October 2011

Mobile PACER Case Locator Debuts

The most widely used feature of the federal Judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service has gone mobile.

A version of the PACER Case Locator, a national index for all federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts was launched for mobile devices in September 2011.

Users with supported mobile devices such as iPads, iPhones, and Android devices version 2.2 and higher will be redirected automatically to the Mobile PACER Case Locator when they visit www.pcl.uscourts.gov to search for court records. The mobile web version also can be accessed directly by visiting www.pcl.uscourts.gov/searchmobile.

PACER accounts allow users to obtain case and docket information from federal courts without having to visit a courthouse. The Case Locator can tell users who have partial information—a party’s name, a company name, or perhaps a case number—where in the federal court system that litigation may exist.

“The world is constantly becoming more mobile, and the Mobile PACER Case Locator is an important development in our efforts to enhance public accessibility to federal court records,” said Michel Ishakian, chief of the Administrative Office’s Public Access and Records Management Division. “This should be a great benefit to attorneys and others who may need information in a hurry.”

For users who want more information about a case, the mobile application will link them to the relevant court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files system. All the search options available on the PACER Case Locator are replicated on the mobile version, in an easily scrollable format.

Ishakian reports that the early feedback has been very positive. “Users have told us the mobile version offers very readable displays,” she said.