Accessing State Court Records

State court records are available based in part to acts of Congress promulgated in the Freedom of Information Act. The information is provided from case records that are maintained by a state court system, and the records that can be located at the state court level are based on how a particular court is set up. Some state courts are broken into upper and lower courts, and where an action is heard depends on the amount of money at issue in the case of a civil action, and who was “harmed” in the case of a criminal action. 

In some states, the state courts are the appellate courts and the courts where an action at the lower level is appealed. For instance, if a party does not like the ruling in a lower court and if there is a basis for which the action can be appealed, the case can be taken to a higher state court. Those records can be searched and are accessible to the public, regardless of the reasons you may need them.

State records may include the names of the parties involved, usually termed “plaintiff” and “defendant,” city and state where the action occurred, case number of the action, the date of birth of the parties (if that information is available), the trial date, charge, the date the action was filed, the type of action that was filed and the status of the case.

State court records will also include any suits that are filed by either individuals or corporations. These state records may include judgments for nonpayment of goods or services, suits that involve product liability and suits that involve the violation of a person’s civil rights.

The results of a state court search could also include any orders that were entered by a judge presiding over the state court action, as well as any official transcripts of any court hearings that were held. 

The amount of data that is available in state records varies depending on whether or not there is a case management system employed and if that system in that jurisdiction has evolved, if at all. Some records are not available in all areas, including landlord/tenant cases and marriage license records.

The information that is available from state records is determined by the amount and accuracy of the information that is entered by the clerk's office, whose responsibility it is to maintain the information. In some jurisdictions, information is uploaded to a case management system almost instantaneously with the entry of the pleading, while other jurisdictions experience a delay of only minutes. Any files containing information that is privileged or could be harmful to an individual if exposed to the general public will be redacted from public view.

State-Specific Court Records Information:

Arizona Court Records

Alaska Court Records

California Court Records

Florida Court Records

Georgia Court Records

Illinois Court Records

Iowa Court Records

Maryland Court Records

Minnesota Court Records

Missouri Court Records

Ohio Court Records

Oklahoma Court Records

Tennessee Court Records

Texas Court Records

Virginia Court Records

Wisconsin Court Records