If you’re involved in court case as either a defendant or a victim, you know that it’s important to be able to access your records. Utah residents may be interested in accessing records for a variety of reasons. Whether you’re involved in a case yourself—as either a defendant or victim—or you’re researching past cases for personal or educational purposes, it’s good to know that public records (except for those that involve sensitive or private information) are available to the public for free.
Navigating your way through the legal system, even with access to public records, can be tricky. If you need any assistance with your case, you can contact Salt Lake City lawyer Darwin Overson for help. Having specialized in criminal law and family law for over 16 years, Utah criminal defense attorney Darwin Overson is sure to provide the help you need.
Looking Up Your Utah Criminal Case Online
If you are currently involved in a criminal case in Utah, you are most likely able to access your court records via the online search tool, available here: https://www.utcourts.gov/records/.
For a criminal case in Utah that is current or pending, you can look up records with your docket number using the appellate docket search tool. This will bring up information about the docket, including the title, docket number, status, agency, and actions along with their disposition date.
Briefs for cases can also be obtained by visiting the appellate clerks’ office in Salt Lake City; they’re sent to the Utah State Law Library once the case is closed. Dockets for cases kept there date from 1986 until the present. Cases from prior to 1986 can be accessed by visiting the appellate clerks’ office.
Other Court Records Available to You Online
Aside from criminal case records, there are various other types of records that can be found on the court’s website. These include archived court records, digital recordings, and weekly case reports.
Archived court records include the archived records of the Supreme Court, district court, and probate courts since the state’s inception. The documents available include minute books (records of court proceedings, lists of jury members, names of practicing attorneys, financial account information, and, occasionally, the text of orders of the court), register of actions (summaries of proceedings in cases, abstracts of motions and orders, amounts of collected fees, and dispositions), order of judgment books (the text of documents and the amount of monetary judgments), and probate record books (orders filled in probate and the text of documents).
Digital recordings of court proceedings are also available from the court. They can receive either a data CD, which can be played on a computer, or an audio CD, which can be played in a CD player. They cost $10 each.
You can also access weekly district case reports on the court’s website. These weekly case reports include information about district court cases that were filed, disposed, and/or had a judgment issued during the prior week. They are posted each Monday, except for holidays, in which case they are posted on Tuesday.
Be aware that fees may be attached to certain transcripts and other records. You can visit this list of fees for more information.
Other Places to Find Court Records
If you would prefer to find records in person rather than online, you can do so by visiting a public terminal for searching district court cases. These terminals are available for use at many district court locations, as well as the State Law Library.
Some Records Not Available to the Public
Not all records are available to the public due to their sensitivity, concern for victim safety, or inclusion of personal information. These are classified as private, sealed, or protected, or they may be a juvenile case.
Private cases include those petitions for divorce and motions to waive 90-day waiting periods in a divorce, motions for temporary orders in child custody cases, requests for protective orders, victim impact statements, and medical records. Only the involved parties, their lawyers, and a few others are able to view and copy these records.
Sealed records are kept from the public because knowledge of their material is sensitive. These include cases of adoption and expungement. They can be accessed by petitioning the court for permission to unseal them. Documents that contain an attorney’s work product, confidential business records, or court security plans are known as protected records.
Records of juvenile court cases are also unavailable to the public. They may either be social records or legal records. Juvenile court records may only be accessed by certain people, including the parents of unemancipated minors, therapists and evaluators, litigants, court personnel, law enforcement agencies, and certain other professionals.
Salt Lake City Criminal and Family Lawyer Is Here To Assist You
If you are involved in a criminal case, Salt Lake City criminal defense lawyer Darwin Overson can assist you will all of your needs. Call (801) 823-6935 for a free consultation about moving forward with your case.
