Research Guides: Public Records: Court Records

Find Docket Information

You may use the Court Reference directory to find any court documents that may be available online. You can also Google search for the state name and case search.

Court Reference
Helps you to identify which courts handle different types of cases in each state, and then to provide information on how to get those records. Use this is you are looking for cases that would be handled at the state level.
PACER: Public Access to Court Electronic Records
A public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information online from federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts.
more...less...
There is no registration fee. BUT, there is a fee for access to information in PACER. All registered users will be charged as follows: *If your usage does not exceed $15 in a quarter, fees are waived.*
How to Use PACER
Texas State Court Records
Information and links on how to look up Texas state court cases

Find Case Law

Case law are new or first impressions of a law. These are cases that help define how the law is interpreted, not the everyday kind of cases that happen all the time.

Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
This is the best place to start when looking for case law.
For all current SMU students, faculty & staff

Supreme Court of the United States
This site contains information on Supreme Court cases including transcripts and press releases (among many other documents). It is *very* timely as transcripts of oral arguments are posted on this Web site on the same day an argument is heard by the Court.
Use an ADVANCED SEARCH, which will allow you to search by document type.
Findlaw
Resources and links for both state and federal laws. This includes resources pertaining to constitutions, statutes, cases and more. Run a search for case summaries or select a jurisdiction to browse applicable laws.

Tips for Finding Court Records

Court System

There is a federal court system that consists of the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and Federal District Courts, and there are also state courts that include the state Supreme Court and local courts that may be city, county, or district courts.
Federal courts adjudicate federal law so cases on the constitutionality of law, trade, disputes between two states, maritime law, cases of federal crime, and bankruptcy.
State courts adjudicate state law so cases on real estate, business contracts, inheritance, most crime, and personal injury.
Immigration court cases are handled separately by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Records for this court must be requested by FOIA request.

Types of Information Available

For most cases, all you are going to find is a docket, which is a record of the proceedings of a court case. Dockets vary widely in the type of information recorded. Some jurisdictions have free online docket systems while others require subscription to a database or even visiting the court in-person. The kinds of documents included in the docket may be motions, testimony, jury instructions, rulings, and expert witnesses.
Some cases are published as case law, typically when there is a new interpretation or first impression of a law. All Supreme Court cases are published as case law. Case law is a write up of the case proceedings, decisions made, testimonies, etc.

Journalist's Guide to the Federal Courts