What Is PACER? A Beginner’s Guide to Federal Court Records

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the official federal judiciary system for searching and accessing U.S. federal court case filings and documents online. It 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 across all 94 federal judicial districts. Anyone with a free account can search federal lawsuits, bankruptcy filings, criminal prosecutions, and court documents filed in federal courts nationwide. Journalists, attorneys, investigators, researchers, and members of the public use PACER to verify legal claims, review filed documents, and track ongoing federal litigation. This guide explains what PACER contains, how to search it step by step, what it costs, and where it fits in a complete court records investigation.

Quick Answer: To search PACER:

1. Create a free account at pacer.gov
2. Start at the PACER Case Locator (pcl.uscourts.gov) — searches all federal courts simultaneously
3. Search the subject’s full name, then search again with middle initial variations
4. Set court type to “Bankruptcy” and run the name again as a separate search
5. From the Case Locator results, access the specific court’s CM/ECF system for full docket and documents
6. Prioritize: complaint or indictment, bankruptcy schedules, final judgment or sentencing documents

PACER covers federal courts only. State criminal records, civil judgments, evictions, and family court matters are in state systems and must be searched separately — see How to Search Court Records Online for the complete state-by-state directory.

⚠️ 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.

What PACER Does and Does Not Cover

PACER covers federal courts only. The majority of criminal cases, civil disputes, evictions, and family matters are in state systems. For state court records, see How to Search Court Records Online or find the correct portal for any state at PublicRecordHub.

Where Most PACER Searches Fall Short

Understanding the common failure points prevents incomplete searches.

Running only one name variation. Federal court records are indexed exactly as filed. A subject whose name appears as “James R. Holloway” in one filing and “James Holloway” in another requires two separate searches to surface both. Run the full name, then the name without middle initial, then any known aliases or prior names before concluding the search is complete.

Skipping the bankruptcy search. Bankruptcy cases are in the federal system but require a dedicated search. In the PACER Case Locator, the default court type filter includes all federal courts — but setting it specifically to “Bankruptcy” ensures the search runs across all 90 federal bankruptcy courts and does not miss filings that might otherwise be deprioritized in a general results list.

Stopping at the docket entry. A docket entry is a summary. The underlying document — the complaint, the bankruptcy schedule, the sentencing memorandum — contains the substance. Investigators who read only the docket miss the financial disclosures, the factual allegations, and the exhibits that make PACER searches valuable.

Assuming PACER is the complete picture. PACER covers federal courts. Most people have never been involved in federal litigation. A subject with an extensive state criminal history, multiple civil judgments, or a contentious divorce may have no federal record at all. PACER is one component of a complete court records search, not a substitute for state-level searching.

When PACER Is Most Useful

PACER is most valuable when researching:

Federal lawsuits between businesses or individuals, federal criminal prosecutions, bankruptcy filings and financial disclosures, regulatory enforcement actions from the SEC, DOJ, and FTC, and complex commercial litigation. For investigators, PACER is particularly valuable because federal litigation often involves larger financial disputes and detailed filings that reveal relationships, obligations, and business structures that do not surface in commercial background check databases.

The single most underused capability in PACER is bankruptcy research. The financial detail required in a bankruptcy filing — complete asset disclosure, all liabilities, all creditors, recent financial transactions, business ownership interests — is more comprehensive than almost any other document in the public record system. For any investigation involving financial position or asset history, a bankruptcy filing is often the most informative single source available.

The Federal Court System PACER Covers

Federal courts handle cases involving federal laws and regulations, constitutional disputes, interstate civil litigation above a dollar threshold, 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 is one component of a complete court records search.

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 disputes involving federal law or parties from different states above the jurisdictional threshold.

For investigators, civil litigation history reveals financial disputes, business conflicts, prior fraud allegations, and documented relationships between parties — context that does not 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. High-profile federal cases often contain extensive documentation including government exhibits and sentencing memoranda that describe the subject’s financial history, associates, and conduct in significant detail.

Bankruptcy Filings

Bankruptcy records are among the most information-rich documents in the public record system because they require complete financial disclosure under oath. A bankruptcy filing places that disclosure into the public court record, subject to sealing 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 the public record. They are particularly valuable for asset searches, financial due diligence, and investigations involving business entities. For the complete bankruptcy research methodology, see How to Search Bankruptcy Records.

Federal Appellate Records

PACER includes records from the 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals. 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 CM/ECF (Case Management / Electronic Case Files). PACER is the public-facing portal that connects users to those CM/ECF records.

PACER does not store documents itself — it acts as a gateway into each court’s CM/ECF database. When an attorney files a document with a federal court, it enters CM/ECF. PACER makes that filing accessible to anyone with a PACER account. That is why users move between PACER search results and individual court systems when retrieving documents — the Case Locator identifies which court holds the record, and the individual court’s CM/ECF system provides the actual documents.

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. The payment method is required because PACER charges per page for document retrieval — most casual users never reach the quarterly fee threshold.

Step 2 — Start With the PACER Case Locator

The PACER Case Locator (pcl.uscourts.gov) searches across all federal courts simultaneously rather than requiring selection of a specific court first. This is the correct starting point for name-based searches.

Search by party name, case number, court location, or filing date range. Run the full name, then run it again with and without middle initial. The Case Locator returns the court, case number, case type, and filing dates. Use these results to identify which specific courts to access for full docket details.

