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To find a district attorney case’s court records, identify the state and county where it was filed, search that court’s official docket, then contact the court clerk for any filing that is not available online. For a federal prosecution, use PACER. A district attorney prosecutes cases; the court, not the DA’s office, maintains the court docket and filed pleadings.

1. Identify the court that handled the case

Start with the state and county where the prosecution took place. If you know the case number, keep it handy; it is usually the most direct way to search. For a federal prosecution, identify the federal district if possible. A prosecutor’s or DA’s news release may provide a defendant’s name, charges, court, case number, or hearing date. Treat those details as leads and confirm them against the court’s docket.

Do not assume the DA’s office can provide every court filing. In its media guide, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office says it “generally does not release copies of court filings such as criminal complaints.” That describes the San Diego office’s practice, not a nationwide rule.

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2. Search the official court system

Federal prosecution: PACER

PACER is the federal judiciary’s online system for searching case information, dockets, and filed documents in U.S. district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. A PACER account is required to search online, according to its March 2026 informational brochure. Use PACER’s current pricing information to check applicable document-access charges and any waivers; fee details can change.

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State prosecution: the state or county court portal

For a state case, look for the state judiciary’s official case-search portal or the official site of the county court clerk that handled the case. Coverage differs by state, court, case type, and filing date.

  • Pennsylvania: The Unified Judicial System (UJS) portal provides free individual case information for appellate courts, criminal Courts of Common Pleas, and magisterial district courts. The portal supports several search fields, including participant or organization name, offense tracking number, incident or complaint number, and state ID number. Not every case type or restricted case appears, and recent entries may be delayed. Paper case records held by a magisterial district court are requested from that office.
  • Arizona: eAccess provides eligible Arizona Superior Court civil and criminal records from specified filing dates, with a different cutoff for Pima County criminal cases. Some cases and sensitive documents are excluded, and available documents have fees. Check the portal for its current coverage and charges.

Search by case number first when you have it. Otherwise, try the defendant’s name and any other identifiers the specific portal accepts. Search fields are not consistent across jurisdictions, so a name search or a particular identifier may not be available everywhere.

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3. Use the docket to identify the filing

A docket is the court’s index and history of a case. It can show the case number, court, filing dates, and entries describing documents or events. An entry that names a filing does not necessarily include a downloadable copy of it.

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When you find the case, note the exact case number, court, filing date, docket-entry label, and clerk’s office. Pennsylvania’s courts explain that the docket lists documents, but copies may need to be obtained from the county clerk or prothonotary. San Diego County’s DA guide likewise directs readers to the Superior Court for court-file access.

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4. Request a filing from the court clerk

If the docket identifies a document but does not link to it, contact the clerk for the court where it was filed. Give the clerk the case number and the filing name or date shown on the docket. Ask whether the record can be viewed online, inspected in person, or copied by mail, and whether forms, fees, redactions, or processing time apply. Follow that court’s current instructions.

Kentucky’s Court of Justice says record requests begin with the clerk of the court that heard the case. The clerk can advise whether the file remains at the court, is held in an archive, or is unavailable under retention rules; if it has been stored elsewhere, the clerk may be able to provide a locator number. Older files in other jurisdictions may also have moved to storage or been destroyed under local retention schedules.

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5. If the case does not appear in search results

A failed online search does not establish that no case exists. Search alternate spellings or names, try another identifier if the portal supports one, and consider whether an early proceeding may have a related docket at a different court level. Then contact the clerk for guidance.

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  • Online entries may lag behind recent court activity; Pennsylvania’s UJS portal warns that some recent entries may not appear immediately.
  • Some case types and restricted records are omitted from public search. Arizona eAccess, for example, excludes sealed and otherwise restricted matters or sensitive documents.
  • Older files may be archived or unavailable under the court’s retention schedule.
  • Sealed, confidential, juvenile, expunged, or otherwise restricted matters may require access through an authorized-party process, court petition, or order. Ask the clerk what procedure applies; do not try to bypass access controls.
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What a court-record search can—and cannot—tell you

A public docket lookup is not the same as a certified criminal-history check. Pennsylvania expressly directs people seeking criminal-history checks to the state police. Use the appropriate state agency or other authorized process when you need a criminal-history report rather than records for a particular court case.

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