PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the official system used to search and access U.S. federal court case filings and documents online. Anyone with a free account can look up federal lawsuits, bankruptcy filings, criminal prosecutions, and court documents filed in federal courts across the country.
PACER is operated by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and covers millions of case filings from federal district courts, courts of appeals, and bankruptcy courts. Journalists, attorneys, investigators, researchers, and members of the public use it to verify legal claims, review filed documents, and track ongoing federal litigation.
This guide explains what PACER is, how to search it, what records it contains, what it costs, and how investigators actually use it — including what to look for and where PACER falls short.
⚠️ Legal Notice: PACER provides access to federal court records, which are generally public. Some documents may be sealed or redacted by court order. This guide explains lawful public-records access only and does not constitute legal advice.
Why This Guide Is Reliable
inet-investigation.com publishes research-based guides built on primary government sources, investigative practice, and public records law. All references link to official government or statutory sources. This article explains how PACER works as a public records system and does not constitute legal advice.
The Short Answer: What PACER Does and Doesn’t Cover
| Record Type | Available in PACER |
|---|---|
| Federal civil lawsuits | Yes |
| Federal criminal cases | Yes |
| Federal bankruptcy filings | Yes |
| Federal appellate cases | Yes |
| State court cases | No |
| County criminal records | No |
| Local municipal court records | No |
PACER covers federal courts only. State and county court records — which handle the majority of criminal cases, evictions, civil disputes, and family matters — must be searched separately through state court portals or county clerk systems.
→ Related guide: How to Locate Court Records for Any Person in the U.S.
When PACER Is Most Useful
PACER is most useful when researching:
- Federal lawsuits between businesses or individuals
- Federal criminal prosecutions
- Bankruptcy filings and financial disclosures
- Regulatory enforcement actions (SEC, DOJ, FTC)
- Complex commercial litigation
For investigators and journalists, PACER is particularly valuable because federal litigation often involves larger financial disputes and detailed filings that reveal relationships, obligations, and business structures that don’t surface in commercial background-check databases.
The Federal Court System PACER Covers
PACER provides access to three types of federal courts:
| Court Type | What They Handle |
|---|---|
| U.S. District Courts | Federal trials, civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions |
| U.S. Courts of Appeals | Appeals of federal district court decisions |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Courts | Bankruptcy filings and proceedings |
Federal courts handle cases involving federal laws and regulations, constitutional disputes, interstate civil litigation, federal criminal prosecutions, and bankruptcy proceedings. They do not handle most divorces, landlord-tenant disputes, traffic offenses, or local criminal prosecutions — those are state court matters.
This distinction matters for investigators: a person with an extensive state criminal history may have no federal record at all, and vice versa. PACER is a critical research tool, but it’s one component of a complete court records search, not a substitute for state-level searching.
What Records You Can Find in PACER
Federal Civil Lawsuits
Civil cases filed in federal district courts appear in PACER with full docket histories and, in most cases, the underlying documents. Federal civil litigation includes contract disputes, intellectual property claims, securities litigation, civil rights cases, antitrust matters, and many disputes involving federal law or parties from different states.
For investigators, civil litigation history reveals financial disputes, business conflicts, prior fraud allegations, and documented relationships between parties — context that doesn’t surface in a standard background check.
Federal Criminal Cases
Federal criminal prosecutions are accessible through PACER, subject to sealing or redaction in some cases. Federal crimes include drug trafficking, tax fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, organized crime, weapons offenses, and national security matters.
Criminal dockets show charges filed, plea history, trial proceedings, sentencing, and appeals. For high-profile federal cases, PACER often contains extensive documentation including government exhibits and sentencing memoranda.
Bankruptcy Filings
Bankruptcy records are among the most information-rich documents in the entire public records system because they require complete financial disclosure under oath. A bankruptcy filing generally places that disclosure into the public court record, subject to sealing or redaction rules in specific cases.
Bankruptcy schedules typically contain:
- Complete asset list — real property, vehicles, business interests, financial accounts, personal property
- Complete liability list — secured and unsecured debts, creditors, amounts owed
- Income sources and monthly income
- Recent financial transactions, including transfers made in the two years before filing
- Business interests and ownership stakes
For investigators, bankruptcy filings often reveal assets, relationships, and financial history that appear nowhere else in public records. They’re particularly valuable for asset searches, financial due diligence, and investigations involving business entities.
Federal bankruptcy records are searchable through PACER. Set the court type to “Bankruptcy” in the Case Locator to search all federal bankruptcy courts simultaneously.
Federal Appellate Records
PACER includes records from the U.S. Courts of Appeals — the 13 federal appellate circuits that review district court decisions. Appellate records include briefs, motions, and judicial opinions. Published appellate opinions are often findable through free legal research tools, but PACER provides access to the full docket including unpublished materials.
