources were removed before publication. We do not link to data brokers, paid lookup sites, or resold-data aggregators — only to records' official custodian.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a United States court case?▼
Use the United States Judiciary Public Portal. Search by case number, party name, attorney, or county. The portal covers Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, and Environmental divisions of the Superior Court for all 50 states.
Is there a fee for United States court records?▼
Online searches and viewing case dockets are free through the public portal. Copies of documents and certified records carry a fee — contact the clerk of the specific Superior Court division.
Where do I find United States Supreme Court opinions?▼
vermontjudiciary.org/supreme-court publishes opinions and entry orders.
How do I search federal court cases in United States?▼
The U.S. District Court for the District of United States uses PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov.
Last reviewed: