Jurisdictions

There are two overlapping court jurisdictions throughout the country: state and federal. Each state has its own court system organized by county. Every state also has at least one federal district court and some have as many as four, such as California and Texas.

Federal Courts

Federal district court records are readily available online through the federal PACER website. The records of every district court in the country are accessible from the site for a reasonable fee.

State Courts

State courts are organized by county and just about every county court in the country will have a website, some of which will even have a searchable database of court records.

Online Sources

There are several commercial companies that are database aggregators who compile public records information, including available court records. Companies such as GAPRS and Intelius provide a search of these records for a fee.

On-site Searches

Not all state court records are available online, even through database aggregators, and the only way to search these records will be an on-site records search at the local courthouse. You can perform such a search yourself or use a local search company who will do it for you for a fee.

Source:

U.S. Federal Courts

National Center For State Courts

PACER