How PACER Works: The CM/ECF Connection
Federal courts manage their electronic filings through an internal system called CM/ECF (Case Management / Electronic Case Files). PACER is the public-facing portal that connects users to those CM/ECF records.
In practice, PACER does not store documents itself — it acts as a gateway into each court’s CM/ECF database. That’s why users often move between PACER search results and individual court systems when retrieving documents. When an attorney files a document with a federal court, it enters CM/ECF. PACER then makes that filing accessible to anyone with a PACER account, though some documents are sealed or restricted by the court.
Official source: PACER — pacer.uscourts.gov
PACER and OSINT Research
PACER is a core tool in open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations. Federal court filings often contain sworn statements, contracts, financial disclosures, and internal communications submitted as evidence. These documents can reveal relationships, business structures, financial disputes, and timelines that are difficult to identify through ordinary web searches.
Because court filings must follow strict evidentiary rules, they often contain more reliable information than commercial background-check databases. A bankruptcy schedule listing assets, a civil complaint detailing a fraud scheme, or a sentencing memorandum describing a defendant’s financial history can all provide primary-source documentation that no aggregated database replicates.
→ Related guide: OSINT Tools for Beginners
How to Search PACER: Step by Step
Step 1 — Create a Free PACER Account
Go to pacer.gov and register for a free account. Registration requires a name, address, email, and payment method for potential fees. Account creation is free and takes a few minutes.
Step 2 — Start With the PACER Case Locator
The PACER Case Locator (pcl.uscourts.gov) is the most important tool for most searches — it searches across all federal courts simultaneously rather than requiring you to select a specific court first.
Search by party name, case number, court location, or filing date range. For name searches, run the full name both with and without middle name or initial — filing practices vary and records can be missed if you only search one way.
The Case Locator will show which court each case was filed in, the case number, and filing dates. Use this to identify which specific courts to access for full docket details.
Step 3 — Search Bankruptcy Courts Separately
Bankruptcy cases are in the federal system but worth running as a dedicated search. In the Case Locator, set the court type filter to “Bankruptcy” and run the name again. Bankruptcy cases from years ago — even fully discharged cases — remain searchable through PACER and can contain valuable financial history.
Step 4 — Access the Case Docket
Once you’ve identified a case, navigate to the specific court’s CM/ECF system to view the full docket. The docket sheet is the chronological index of everything that’s happened in the case — every filing, hearing, order, and document, with dates and document numbers.
Reading a docket from top to bottom tells the story of the case: when it was filed, what motions were made, how the court ruled, and how it resolved.
Step 5 — Download Case Documents
Individual documents are downloadable directly from PACER. Key documents to prioritize depending on case type:
- Civil cases: complaint (the original allegations), answer, key motions, summary judgment orders, final judgment
- Criminal cases: indictment or information, plea agreement, sentencing memoranda, judgment
- Bankruptcy: Schedule A/B (assets), Schedule D/E/F (creditors and debts), Statement of Financial Affairs (recent transactions and income)
Step 6 — Search by Case Number When Available
If you already have a case number — from a reference in another document or a prior search — you can search directly by case number within the specific court’s system, which is faster and more precise than name searches.
What PACER Costs
PACER charges $0.10 per page for search result pages and court documents. Most individual documents are capped at $3.00 regardless of length.
The most important fee feature for casual users: if your total quarterly charges are $30 or less, the fees are automatically waived. Most researchers doing occasional searches never pay anything.
For active investigations involving many documents in large cases, fees can accumulate. Professional investigators and law firms typically maintain PACER accounts as a standard research expense.
Free Alternatives for PACER Documents
PACER is the primary and authoritative source. Two free alternatives are worth knowing:
CourtListener and the RECAP Archive are especially useful for opinions, docket metadata, and PACER documents that have already been archived by other users. These tools exist largely because PACER’s pay-per-page model makes large-scale research expensive — by archiving documents already retrieved through PACER, projects like CourtListener reduce the cost barrier for researchers and journalists.
Neither alternative replaces PACER for comprehensive research, but both are useful for finding already-retrieved documents without incurring fees.
- CourtListener — courtlistener.com
- RECAP Archive — free.law/recap
How Investigators and Journalists Use PACER
Pre-litigation asset assessment: Attorneys and investigators search PACER before filing suit to determine whether a potential defendant has federal litigation history, has bankruptcy history, and whether any judgment would be collectible.
Post-judgment collection: After winning a judgment, creditors use PACER to check whether a debtor has filed for bankruptcy, which would trigger the automatic stay and affect collection efforts.
Background investigation: Checking whether a person or company has a federal litigation history — civil fraud claims, regulatory enforcement actions, prior bankruptcies — that doesn’t appear in commercial background check tools.
