canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/pacer.uscourts.gov/pacer

# Pacer Uscourts Gov PACER API

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) API for searching federal court cases and parties, authenticating users, and accessing court CM/ECF lookup data. PACER provides public access to case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District, and Bankruptcy courts. The API exposes authentication, case locator search across federal cases and parties, and CM/ECF court lookup data in JSON and XML formats.

## For AI agents

Search federal court cases by name, number, or party; authenticate PACER users; retrieve CM/ECF court lookup data for individual courts.

## Scope

Provides search and directory functions only - does not retrieve full case documents, docket sheets, or filings. Users must access CM/ECF systems directly for document downloads, which may incur PACER fees.

## Capabilities

- Search PACER Case Locator for federal cases by case name, case number, or party name
- Filter case searches by court type (appellate, bankruptcy, civil, criminal) and date range
- Authenticate PACER users via credentials to obtain session tokens for subsequent requests
- Retrieve CM/ECF court lookup data including court IDs, names, types, and URLs in JSON or XML format

## Use cases

### Legal Research Across Federal Courts

Law firms and researchers can search federal cases by party name, case name, or case number across appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. The `/api/pcl/search` endpoint accepts filters for court type, date range, and party information, returning case IDs, case names, court names, filing dates, and associated parties. Combined with CM/ECF court lookup, researchers can quickly locate relevant cases and navigate to the appropriate court system.

Example prompt: POST `/api/auth/login` with PACER credentials to obtain a token, then GET `/api/pcl/search` with query parameters for caseName, partyName, courtType, and date range, passing the token in the X-PACER-Token header.

### Automated Case Monitoring

Legal technology platforms can automate case monitoring by periodically searching for new cases involving specific parties or case types. The API returns case metadata including filing dates and party lists, enabling systems to alert attorneys when new cases appear or when parties of interest are involved in litigation. The date range filters allow incremental searches for newly filed cases.

Example prompt: Authenticate via POST `/api/auth/login`, then periodically call GET `/api/pcl/search` with partyName and dateFrom filters to detect new filings involving monitored entities.

### Court Directory Integration

Legal software applications can integrate federal court directory data by accessing the CM/ECF court lookup endpoints. These return structured data about each federal court including court IDs, names, types (appellate, district, bankruptcy), state locations, and CM/ECF URLs. This enables applications to present court information, route users to the correct CM/ECF system, or build court selection interfaces.

Example prompt: Call GET `/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup/data.json` to retrieve the full list of federal courts with their IDs, names, types, states, and CM/ECF URLs.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | `/api/auth/login` | Authenticate PACER user and obtain session token |
| GET | `/api/pcl/search` | Search PACER Case Locator for federal cases |
| GET | `/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup/data.json` | Get CM/ECF court lookup data in JSON format |

## Key resources

- **Case Locator** — Search federal cases by name, number, party, court type, and date range
- **Court Lookup** — CM/ECF court directory with court IDs, names, types, and URLs in JSON or XML
- **Authentication** — PACER user authentication for obtaining session tokens

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring PACER by hand means logging in with your loginId and password to obtain an X-PACER-Token and carrying that token on every search and lookup call. Through Jentic you install once, import the PACER API from the API Directory, store the login credentials once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** PACER takes search criteria in query parameters rather than a resource id in the URL path, so scope the agent to the operations it needs, such as searching cases by party name or fetching the CM/ECF court list. Because you choose the allowed operations, the agent only runs the searches and lookups you permit.
- **Credential handling:** Your PACER loginId and password are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance, exchanged for the session token, and injected at execution time. They never enter the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'search federal court cases by party name' or 'get the CM/ECF court list', and Jentic returns the matching PACER operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **UniCourt Enterprise APIs** — A commercial alternative to PACER for court records, delivering normalized federal and state case data, dockets, and litigation analytics via API.
- **Westlaw API** — A legal-research alternative to PACER, giving programmatic access to Westlaw case law, statutes, and court documents across jurisdictions.

## FAQ

### What authentication does the PACER API use?

The PACER API uses custom header-based authentication via the X-PACER-Token header. Users authenticate via POST `/api/auth/login` with their PACER username and password to obtain a session token, which is then passed in the X-PACER-Token header for subsequent requests. Through Jentic, credentials are stored encrypted and tokens are managed automatically.

### What federal courts does the PACER API cover?

The PACER API covers all U.S. Federal Appellate Courts, District Courts, and Bankruptcy Courts. The Case Locator search can be filtered by court type (appellate, bankruptcy, civil, criminal), and the CM/ECF court lookup returns directory data for all participating federal courts.

### Can I search for cases by party name?

Yes. The GET `/api/pcl/search` endpoint accepts a partyName query parameter to search for federal cases involving a specific party. You can combine this with other filters like courtType and date range to narrow results.

### Is the PACER API free?

The PACER API requires a PACER account, which may incur per-page fees for accessing case documents and docket sheets. However, many search and directory functions may be available at no charge or reduced fees. Check PACER's fee schedule for current pricing.

### How do I get CM/ECF court URLs through the API?

Use GET `/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup/data.json` to retrieve a list of all federal courts with their CM/ECF URLs, court IDs, names, types, and state locations. The endpoint returns structured JSON data.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the PACER API?

Yes. Because Jentic One is self-hosted and runs under your own rules, you decide which PACER operations the agent may call. You can allow only what it needs, such as searching the Case Locator by party name through GET `/api/pcl/search` or fetching the CM/ECF court list from GET `/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup/data.json`, while withholding anything else. Your stored PACER login is exchanged for the session token and injected at execution time, so the agent runs only the searches and lookups you permit and never handles the raw credentials.