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Pritzker Legal Research Center


Case Dockets and Filings

This guide recommends strategies and resources for locating court case dockets and filings.

Why Case Dockets and Filings?

Attorneys, law clerks, and law students often need to locate the dockets and/or filings for a case.  Uses for this information vary and include tracking the progress of a case and examining a particular pleading, motion, brief, or order.  

Generally speaking, Bloomberg Law is the preferred resource for researching this information, as it offers the same content as PACER, the Federal Judiciary's electronic filing system, but provides more user-friendly search capabilities.  However, Westlaw Precision, Lexis+, and free resources, including court websites, are also useful for docket research.

This guide provides information on finding federal and state docket information using a variety of resources.  Please use the tabs on the left-hand menu to find the section you need.  As always, feel free to visit the reference desk or speak with a reference librarian if you would like additional assistance.