Corporate due diligence: Tracing litigation history between companies, identifying undisclosed judgments or ongoing federal suits, and reviewing bankruptcy filings for prior business interests.
Bankruptcy analysis for financial investigations: Bankruptcy schedules are one of the few places where complete asset and liability disclosure is required under oath. For anyone investigating financial position or asset holdings, a bankruptcy filing is often the most informative single document in the public record.
Journalism and public accountability reporting: Journalists use PACER to track federal criminal prosecutions, monitor civil enforcement actions brought by the SEC, DOJ, and other agencies, and review court filings in high-profile cases.
What PACER Does Not Include
| Record Type | Where to Search Instead |
|---|---|
| State criminal cases | State court portals |
| State civil litigation | State court portals |
| County eviction records | County clerk offices |
| Property ownership | County recorder or assessor |
| Business registrations | Secretary of State |
| Professional licenses | State licensing boards |
For any person-focused investigation, PACER is one component of a complete search — not a standalone solution. Most criminal records, evictions, civil judgments, and family court matters are in state systems that must be searched separately.
→ Related guide: Best Public Records Databases for Investigations
Common Challenges When Using PACER
Fragmented court systems: Even within the federal system, cases are stored in individual court databases. The PACER Case Locator searches across courts simultaneously, but some older records may not appear in the locator and require direct searching within specific courts.
Sealed records: Some documents — and occasionally entire cases — are sealed by court order. A sealed case may appear in PACER with minimal information, or may not appear at all.
Name variations: Federal court records use whatever name was on the filing. Misspellings, middle name variations, aliases, and name changes all affect search results. Always search multiple name variations.
Case numbering: Federal case numbers contain coded information about the court, filing year, and case type. For example, 1:24-cv-01234 breaks down as: 1 (court division), 24 (filing year), cv (civil case), 01234 (sequential case number). Understanding these codes helps identify the court and case type quickly when reviewing search results.
Large case volume: High-profile litigation or complex bankruptcy cases can contain hundreds of docket entries. Knowing which documents to prioritize — complaint, key orders, final judgment, bankruptcy schedules — makes large cases manageable.
Archived records: Very old federal cases may be archived and not available electronically. Retrieval requires a formal request to the court or the National Archives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PACER free to use? Creating an account is free. PACER charges $0.10 per page for searches and document access, with most documents capped at $3.00. Fees are automatically waived if your total quarterly usage is $30 or less — most casual users pay nothing.
Can you search PACER by name? Yes. The PACER Case Locator allows searches by party name across all federal courts simultaneously. Because federal cases are indexed exactly as filed, it’s important to search multiple name variations — including middle initials, abbreviations, and alternate spellings — to avoid missing records.
Can anyone use PACER? Yes. PACER is open to the public and requires no legal credentials. Any person can create an account and search federal court records.
Does PACER show state court cases? No. PACER covers federal courts only. State court cases — which handle most criminal matters, evictions, civil suits, and family law — must be searched through state and county court systems.
Can PACER show someone’s assets? Indirectly, through bankruptcy filings. Bankruptcy schedules require complete asset disclosure under oath and are among the most detailed financial records available in the public record system. Outside of bankruptcy, PACER doesn’t directly show asset ownership — but civil litigation records often reveal financial disputes and relationships relevant to any asset investigation.
How current are PACER records? New case information typically reaches the PACER Case Locator on a nightly cycle, while document availability depends on the specific court’s CM/ECF system and any sealing or access restrictions.
What’s the difference between PACER and the PACER Case Locator? PACER is the overall system. The PACER Case Locator (pcl.uscourts.gov) is a specific search tool that searches across all federal courts simultaneously — it’s the right starting point for most name-based searches. Individual court CM/ECF systems allow deeper access to specific case documents once you’ve identified the right court through the Case Locator.
Final Thoughts
PACER is the primary gateway to federal court records in the United States — the authoritative source for federal civil litigation, criminal prosecutions, and bankruptcy filings. For investigators, journalists, attorneys, and anyone conducting serious due diligence, understanding how to search it effectively is a foundational skill.
The system’s most underused capability is bankruptcy research. The financial detail contained in bankruptcy schedules — assets, debts, income, creditors, recent transactions — is more comprehensive than almost any other public record. For financial investigations, that’s often where PACER becomes most valuable.
The system’s primary limitation is scope: PACER covers federal courts only. A complete court records search requires combining PACER with state court portals and county-level searches to cover the full range of jurisdictions where records may exist.
Related Guides
- How to Locate Court Records for Any Person in the U.S.
- Best Public Records Databases for Investigations
- How Asset Searches Work — [inet-investigation.com]
- OSINT Tools for Beginners
- How Private Investigators Find People
- What Makes a Record “Public”?
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Court record access and usage rules vary by jurisdiction. Consult official court guidance or a licensed attorney for legal advice. This article may contain affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.