Law Librarian Blog

A Quick Look at U.S. Courts Reference and Directory

U.S. Courts Reference and Directory provides an overview of trial court systems in every state and county in the United States. This site offers information about the trial court system in each state, including an overview of the types of cases handled by each court and links to online case record search services. In addition, this site offers other online resources for trial courts, as well as an extensive directory of location and contact information for almost all courts in every state and county.

The site is organized by state; for each state the directory has a page dedicated to each of the following categories :

Court Summary - page lists the types of trial courts found for each state. This page also features a chart showing which courts hear a number of common case types.

Court Types - page provides more detailed descriptions of each court type found in the state.

Courts Online - page contains links to statewide online resources including:

• case searching
• court dockets and calendars
• published opinions and orders
• self help and legal research
• legal aid and free services
• legal forms and information
• online fine payment

Court Directory - page provide access to website, location, and contact information for individual courts in each county of the state.

Specialty Courts - page provides information about courts in the state that are not listed on the county directory pages because their normal case load involves cases from more than one county.

Nicely executed site, bookmark it! [JH]

Ready Reference Tools

• Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
• Law.com Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Bartleby's Reference Collection
• How Much Is That?