How to Search Historical Court Records
- 1). Gather the specific information regarding all relevant civil or criminal court cases that you are aware of. The two most important pieces of information are the location of the court and the court's case number.
- 2). Locate the court's website. Most state courts and all federal courts use computer databases to maintain court records, and these records are generally searchable by case number for free on the court's website. This information will be provided in index form with the essential case information such as the names of the parties, the filing date, the type of case and the final disposition or status if it's still pending.
- 3). If the records are not available online, go to the office of the clerk of court for the court whose records you want to search. Court records maintained by the clerk are public documents and are available for review during regular courthouse hours.
- 4). Use the public computer terminals in the clerk's office to access the court records. You should be able to search by name and use limiting parameters such as date of birth, Social Security number and date range to focus your search results.
- 5). If the court records are not available online or are located in a jurisdiction that is far from where you live, hire a professional search company to perform searches. Search companies can be found in the area where the court is located.
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