PACER Case Locator (PCL)

aid: pacer-case-locator-pcl-
name: PACER Case Locator (PCL)
description: The PACER Case Locator (PCL) is a nationwide index of federal court cases. The public PCL API allows users to
  programmatically search the PCL for federal cases across U.S. district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts using the same
  search functionality and dataset as the PCL web application.
type: Index
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
- Courts
- Federal Cases
- Government
- Legal
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/pacer-case-locator-pcl-/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2024-11-20'
modified: '2026-04-28'
position: Consumer
access: 3rd-Party
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: pacer-case-locator-pcl-:pacer-case-locator-pcl-
  name: PACER Case Locator (PCL) API
  description: The PACER Case Locator (PCL) API allows users to programmatically search the nationwide index of federal court
    cases for U.S. district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts.
  humanURL: https://pacer.uscourts.gov/file-case/developer-resources
  tags:
  - Courts
  - Federal Cases
  - Legal
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://pacer.uscourts.gov/file-case/developer-resources
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://pacer.uscourts.gov/help/pacer/pacer-authentication-api-user-guide
  - type: Contact
    url: mailto:developers@psc.uscourts.gov
common:
- type: Website
  url: https://pacer.uscourts.gov
- type: Documentation
  url: https://pacer.uscourts.gov/file-case/developer-resources
- type: Contact
  url: mailto:developers@psc.uscourts.gov
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com