Dockets Overview
- A docket or docket sheet is a numbered list of actions and filings in a case, such as complaints, answers, motions, notices, orders, and opinions.
- Cases filed in both state and federal courts are assigned a docket number. The docket number is an identifying number that is unique to that court. If a case is transferred or appealed to a different court, it is typically assigned a new docket number by the subsequent court.
- Not all documents referenced in a docket are available to the public (ex. documents filed under seal) and not all available documents are readily accessible online.
- Some courts still allow litigants to file documents in hard copy format, and many courts only recently instituted and/or required electronic filing.
- To obtain documents that are unavailable electronically, the researcher may need to place a request with the court or visit (or hire a courier to visit) the court to conduct their research.
- Though filings in matters similar to ones own may prove useful research tools, do not assume accuracy or quality (in either formatting or substance)!
PACER
PACER is the official portal for federal dockets. Though PACER is available to the public, users must register, and the interface is clunky. Once users are approved and provided credentials they may access dockets free of charge, but must pay a per-page fee to access individual documents. State and local courts maintain their own docket portals; do not search PACER for a state case!
Dockets in Lexis and Westlaw
Lexis and Westlaw also have products providing docket coverage; like Bloomberg Law, Lexis’s CourtLink platform pulls from PACER.
Dockets in Westlaw Edge are available from the home page under the "Specialty areas" heading. See the Coverage Map for details regarding available courts and dates of coverage, organized by by jurisdiction.
To access dockets from Lexis Advance, researchers can select "Dockets" under the "Content" heading on the home screen, or can launch CourtLink from the grid icon at the top left of the home screen. See the "Court Information" and "Court Availability" links near the docket search menus to determine scope of coverage.
Dockets in Bloomberg Law
Bloomberg Law[1] obtains its docket content from PACER, and offers a cleaner interface and improved search functionality versus PACER.
- If a document referenced in a docket is already available in Bloomberg Law, a “view” hyperlink will appear with the docket entry.
- If a document is not yet available in Bloomberg Law, a “request” hyperlink will appear with the docket entry. Documents available electronically are typically retrieved quickly and fees are waived for academic users. The requesting user is emailed when the document is available.
- Users are prompted of fees associated with retrieving a document (as may occur when the vendor must hire a courier to retrieve and scan the document).
- Once a document is requested by a user and added to Bloomberg’s database, it is freely available to all users. Since documents are only added as they are requested, Bloomberg Law is NOT a complete resource for all electronic filings.
- Researchers should select “Update Docket” at the top of the docket sheet to ensure that the docket reflects all recent activity.
- Researchers may select “Track Docket” to receive email notifications of docket activity in a particular matter.
- Judicial opinions in Bloomberg Law include hyperlinks to the docket in a matter under the “General Info” tab to the left of the opinion.
[1] Vanderbilt users have unrestricted access to Bloomberg Law, both during the school year and the summer.
