California State Court Records

Annotation: This page covers data specific to California. For general information concerning admission to and use of courtroom records run into the Access to Courts and Courtroom Records section of this guide.

Yous have a right to inspect and copy most records and documents filed in California state courts. However, your right of admission is not accented, and a courtroom may seal records under sure circumstances. If you are interested in obtaining court records, you should become to the courthouse where the case is taking place and asking the records in writing from the clerk of the court (at that place will usually be a request form). Run into the Courts folio on the California Courts website for locations, phone numbers, and websites for the California Superior Courts, Courts of Appeal, and Supreme Courtroom. Alternatively, y'all may exist able to access courtroom records online. For more information, please consult the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press's country-by-state guide to access to courtroom records and proceedings.

As a general matter, you may access docket information, the pleadings and motions of the parties to a lawsuit, decisions and orders of the court, evidence introduced in court by either side, and transcripts of hearings. Other types of records that yous tin can admission include executed search and abort warrants, probation officer reports, written victim statements, settlement agreements filed in court, and grand jury testimony resulting in an indictment, one time that indictment has been handed downwardly.

Certain categories of records are generally not open up to the public:

  • most juvenile court records;
  • mental evaluation records;
  • discovery records not filed in courtroom or introduced into evidence;
  • adoption records;
  • trade secret information; and
  • grand jury transcripts that do not result in an indictment.

Across that, a court may seal a tape or records in a criminal instance if information technology determines that disclosure would threaten the accused's right to a off-white trial. In a civil case, a court may seal documents if information technology determines that one or both of the parties have a legitimate interest in keeping the documents confidential and that interest outweighs the public interest in accessing the documents. Parties to a civil lawsuit may agree or "stipulate" to the sealing of documents, only this does not remove the court'south obligation to decide whether the parties' interest in confidentiality overrides the public involvement.

A court must outcome an order to seal documents. If you are denied access to courtroom records, ask the clerk for the guild sealing the documents. If such an club exists, you may consider moving to intervene in the instance to claiming the court's determination. The First Amendment Project has a great script to follow when parties to a lawsuit stipulate to seal documents or you are denied access to court records. If y'all wish to challenge an club sealing court records, you lot should get legal assist to determine how best to proceed.

For additional information on admission to court records in California, run across the First Subpoena Project's Guide to Access to Courts and Court Records in California.

Jurisdiction:

  • California

Subject area:

  • Access to Courts
  • Access to Gov't Information