Why Can't I Find My Docket?
The Trellis Database aggregates state trial court dockets from trial courts all over the country and makes them searchable and accessible from a single interface. You may access these court dockets by running a search query using our Smart Search function. Smart Search will search the text of state trial court dockets and return results based on your search query.
Trellis is constantly aggregating new cases across dozens of states and hundreds of counties on a daily basis. If you regularly check our coverage page, you’ll see that we’re also adding new states and counties every month. We strive to stay as up to date as possible in aggregating newly filed cases, but considering the sheer number of cases that are filed across the country on a daily basis, this process does take time!
If you’re searching for a specific case Docket on Smart Search but can’t find it, don’t fret. It’s possible we haven’t had a chance to aggregate the case Docket yet, but you do have the ability to request that we add the case. However, first ensure you follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Troubleshooting Steps to Take Before Requesting a Docket
- Ensure that the case you’re looking for is a state trial court case located in a state/county that we cover.
- Trellis is a state trial court research platform. Consequently, you will not find Federal court or Court of Appeals data on Trellis.
- Moreover, please check our coverage page to see whether Trellis currently covers the state and county your case is sitting in.
- Start with searching the case number in quotation marks: When searching for a case, some users naturally start by searching the case name on Smart Search (e.g., “John Brown v. John Blue”). However, every state and county lists party information and case names differently on their Dockets, meaning you’ll often have to vary your search terms with Boolean operators to find your case using this method. Instead, we recommend that you start with searching the full case number in quotation marks to find a Docket with that exact case number:
- Ensure that you’ve selected the correct jurisdiction on Smart Search: Using the dropdown to the right of the Smart Search search bar, make sure you’ve selected the jurisdiction where your case is sitting (CA, TX, NY, etc.). When you have a particular state selected, you are searching across the state trial courts of that state.
How to Request a Docket
If you’re still unable to find your case and have confirmed that Trellis hasn’t aggregated that Docket yet, requesting the case is easy! Follow these steps:
- First, navigate to the upper right hand of the Trellis website and click the “Need Help” button with the question mark symbol:
- Second, under the header “Are you looking for a specific case?” you’ll find fields to input the state, county, and case number for case Docket you’re looking for:
- Third, input the state, county, and case number for case Docket you’re looking for, and click the “Submit” button.
- You’ll then receive a notification that your request was submitted successfully. As explained in the notification and reiterated here:
- This process usually takes around 10 minutes (or longer if the court is busy).
- We’ll email you if we’re able to locate the case. The e-mail will have a link to your Docket.
- If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to success@trellis.law!
