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To find a federal civil rights lawsuit, search for the case in PACER’s nationwide Case Locator if you do not know which court handled it. Then open the court’s docket and retrieve the underlying filings. Verify a document by matching its court, case number, docket entry and filing date to the official docket. Use FOIA for records held by federal agencies—not to obtain court filings.
1. Find the case before looking for individual filings
Search nationwide if you do not know the court
Use the PACER Case Locator to search federal cases nationwide by party name or case number. It can return the court and case number, among other case information. The locator is generally refreshed nightly, and new cases typically appear within 24 hours; that timing is not guaranteed for every case. The federal judiciary also says you can locate a case through PACER or by visiting the clerk’s office of the courthouse where it was filed.
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Search a known court directly
If you know the district or circuit, you can search the relevant court’s records instead. When results appear, compare the parties, jurisdiction, case type and dates to make sure you have the lawsuit you mean. Names may be incomplete or shared by multiple people, so try known name variants and narrow the search with any court, date range or case number you have. A search result is a lead, not proof that it is the correct case.
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If PACER’s locator does not find the party, it advises contacting the court you believe handled the case. The locator’s typical update schedule also means that a very recent case may not appear immediately.
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2. Use the docket to locate the filing
Understand the difference between a docket and a case file
A docket is an index of activity in a case; the case file includes the docket sheet and documents filed in the case. Read a docket entry to identify a filing, then open the underlying document when it is available. The description on the docket is not a substitute for the document itself.
Prioritize filings that answer your question
Depending on the case and its stage, useful documents may include:
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- Simple, complete recording of notarial acts complaint in all states
- 522 entries
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- The complaint, which sets out the plaintiff’s allegations.
- An answer or other response from the defendant.
- Substantive motions and supporting briefs.
- Court orders, opinions and judgments.
- Relevant filings in an appeal.
These documents do not all have the same significance. A complaint contains allegations, not findings by the court. A party’s motion argues for a particular result; it is not itself a ruling. Check who filed a document and what kind of document it is before describing what it establishes.
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3. Verify a document against the official docket
For a document found in a news story, archive or third-party database, compare it with the official court docket where possible. Check these details together:
- Court: Does the court name match the case?
- Case caption or number: Do the parties and full case number match the official record?
- Docket entry: Is the document associated with the entry claimed for it?
- Filing date: Does the date match the docket?
- Document type and contents: Is it the actual filed document, rather than a description or proposed order?
In particular, distinguish a judge’s order from a party’s proposed order. A docket entry and its linked filing should be read together: the entry helps identify the item, while the filing shows what it actually says.
4. Choose the right route for the record
| What you need | Where to look | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| A federal court filing | PACER, the relevant court’s CM/ECF access, or the courthouse clerk’s office | The official court access route, subject to public-access restrictions. |
| A free copy already collected | RECAP | An archive of contributed or collected copies. Coverage is not complete; verify a copy against the official docket. |
| A record held by a federal agency | The FOIA process at the federal component that holds it | Direct the request to the agency component involved. Disclosure is subject to FOIA’s exemptions. |
| A state or local government record | The state or local government entity that maintains it | Federal FOIA is not the route to records held by state or local governments. |
| Older or unavailable online court material | The relevant court clerk’s office | Ask what access, archive or retrieval process applies to the specific record. |
Use FOIA for agency records, not court filings
A federal agency may hold records about litigation, but those are agency records, not court records simply because they concern a lawsuit. DOJ advises requesters to identify the agency component involved in the litigation. FOIA does not guarantee disclosure: agencies may withhold or redact material under its nine statutory exemptions. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division reading room describes those exemption categories.
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Check PACER’s current charges
As of the fee guidance accessed October 3, 2026, PACER charges $0.10 per page, with a $3 cap for each document and case-specific report. The cap does not apply to every type of search or transcript. Quarterly charges of $30 or less are waived, and search results—including searches with no matches—can incur fees. Narrow search terms and date ranges can help avoid unnecessary searches. Check PACER’s fee information before searching because charges may change.
Do not treat an absent document as proof it never existed
PACER does not provide public access to sealed documents, and public records may omit specified personal identifiers. Its guidance also lists some older bankruptcy and criminal filings, as well as social security and immigration case documents, as categories that may not be available through the service. A missing online copy may be sealed, restricted, outside the database’s coverage or not yet indexed. Ask the clerk about access options when a specific item is unavailable.
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- Total of 219 Entries
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- Each record is sequentially ordered for ease of future reference
PACER describes its service as providing access to more than 1 billion documents; the service page does not state a publication year for that figure. It is a scale claim, not a promise that every document in a case is accessible to the public.
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