Court Records in the United States

Whenever a case is filed in a United States court, a special, written account must be recorded. This record is unique to the case. Information that is contained on a court record is information such as the full names and addresses of the plaintiffs, defendants and attorneys, the statutes that were violated, the address of the court and specific court name, and of course the outcome of the case. There are many different types of court records in the United States that the public can access.

The way a court record is created and maintained may vary from court to court – even within the same jurisdiction. It can even vary between the levels of the court. There are many different kinds of court records in the United States – from state court records to criminal court records.

Court records are created for most non-criminal cases. Civil court records are created for civil action litigations that involve monetary damages. This can be civil action cases, small claims, eviction actions, court judgments and probate matters. Criminal court records are cases that deal in criminal matters, including misdemeanors, felonies, warrants, arrests and sex offender cases.

Court records contain a broad spectrum of information -- for a decision to be made and the correct judgment to be handed out, all possible information relevant to the case at hand must be present. This may mean the inclusion of: national arrest and court warrants, national federal and state tax liens, national federal and civil judgments, court docket sheets, age/date of birth of all parties involved, alias/maiden name, distinguishing body marks/scars/features, list of relatives and associates, possible neighbors, public/private associations, property ownership records, marriages/divorces, death index checks and DUI records.

Usually, access is granted to court records in the U.S. through a large online database, which allows for sharing between jurisdictions.