This policy explains how we check official sources, handle updates, review corrections, and reduce the risk of broken links or outdated public record guidance.
Why source verification matters
Public court record access depends on the correct source. The wrong county, wrong court division, outdated portal, or unofficial lookup page can waste time and create confusion. That is why our workflow is built around official sources and manual review wherever possible.
Official record sources can include a clerk of court, county court, state judiciary website, municipal court, probate court, family court, traffic court, appellate court, bankruptcy court, federal district court, PACER, state records repository, court forms page, or government contact directory.
What we manually check
We check whether a link points to a court, clerk, state judiciary, county, federal, PACER, or official government source rather than a misleading page.
We review whether the page is about the correct court level, county office, clerk division, court system, or record department.
Where listed, public phone numbers, contact pages, help desks, and office instructions are reviewed for consistency with official pages.
When address or map details are included, we aim to verify that they match official office information and are not confused with a different court branch.
We check whether the guide correctly separates docket search, certified copies, archived files, payment portals, transcript requests, and clerk contact routes.
We add warnings about sealed records, juvenile records, identity matching, FCRA, certified copies, and legal advice limitations where needed.
Update cycle and correction process
Court websites can change without notice. A clerk may move to a new domain, a state may replace an online case search system, a portal may change login rules, or office hours may change because of holidays, emergencies, staffing, weather, or court administration updates.
A correction can come from our editorial team, a reader, an official office, or a routine review of important pages.
Before changing a page, we look for a supporting official court, clerk, county, state, federal, or judiciary source.
If the correction is confirmed, we update the link, wording, office note, record task, safety warning, or contact instructions.
If a requested change cannot be verified, we may keep the current wording, add a caution note, or ask for a better official source.
Source reliability levels
| Source type | How we treat it | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| Official court or clerk page | Highest priority when it is current and relevant. | Case search, certified copy instructions, record request forms, court address. |
| State judiciary or government page | High priority for statewide portals, court directories, rules, and forms. | State case search, appellate dockets, court locator, self-help resources. |
| PACER or U.S. Courts page | High priority for federal court records and official PACER access guidance. | Federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate case records. |
| Third-party directory | Used cautiously and not treated as final authority. | Only for discovery support, never final contact or legal instructions. |
Limits of verification
Even with manual checking, no informational website can guarantee real-time accuracy for every court, clerk, phone line, office hour, portal, docket entry, case status, or record update. Official records may change after new filings, hearings, orders, appeals, corrections, redactions, sealing, expungement, or administrative processing.