California Court Docket Search
The provisions of the California code of civil procedure allow members of the public to view or obtain court case information, and a California court docket search is a means to access these records.
Dockets typically hold information about legal proceedings in any California jurisdiction - including all documents filed with the court in a matter, orders, and judgments. By conducting a docket search, inquirers can obtain case numbers, filing, and hearing dates, personal information of parties involved in legal disputes, trial results, and other important information related to cases processed through the California court system.
California dockets are maintained at state and county levels by the respective custodians responsible for maintaining California court records. However, any information exempt from public disclosure will likely be excluded from public access and only available to persons with a judicial order.
What is a Court Docket in California?
A court docket is a formal document containing chronological entries summarizing a court case's history and proceedings. When a case is filed in a California court, the case is given a docket number, also known as a case number. This number is among the details about cases the court uses to differentiate cases from each other. It is also used by the court to identify a case as it goes through the court system. The case title, docket number, date, description, and notes of events are some fundamental details concerning a court case that may be found in its court docket. In California, the clerk of the courthouse where a court case was filed is responsible for maintaining the case's court docket.
Are Court Dockets Public Records in California?
Court dockets are part of a case's court records, and court records in California are generally accessible to the public under the California Public Records Act. However, state legislation or a court order may restrict access to some case records, including court dockets. For example, "juvenile dependency" (when a child is separated from their parents) and "juvenile delinquency" (when a child is charged with a crime) cases are considered confidential. Access to such cases' records and court dockets is unavailable to the general public.
Regardless of a case's confidentiality status, certain persons may be allowed access to its court docket and records. An example of such persons includes and is not limited to a party in the case.
Where to Find a Court Docket in California
In California, court dockets are typically maintained as part of a case's court records by the clerk of the courthouse that heard the case. Thus, parties who want to lookup court dockets in the state are generally advised to begin their search at the clerk's office of the courthouse that heard the case. Depending on the services offered by the court, record seekers may need to contact the court or query the court clerk's office in person for the desired court docket.
Out-of-state record seekers who cannot visit a courthouse in person can opt to use online search portals provided by some California courts to find court dockets.
How to Conduct a California Court Docket Search
There are various ways interested parties can search for a California court docket depending on the services a court or administrative office offers. In most cases, record seekers can request a court docket search in person by visiting a court clerk's office. In order for the clerk or administrative office to correctly identify the intended docket, record seekers are usually asked to supply information about the case. These details include and are not limited to the docket number (case number), the case's title (i.e. "People v. Cavalier"), or the name of the parties involved in the case.
Some California courts may also maintain electronic records of court dockets in their custody pursuant to CRC 2.503. In such cases, the court may provide public terminals in their courthouse that record seekers can use to search and view court dockets.
Additionally, California appellate courts may provide online search portals for remote access to the appellate court dockets they maintain. For example, record seekers can conduct a court docket search for California supreme court and court of appeals cases using the Appellate Courts Case Information System. An inquirer would need to supply one of the following details regarding the case they are looking into to conduct a search on the system:
- The case's supreme court, the court of appeal, or trial court case number
- The last name of any party or the name of an organization involved in the case
- The last name of an attorney or the name of a law firm involved in the case
- The caption of the case (i.e., "Smith v. Jones")
Furthermore, similar to the online portal provided by California Supreme Court and Appellate Courts, most Superior Courts also provide online portals inquirers can use to conduct a court docket search. These search portals can be found on the official websites of these courts and are usually labeled as "case record search" portal. Most Superior Court case search portals would require a record seeker to register an account or login to use the search portal. Example of some Superior Court search portal includes; the Alameda Superior Court domain web and the Amador Superior Court case search portal. Interested persons can find the websites of California Superior Courts by visiting the California courts find court directory.
Using Third-Party Sites for a California Court Docket Search
Certain private aggregate websites also disseminate court dockets, e.g., for cases of public interest. When using third-party sites for a California court docket search, care should be taken to verify case information or documents obtained against the official dockets maintained by the applicable court clerk's office (where the case was filed). This way, a researcher can guarantee the accuracy and completeness of case information retrieved from third-party sites.
What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in California
In California, courthouses use court dockets to track different events and occurrences in a court case. A court docket also provides a detailed timeline, descriptions, and notes of different aspects of a court case, such as court hearings, filings, and judgment.
In addition to being used as a case management and tracking tool, court dockets also serve as informative tools. Interested persons (such as litigants, attorneys, and the general public) can inspect a court docket to identify court filings in a case, such as pleadings, motions, and briefs. A court docket also provides the date each court filing was filed.
What Do Court Dockets Contain in California?
Details about a court case that are typically included in the case's court docket in California include and are not limited to the following:
- The case information
- The case's participants, their legal representative, and the case judge's information
- The case's current status
- Details of documents filed in the case
- Timeline of occurrences and filing in the case.
The case information includes basic information about the case, such as the case number, title, category, type, and age, amongst other pertinent information. These details are generally used to identify cases.
A case's participants' information on the court docket includes their full name, role in the case (either plaintiff, intervenor, or defendant), and legal representative information. These include the attorney or firm's full name, address, and phone number. As the name implies, a case's current status shows if the court case is still open, active, closed, or reopened due to a violation.
Generally, several documents are filed by the defendant(s) and plaintiff(s) during a case's court proceedings. The details of these documents are usually provided on the case docket. These documents provide different information about the court case. Examples of these documents include and are not limited to complaints, briefs, motions, interrogatories and responses, transcripts, court orders, opinions and verdicts.
A case's timeline of occurrences and filings is typically provided in the register of actions section of the court case's docket. This is typically provided in tabulated form and shows the entry date and description of different aspects of the court case; such as when litigants requested certain records.
What is a Court Docket Number in California?
A court docket number is a series of identifying characters a court assigns to a case filed within their court system. The court keeps track of court proceedings for cases using each case's docket numbers. These characters typically contain numbers, letters, and unique characters (like "-"). In general, each type of court in California has a distinct system for allocating docket numbers to cases. Some of which may include some or the combination of the following:
- The case's filing date, in two to four-digit format
- Alphabetical or numerical representation of the court where the case was filed
- An abbreviation of the type of case (.i.e CV, CR, and BR stand for civil, criminal, and bankruptcy, respectively)
- A random sequence of number
Interested persons can inquire through a court clerk's office or website to learn about how the court assigns docket numbers to cases. For instance, the California Appellate Courts website lists each district court docket number (case number) prefixes. Thus, by reviewing the website's list, inquirers can determine that a case with the docket number A12345 is a first district Court of Appeals case. The prefixes for California court of appeals cases typically range from A to G. Meanwhile, the docket report prefix S is typically used for California Supreme Court cases.
Similarly, each county superior court in California has its unique way of assigning docket numbers to court cases. For instance, inquirers can consult the LA County Superior Court's case number prefix matrix to determine what the numbers and letters in relevant court dockets mean. For instance, a case with the court docket number BD123456 indicates that it is a family case in central district B and has the sequence number 123456.
How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in California
In California, interested persons can look up a case's court docket number, also known as a case number, by querying the clerk's office of the court where the case was filed. Most California court clerk's offices accept in-person lookup requests at their courthouse physical address.
Some California courts also maintain online case index search portals on their official website pursuant to CRC 2.503, which record seekers can use to look up case numbers. For instance, record seekers can use the Santa Clara country superior court public portal to conduct a case number lookup for cases filed in the court for free. On the portal, record seekers can search for a case's number by providing the names of parties or organizations involved in the case or the filing date of the case. The Appellate Courts Case Information System can also be used to look up the supreme court and court of appeals cases' docket numbers in the state.
