Massachusetts Court Case Lookup
A Massachusetts court case lookup refers to the process of searching for and retrieving information about specific court cases in the state of Massachusetts. This can include Massachusetts court record information, including details such as case number, case type, the names of the involved parties, the presiding judge, court dates, case status, and any relevant documents.
The custodians of court case information in Massachusetts are the various courts and judicial agencies responsible for maintaining and providing access to these records. These include Massachusetts trial courts, the state Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court, and the Clerk's Office in each courthouse. In addition to these custodians, the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office also maintains the Massachusetts Archives, which houses historical records, including older court records that may not be available through other sources.
Are Court Cases Public Record in Massachusetts?
Yes, they are. In Massachusetts, public records are documents created or received by state agencies or municipalities in the course of carrying out their official responsibilities. The Massachusetts Public Record Law specifies which types of documents constitute as public records and grants citizens access to those records.The Massachusetts Public Record Law was enacted in 1966, and it mirrors the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in that it allows residents to request access to public records. In addition, it specifies the agencies that are exempt from this law based on certain exceptions and the possession of sensitive information affecting national security.
How to Perform a Massachusetts Court Case Lookup
Interested persons can access court case records in Massachusetts, provided they do not contain any confidential detail or do not contain information of minors or disabled persons. To do so, they may use the state's online portal, use the public terminals at the state courthouses or make in-person requests to the courthouse.
Can I Get Massachusetts Court Case Documents Online?
Yes. However, the first step to take when trying to obtain any court records online is to know the court that heard the case. Massachusetts court system has two major kinds of courts known as the appellate courts and the seven trial court departments.
The Supreme Judicial Council and the Appeals Court constitute what we know as the appellate courts whilst the trial court departments include the Superior Court, District Court, Land Court, Juvenile Court and the Housing Court. Others include the Probate and Family Court and the Boston Municipal Court. After identifying the court, contact the office of the court clerk by searching the Massachusetts Court system directory by town, city, or zip code. Interested parties can also access most case details online using the Massachusetts Court system directory. This is a case management system for the Massachusetts Judiciary. Searches may be performed using the party name, case number, or calendar date. For trial court case information, inquirers can visit the six trial court departments as these courthouses have designated public computers that use the eAccess application and permit searches by name, case number, and type.
How to Conduct a Massachusetts Court Search by Name
To conduct a court search by name, search through the State Court system directory. It is worth noting that recent court records and actual case documents cannot be obtained online for many reasons like evidence tampering among other things. They can only be inspected in person or offline at the office(s) of the court clerk, Recorder, or the Register. Interested persons accessing electronic case files from the appellate courts can use this same portal provided by the Court system.
What is a Court Case Number?
A court case number is an identification number assigned to a case by a trial court clerk after a new case is presented for filing in a trial court. Once the litigant or prosecutor has complied with Ind. Trial Rule 3 (the law that governs the start of a legal action), has filed the necessary documents and paid the necessary fees the Court Clerk proceeds to assign the case number to reflect the county, court type, court number, year and month of filing, case type and filing sequence.
How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Massachusetts
A case number or a docket number is a distinct string of digits that can be used toidentify a specific court case. Massachusetts trial courts usually assign these numbers to cases to help citizens find information on Court cases making it easier to track. A case number reveals useful information such as the month and year the case was filed, the court in which it was filed, the judicial officer it was assigned to, and the case type. An interested member of the public can find a case number by accessing public electronic records in the trial court case docket information, in person or online. To do so in person, interested parties can visit any of the Massachusetts Courthouses or County Registry of Deeds sites and use their public terminals. These terminals run on eAccess, a public court case search application, and permit case number search by case name or case type. Other case information that can be displayed in the search result includes event, party, and disposition details. However, actual case documents cannot be accessed online but are
available for inspection at the Register, Clerk, or Recorder’s offices. Interested persons can access case numbers online using eAccess and/or the Massachusetts trial courts' eServices portal. No login information is required to access electronic data maintained by the trial courts. Except for certain criminal cases, case numbers can be retrieved by searching with name, case type, and ticket/citation
How to Remove Court Cases From Public Records in Massachusetts
Before a court case can be removed from Public record in Massachusetts you would have to request for the record to be expunged or sealed to the public, and for that to happen certain criteria must be met upon request by the party. Applicants must file a motion to seal or expunge the court record. Filing a motion does not automatically remove your record from being accessible to the public, as a judge must agree to grant your request based on the evidence brought forward and depending on whether or not you were found guilty of the charges levied against you. There are two kinds of expungement given by the Massachusetts Government: time- and non-time-based. To get a time-based expungement, the offense must qualify for expungement under G.L. c.276, § 100E-100U. For an offense to qualify, it must meet some criteria as stipulated under the Massachusetts Government provisions. For the non-time-based expungement, the court allows a record to be expunged in the case of identity theft, false use of identification, errors etc. After your record is expunged you can no longer be found guilty of perjury or giving a false statement by not acknowledging said record if anyone inquires about it.
How to Check a Court Case Status in Massachusetts
Interested persons can check the Status of an ongoing court case in the Appellate courts by checking the dockets of the court case on the official directory of the Massachusetts Court System; by entering the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Appellate Courts you will be able to check the status of cases in the Appellate court. Whilst status of cases in the trial courts can be checked the same way you search for old cases by either checking with your County Registry or the appropriate Court Houses.
How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Massachusetts
Interested persons may find Supreme Court Decisions through the Journal of the Supreme Court of the United States. It contains the official record of the Court's proceedings, and it is available on the Court's website from October Term 1993 to the present day. They also use a docket system to search for case files and a court clerk is to be consulted to cite the confidential documents.
What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Massachusetts?
According to substantial reports from the Case flow metric report for the 2022 Fiscal year we find that a result of the pandemic of 2020 a lot of backlogged cases were received by the trial courts in the year 2021 and 2022 but with the rescinding of certain pandemic protocols there was a notable increase in the number of disposed cases by 44.7% from FY 2021 to FY 2022. Of 638,886 new case filings received by the trial courts of Massachusetts the percentage of disposed cases is above 63% and some cases were still on trial when we crossed into the FY 2023. There is no telling what percentage of cases went to trial but according to this same report over a million events were held in court
How Long Does a Court Case Last in Massachusetts?
This depends on the offense that has been committed, the willingness to accept the guilty plea of the District Attorney’s office and the time taken to meet in court. So there is no fixed data as to how long any case takes. It depends on all the parties in the trial.
How to File a Case in Court in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has several types of courts, including District Courts, Superior Courts, Probate and Family Courts, and Housing Courts. To determine the appropriate court to file in, it is important to determine the type of case and determine whether it is a civil or criminal matter. Gather necessary documents and evidence to support the case, prepare a complaint or petition, pay the filing fee, and submit the documents to the appropriate court clerk's office. The clerk will stamp the documents with the filing date and assign a case number.
This includes serving them with a copy of the complaint or petition and a summons, waiting for their response, participating in pre-trial procedures, preparing for trial, attending trial, and filing an appeal or collecting a judgment. After the trial, there may be additional steps to take after the trial, such as filing an appeal or collecting a judgment.
What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?
It means both the plaintiff and the defendant had decided to reach a settlement with either a guilty plea or an agreement to settle out of court.