Step 3 — Search Bankruptcy Courts Separately

In the Case Locator, set the court type filter to “Bankruptcy” and run the name again as a dedicated search. Bankruptcy cases from years or decades ago remain searchable through PACER and can contain financial history not available from any other source.

Step 4 — Access the Case Docket

Navigate to the specific court’s CM/ECF system to view the full docket. The docket is the chronological index of every filing and event in the case — every motion, order, hearing, and document, with dates and document numbers. Reading the 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.

For guidance on reading and interpreting docket entries, see Understanding Court Dockets.

Step 5 — Download Case Documents

Individual documents are downloadable directly from PACER. Prioritize by case type:

Civil cases: Complaint (the original factual 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 history).

Step 6 — Search by Case Number When Available

If a case number is available — from a reference in another document or a prior search — search directly by case number within the specific court’s system. This is faster and more precise than name searches and ensures you access the correct case without ambiguity.

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 most users: if total quarterly charges are $30 or less, fees are automatically waived. Most researchers doing occasional searches never pay anything.

For active investigations involving large case files, fees can accumulate. Professional investigators and law firms maintain PACER accounts as a standard research expense.

Free Alternatives for PACER Documents

Two free alternatives are worth knowing for documents already retrieved through PACER by other users:

CourtListener (courtlistener.com) and the RECAP Archive (free.law/recap) archive documents that have previously been accessed through PACER. Neither replaces PACER for comprehensive research, but both are useful for finding already-retrieved documents without incurring fees — particularly for high-profile cases where extensive PACER access has already occurred.

How Investigators Use PACER

Pre-litigation asset assessment — Attorneys and investigators search PACER before filing suit to determine whether a potential defendant has federal litigation history, bankruptcy history, and whether any judgment would be collectible.

Background investigation — Checking whether a person or company has federal litigation history — civil fraud claims, regulatory enforcement actions, prior bankruptcies — that does not appear in commercial background check tools.

Corporate due diligence — Tracing litigation history between companies, identifying undisclosed judgments or ongoing federal suits, reviewing bankruptcy filings for prior business interests and financial relationships.

Bankruptcy analysis — Bankruptcy schedules are one of the few places where complete asset and liability disclosure is required under oath. For financial investigations, a bankruptcy filing is often the most informative single document in the public record.

Journalism and public accountability — Journalists use PACER to track federal criminal prosecutions, monitor civil enforcement actions from the SEC, DOJ, and FTC, and review court filings in high-profile cases.

For the complete investigation workflow that PACER feeds into, see How to Investigate Someone: A Step-by-Step Guide and OSINT Workflow: The 8-Phase Investigation Framework.

What PACER Does Not Include

For any person-focused investigation, PACER is one component of a complete search. Most criminal records, evictions, civil judgments, and family court matters are in state systems that must be searched separately. For a consolidated state court record directory covering all 50 states, see PublicRecordHub.

Common Challenges When Using PACER

Fragmented court systems — Cases are stored in individual court databases. The Case Locator searches across courts simultaneously, but some older records may not appear 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 records use whatever name was on the filing. Misspellings, middle name variations, aliases, and name changes all affect results. Always search multiple name variants.

Case number format — Federal case numbers contain coded information. For example, 1:24-cv-01234 breaks down as: 1 (court division), 24 (filing year), cv (civil case), 01234 (sequential case number). Understanding this format identifies the court and case type quickly when reviewing results.

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 total quarterly usage is $30 or less — most casual users pay nothing.

Can you search PACER by name? Yes. The PACER Case Locator allows name searches across all federal courts simultaneously. Search multiple name variations — middle initials, alternate spellings, and prior names — to avoid missing records filed under different versions of the subject’s name.

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 must be searched through state and county court systems. For a consolidated state court directory, see How to Search Court Records Online or PublicRecordHub.

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 in the public record system. Outside of bankruptcy, PACER does not directly show asset ownership — but civil litigation records often reveal financial disputes and relationships relevant to asset investigation. See How Asset Searches Work.

How current are PACER records? New case information typically reaches the Case Locator on a nightly cycle. Document availability depends on the specific court’s CM/ECF system and any sealing or access restrictions.

What is the difference between PACER and the PACER Case Locator? PACER is the overall system. The PACER Case Locator (pcl.uscourts.gov) is the search tool that searches across all federal courts simultaneously — the correct starting point for most name-based searches. Individual court CM/ECF systems provide deeper access to specific case documents once the right court is identified through the Case Locator.

Where to Go Next

For state court records: How to Search Court Records Online — the complete state-by-state directory with direct portal links for all 50 states.

For bankruptcy records in depth: How to Search Bankruptcy Records.

For understanding docket entries: Understanding Court Dockets.

For integrating PACER into a full investigation: How to Investigate Someone: A Step-by-Step Guide.

For the distinction between federal and state criminal records: Civil vs. Criminal Court Records and What Criminal Records Are Public.

For a consolidated court record search directory: PublicRecordHub.

Related Guides

• How to Search Court Records Online
• How to Search Bankruptcy Records
• Understanding Court Dockets
• Civil vs. Criminal Court Records
• How Court Records Work in the United States
• What Criminal Records Are Public
• How Asset Searches Work
• Best Public Records Databases for Investigations
• How to Investigate Someone: A Step-by-Step Guide
• OSINT Workflow: The 8-Phase Investigation Framework
• OSINT Tools for Beginners
• PublicRecordHub — Court Records by State

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.