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How to look up federal court cases and documents online

For those who may be interested in being able to see what's happening and download documents in a federal court case, here's how you go about it.  You do have to be willing to sign up for an account and provide your credit card and there's a 10 cents per page charge, but you can choose the documents you want.

[I wrote this originally as a reply to a diary about Kim Davis, but then decided others might like to see it to access other federal cases.]

The federal court uses a system for this called PACER, Public Access to Court Electronic Records.

To set up an account, head to https://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/...

(A brief aside:  While Ms. Davis has every right to practice her religion in her personal life, she cannot use her power as a government official to deny others their rights under the law.  If Ms. Davis feels she cannot both perform the job and adhere to her own religious beliefs, then she should resign -- but I'm not holding my breath.)

With a quick bit of Google research, we find that the case is in the Eastern District of Kentucky and the case name is Miller v. Davis with case (civil action) number 15-44-DLB.  Just so you know, there are various ways to write federal case numbers, with some being more complete versions.

Once you have your account, one place where you can start your search is https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov/...

You enter your user name and password and you should wind up at a page that says Individual Court Sites.

This is at the trial court level, so we look at U.S. District Courts, scroll down to Kentucky and click on Kentucky Eastern.

You arrive at a page that shows the Court's logo and under that you click on District Version 6.1 Live System.

Now you're at a screen with a blue band at the top that contains the words Query, Reports, Utilities, Logout.  Click Query.

You should be at a screen with a yellow box and near the top of that box is a line that has a place to enter the case number.  Type in 15-44-DLB and when the gray box next to it pops up with Find This Case, click that.

Now you'll see a list of cases.  Put a check in the box for 0:15-cv-00044-DLB Miller et al v. Davis et al, then scroll down and click Run Query.

There should be a list of links on left.  Of these, the two most important are usually Deadlines/Hearings and Docket Report.  The Docket Report lists all the documents filed in the case and allows you to download them.  Click Docket Report.

On the resulting page, at the bottom you probably want to change the Sort By box to Most Recent Date First and then click Run Report.

You're now at the top of a long list of parties and attorneys.  Don't despair, just keep scrolling down until you see the table with each document listed.

The article says the ACLU filed its motion to enforce on September 22.  There's nothing for the 22nd, but there is a motion on the 21st (which probably didn't get reported until the 22nd).  It's document 120 and if you read down that line you see the words "Motion to Enforce".  Click on the 120 and you are taken to a page saying that document 120 has 13 pages (and there are some attachments too).  Click the 120 and you receive a page saying how much you have to pay to see the document.  In this case it's $1.30.

Assuming you're OK with paying that, click View Document towards the left.  Voila, we have the document on the screen!

Hover your cursor over the blue lettering at the top that starts with Case: 0:15-cv-00044-DLB.  A bar should pop up that allows you to save or print the document, etc.  You've come this far, so save the document.

Now in the part of the woods that I'm from, a moving party has to set a hearing on a motion in advance and give that date in the caption at the top under the case number.  No such luck here, so the Court in Kentucky probably sets the hearing date after the motion is filed.  Because time has to be allowed for an opposition to the motion, a reply by the moving party and for the Judge to review the papers, usually the hearing would be a minimum of 30 days from when the motion was filed.  Due to a political party that shall not be named, the federal courts are short on judges and one shouldn't blame the Court for having to set hearings out much further than that; most judges have caseloads that are way, way heavier than they should be.

But, now that you have your PACER account, you can keep going back in to check on the case periodically, see what new documents have been filed and what hearings have been set and what orders have been issued.


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