Accessing California court records for those not familiar with the state’s judicial system can at first seem somewhat overwhelming. But the reality is there are many available online options for accessing these publicly available records. Since civil and criminal court cases are part of the public records system in California, anyone can legally research and view these cases without needing special permission.
Understanding the California Judicial System
Before digging into the minutiae of how to access civil and criminal court records, we’ll go over the basic framework of the California Judicial System. The courts of this system are divided into three macro levels:
California Supreme Court: This is the highest court in the state, which mostly hears appeals from lower courts. The Supreme Court is also in charge of interpreting state laws and constitutional issues.
California Courts of Appeals: These courts review decisions made by superior courts, and if a case is appealed again, it usually moves up to the Supreme Court level. However, not all cases are eligible to be moved to a hire court from here.
California Superior Courts: These are trial courts where civil and criminal cases are filed and heard. This is the hub for all cases and is also the main interface that allows public access to looking up court case records.Â
For the purpose of accessing case records, you’ll primarily be dealing with the California Superior Courts, as they handle the majority of cases. Each county within California has a public access portal where people can look up and access various records, dockets, calendars, and legal services. It is possible to also use the state’s main judicial website to access records, however the county level Superior Court websites will make it much easier to track down information for each respective county.
How to Access California Superior Court Records
The various California Superior Courts, with 58 courts in total, provide a public-access portal where any resident can search for and retrieve court case information. The goal of this structured judicial system is to streamline the process of accessing information and services for each county in the state. Since there are 58 counties in California, there are a total of 58 Superior Courts, and 58 public-access portals.
To access court case records, a person will simply visit the corresponding county court website. For example, people that live in San Francisco will perform an Alameda County Superior Court Case Search to access criminal and civil cases online. Since San Francisco is within Alameda County, this will be the corresponding website to use.Â
For those that want to access court records in person rather than online, they can visit the respective Superior Courthouse in person and talk to the Clerk of the Court. At the Court Clerk’s office, people can request to view or obtain copies of court documents and request certified copies of records. To utilize this option, specific details such as the case number, the hearing dates, or names of the parties or attorneys involved are necessary.Â
Important Privacy and Restrictions When Accessing Public Records
The California Public Records Act and the National Freedom of Information Act make the majority of court records available to the public. However, there are a few restrictions in place to protect sensitive information. An example of this are cases involving juveniles or certain sensitive family law matters may have limited access to protect the privacy of those involved. Additionally, some documents may be sealed, expunged, or redacted which means they are not publicly available.Â
It’s also important to say the obvious, that it’s illegal to harass, stalk, or intimidate anyone with the information that is obtained from a public records search in California. Misuse is taken seriously and punishable by fines or jail time. Please use any information obtained from any of the outlined public platforms in a responsible fashion.