PACER - GPO Pilot Project

Nova Southeastern University Law Library is participating in a pilot project, sponsored by the United States Government Printing Office (US GPO), to offer free public access to PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

What is PACER?

Here is a brief description of PACER, from their FAQ page:

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and from the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet. Links to all courts are provided from this web site. Electronic access is available by registering with the PACER Service Center, the judiciary's centralized registration, billing, and technical support center.
Each court maintains its own databases with case information. Because PACER database systems are maintained within each court, each jurisdiction will have a different URL. Accessing and querying information from each service is comparable; however, the format and content of information provided may differ slightly.

How do I access the PACER database?

Under the terms of our agreement with GPO and the Adminstrative Office of the United States Courts, remote access to the PACER database is not permitted.  You must come to the NSU Law Library in order to use the database.  When you arrive, ask a librarian to log in to PACER for you.  You may then search for the documents/information you need.

What information is available on PACER?

PACER provides access to federal case documents that were filed electronically.  You can obtain:

• A listing of all parties and participants including judges, attorneys and trustees
• A compilation of case related information such as cause of action, nature of suit and dollar demand
• A chronology of dates of case events entered in the case record
• A claims registry
• A listing of new cases each day in the bankruptcy courts
• Appellate court opinions
• Judgments or case status
• Types of documents filed for certain districts for certain cases

How far back does the case information go back on PACER?

In general, records filed electronically within the last 10 years are available on PACER. Each court maintains its own case information database; therefore, there will be some variations among jurisdictions as to the date ranges of information offered. You will need to contact the court directly to find out how far back case information is available on PACER in a particular jurisdiction.

Are state court documents available on PACER?

No, only documents filed in federal courts are available on PACER.

How do I print the documents that I find on PACER?

There are different print options.  When a Reference Librarian logs in to PACER for you, ask about printing.