In most cases, the public is allowed to consult court records. However, there are some court records that the public is not allowed to see. This happens when a law or court order makes a recording confidential. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) now grants access to court records exclusively by order online or by mail or fax. NARA will no longer provide on-site litigation review services to the public at its federal archives. Keep in mind that a court record may be confidential in whole or in part, even by law or court order. In this case, no one from the public would be able to view the electronic recording in the courthouse or remotely. A user fee is charged for access to documents in PACER, and the current fee structure is available under The Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule. Fees are billed quarterly and all charges are waived if the invoice does not exceed a certain limit during a billing quarter. Send a letter to the judicial institution where the case was heard. In the letter, indicate the following: In other cases, some documents in the file are not available to the public. An example of this is a fee waiver request. The public might be able to see part of the court file, but would not be able to see that document.

Another example: if you and your spouse are divorcing, information about you and your marriage could be included in an electronic file. But the public could not see the electronic recording remotely. Members of the public who wanted to see the electronic recording had to go to the courthouse. You can see a complete list of the types of cases where the public can only see electronic records in the courthouse. See Rule 2.503 of the California Rules of Justice. If you can`t find cases when you search federal court records by file number or party name, try the PACER case locator. This creates a list of national locations and case numbers where a party is involved in federal litigation. If you cannot find the party using the PACER case locator, contact the Federal Court where you believe the case was filed for assistance. The documents of the online shop can be consulted and printed via PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov) from the electronic filing system. Alternatively, Clerk`s Office staff print electronic filing documents from the e-filing system for a fee of $0.10 per page.

Documents that are not publicly available are discussed in sealed documents and closed hearings. However, even in public court documents, some information is not available. Federal regulations require that anyone filing a Federal Court document must redact certain personal information in the interest of privacy, including social or tax identification numbers, dates of birth, names of minor children, financial account information and, in criminal matters, home addresses. Most documents submitted to federal courts are filed electronically using CM/ECF. Media and the public can view most of the submissions found in this system. Go to the courthouse where the file is located. Requests for copies must be made to the Clerk at least 30 minutes before the closure of the business office. Please note that the fees for obtaining copies of court records from NARA`s federal archives have not changed under this new policy.

This amendment applies to all closed bankruptcy, civil, criminal and appellate court files that remain in the legal custody of the courts, but are physically held in NARA`s federal archives. Most court documents are available online, but judges can seal cases in certain circumstances. Here`s an overview. See the following sections for more information about who can have full remote access to electronic records. The following sections only apply if the court is able to grant remote access. Not all courts may be able to offer remote access. Even courts that are able to provide it may not yet be able to make it available to all the people listed below. Note that a search fee may apply if it takes more than 10 minutes to search for the documents you have requested (GC§70627(c)). For cases that generate significant media and public interest, some courts have created special sections of their websites called “Cases of Interest” or “Notable Cases” where file entries, court orders and sometimes exhibits can be published.