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Accessing Case Information

  1. Courthouse Public Terminals

  2. The courthouses in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, and Missoula have at least one computer terminal available for use by members of the public to access case information.  These public terminals do not allow the downloading or printing of documents or dockets.  Please see the clerk's office for help in obtaining paper copies of any case information and consult with the court's Fee Schedule for information on charges associated with paper copies.

  3. Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)

  4. Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from individual federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts.  You can contact the PACER Service Center at www.pacer.uscourts.gov for registration information about obtaining a PACER account.  The PACER Locator has the ability to search across multiple court units.  PACER is provided by the Federal Judiciary in keeping with its commitment to providing public access to court information via a centralized service.  Registration for a Pacer account is available at PACER Registration.  PACER can also be used to view case information or documents at PACER Case Information Search.

  5. National Archives & Records Administration

  6. Case records filed before 2004 are maintained at the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) in Denver, Colorado.  Fees will apply to retrieve the documents.  Please visit our Fee Schedule for information on the costs.  You can contact the Clerk's Office at (406) 542-7260 to check on the location of the file.  If the case was archived, the records department can work with you to obtain copies.

  1. E-Government/Written Opinions

  2. The E-Government Act of 2002, defines “written opinion” as, “any document issued by a judge or judges of the court, sitting in that capacity, that sets forth a reasoned explanation for a court’s decision.”  In compliance with the policy of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the E-Government Act of 2002, all Written Opinions issued by the Judges of the District of Montana are available through PACER, and may be downloaded at no charge.