PACER — Public Access to Court Electronic Records

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the federal judiciary’s online system for accessing court documents. Every federal case — including yours — has its filings, docket entries, and orders stored in PACER. It’s the single most important research tool for a pro se litigant who wants to see how real cases actually play out.

What You Can Find

• Docket sheets — the full timeline of every filing in a case
• Complaints, motions, briefs, and orders — the actual documents filed by both sides and the court
• Judge assignments — who’s handling the case
• Case outcomes — how the case ended (dismissed, settled, verdict)

This means you can look up every § 1983 case filed in your district, read the complaints that survived a motion to dismiss, see what arguments worked at summary judgment, and study how your specific judge rules.

What It Costs

PACER charges $0.10 per page to view or download documents. That adds up fast when briefs run 30-50 pages. However:

• Your first $30 per quarter is free. If your charges stay under $30 in a calendar quarter, you won’t be billed. That’s enough to pull a lot of docket sheets and targeted documents.
• Docket sheets are often the most valuable part — they’re usually just a few pages and give you the full picture of how a case progressed.
• Opinions and orders are often free through other sources (see below).

How to Sign Up

1. Go to pacer.uscourts.gov{:target=“_blank” rel=“noopener”}
2. Click “Register for an Account”
3. Follow the steps — you’ll need basic identification information
4. Once registered, you can search any federal court in the country

Free Alternatives

You don’t always need to pay PACER prices:

CourtListener{:target=“_blank” rel=“noopener”} — Run by the Free Law Project. Has millions of federal court opinions searchable for free. Also runs the RECAP Archive (see below). This is often the best starting point.

RECAP{:target=“_blank” rel=“noopener”} — A free browser extension that automatically saves PACER documents you purchase to a public archive, and shows you when documents are already available for free. Install it before you start using PACER. Every document you pull helps the next person.

Google Scholar{:target=“_blank” rel=“noopener”} — Has a “Case law” search that covers many federal and state court opinions for free. Good for finding cases, but doesn’t have the full docket or non-opinion filings.

Court websites — Some district courts post opinions directly on their websites. Check your court’s site before paying PACER.

How to Use PACER for Your Case

Research your judge

Look up other § 1983 cases assigned to your judge. Read their orders on motions to dismiss and summary judgment. Every judge has patterns — some grant qualified immunity readily, others scrutinize it carefully. Knowing your judge’s tendencies helps you tailor your arguments.

Study similar cases in your district

Search for § 1983 cases against the same defendant (your city or police department). You may find prior lawsuits alleging similar misconduct — which can support a Monell claim or show a pattern of violations. You might also find complaints that survived dismissal, giving you a template for how to plead your claims.

Monitor your own case

Once your case is filed, use PACER to track filings. You’ll get notices from the court’s CM/ECF system, but PACER lets you see the actual documents. Don’t rely solely on mail — electronic filings appear on PACER immediately.

Find expert declarations and discovery disputes

Other cases’ filings can show you what kind of expert testimony courts accepted, how discovery disputes were resolved, and what evidence was deemed relevant. This is gold when preparing your own discovery requests.

PACER vs. CM/ECF

You’ll see both terms. PACER is for reading — it’s the public access portal. CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case Filing) is for filing — it’s how attorneys and pro se litigants submit documents to the court electronically. When you file your case, you’ll likely get a CM/ECF account for your specific court. PACER lets you search across all federal courts nationwide.

Pro Tip: RECAP Everything

Install the RECAP browser extension{:target=“_blank” rel=“noopener”} before you start using PACER. It does two things:

1. Saves you money — shows you when a document is already in the RECAP archive so you don’t have to pay for it
2. Helps everyone — automatically uploads documents you purchase to the free public archive

Every pro se litigant using RECAP makes the system more accessible for the next person. It’s one of the easiest ways to contribute to the civil rights community while doing your own research.