Court Records

Court Records

Court records have become a very popular thing with the rise of podcasts like Serial and documentaries like The Making of a Murderer. More and more people have become interested in viewing court records, especially when they see something happen on the news and want more information about it.

In addition to that, court records have become helpful with academic research and news publications, helping them give more accurate information on certain people and cases.

Although not all court records can be accessible to the public, the federal government and states around the nation have various laws allowing certain information to be viewable to the public’s eye.

It’s natural to want to dig up more information about the people you hear about in your community, as well as your family and friends. Court records will often contain sensitive details -- but not confidential -- that many people like to keep hidden from their peers and neighbors.

Federal, state, and local governments agree that citizens should have a right to some of that information, especially in an age where hiding your identity is extremely easy.

Let’s take a look at some of the different court records you can find when you begin a search.

Marriage Records

Marriage records are attached to state court records that could release the full names of the bride and groom, their ages, the date of the marriage, the county of marriage, and the presiding judge. Life events like these -- as well as birth records -- are kept by the state.

These court records will likely include a marriage license, which is required in order to marry someone, as well as divorce records. Some states choose to seal divorce court records if criminal activity was involved -- such as abuse.

Traffic Accidents

Much like marriage records, traffic accidents are used for consensus reasons and are kept on record at the state level -- although some states might not release this information in certain cases. These court records can be helpful when making claims as a result of traffic accidents and can reveal the type of person you are dealing with.

If you wish to view someone’s traffic accident history, you can do so by requesting these court records at the County Clerk’s office. You can also save time by performing a search right here on our website!

Foreclosures

When people struggle to pay their monthly mortgage, they could see their home go up for foreclosure. This is a process that involves the lender -- the bank in most cases -- selling the property in order to get their money back. A foreclosure can be an embarrassing and stressful time for anyone, which makes sense why many people like to hide that information.

Foreclosures typically involve a court judgment, which means it can be found in various court records. These records are accessible to the public in most cases and can show up on your public record.

Evictions

When your home goes up for foreclosure, it will often lead to an eviction. These can also be found in court records unless it was a domestic situation that involved being kicked out by your friend or sister.

When living with new roommates, residing in college, or moving into a new neighborhood, it could be beneficial to view the type of people you’ll be living with and around. Evictions can be a result of non-payment or non-compliance with the contract or agreement in place.

Bankruptcies

There could be several reasons why someone might file bankruptcy. Unemployment, unexpected medical expenses, issues with a marriage, and misuse of funds can often lead to this, adding to the embarrassing and stressful situations that occur in many people’s lives.

Bankruptcies are included in federal court records, not state records, but they can still be accessible to the public-at-large. Bankruptcy records can include the value of your assets, the trustee that was assigned, claims by creditors, and any money that might’ve been exchanged in the process can all be viewable in most federal court records.

Liens

Liens can be confusing. In simple terms, liens can be placed on your property if you owe money to creditors, lenders, or the government for taxes -- state or federal. When a lien is issued, it must go through the state or federal court and will be included in a person’s court records.

Knowing if there are any liens placed on a property before deciding to purchase can save you from massive headaches down the road. Often times, properties with a lien on it can’t be sold until that lien is taken off -- making it difficult to sell or buy that property.

Arrest Records

Although not all arrests are found in court records, many of them are and can give you a sense of someone’s criminal history. This can include traffic violations, drug possession, and theft.

It should be noted that court records won’t release the outcome of the arrest. Many people are arrested due to false accusations, by accident, or simply taken in as a suspect to later be released. Arrest records can give you an overview, but they won’t give you the whole story.

How To Find Court Records

Court records, whether held by the state, federal, or local governments, are accessible to the public in most cases. Although you won’t be able to find confidential and extremely sensitive information, you can receive some hefty details linked to the person you’re searching for including marriage records, traffic accidents, arrest records, property history, and much more.

These records are rather easy to obtain, with only the first and last name of the person needed to begin. If you want to narrow down your search, you can enter a city and state -- this information is not required, though.

You should make sure that you are searching for these records with the right intentions, as you might find some shocking information about people you thought you knew well.

Public Records Reviews has all of the tools and resources necessary to get this search underway. Navigate to the search engine boxes located on our website to get started today!