Rhode Island Court Docket Search

A Rhode Island court docket search is the process of searching through the public records of court cases in the state of Rhode Island. Court docket searches are important for several reasons: public access and transparency, legal research, case tracking, background checks, and media reporting. To perform a Rhode Island court docket search, interested members of the public can use the Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal or visit the clerk's office at the relevant court. Pursuant to the provisions of Rhode Island public records law, dockets, and Rhode Island court records may be deemed public unless otherwise specified by law or judicial order. To search a court docket, the inquirer will be required to provide basic case information with which to facilitate the search.

What is a Court Docket in Rhode Island?

Court Dockets are entries of the proceedings of a court and the register containing the proceedings and the office containing the particular register containing the proceedings of a court. They are official summaries of legal proceedings that occur in a court of law. They are similar to the minutes of non-legal meetings. In fact, some states in the U.S. refer to Court Dockets as clerk's minutes. Court Dockets, by extension, also means a schedule of cases awaiting legal action in a court. Court Dockets in Rhode Island applies particularly to courts in Rhode Island. Each case that is presented to a court in Rhode Island gets a docket number. Under the docket number, the particulars of the case are filed.

Are Court Dockets Public Record in Rhode Island?

Yes. Court Dockets are considered public records across all states in the U.S. The Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act of 1979 allows citizens and residents of Rhode Island to check and copy court records. The law was amended in 1991, 1998, and 2008. As a result, most Court Dockets can be accessed on paper and electronically by anyone. Courts store their dockets online through a system known as the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF). Interested members of the public can access these files through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, popularly known by its acronym, PACER. Access to PACER is paid. The user's fees are broken down at Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule.

In Rhode Island particularly, court information can be found at the Courts website. The exceptions to the publicness of Court Dockets are Sealed Documents, Closed Hearings and Expungements.

Sealed Documents are documents that are redacted from the Court Dockets. This means that while the rest of the Court Docket will be accessible to the public, the sealed documents will be blacked out. With written Court Dockets, the court clerk marks the file with "File Under Seal". Documents are mostly sealed due to their sensitive nature. This may include documents that contain information about national security, trade secrets or birth records in cases dealing with determination of adoption or paternity. Also, some documents in criminal cases are sealed to protect the victim(s), the defendant(s) or the witness(es), to safeguard the confidentiality of ongoing investigations or to protect the identity of minors. Sometimes, instead of sealing documents, terms in them could be referred to using pseudonyms or anonyms. The terms affected are usually the Social Security number, Taxpayer Identification Number, birthday, bank accounts, and children’s names and the like. This is common with cases involving juveniles.

What Do Court Dockets Contain in Rhode Island?

Typically, Rhode Island court dockets comprise the following information:

Case number: A unique identifier assigned to each case that assists in the tracking and location of court documents.
Names of the involved parties: Plaintiffs, defendants, and attorneys involved in the case are listed.
The specific court where the case is being heard, such as the Superior Court, District Court, or Family Court of Rhode Island.
Judge information: The assigned judge's name.
Date of filing: The date the case was initially submitted to the court.
Case type: The essence of the case, including civil, criminal, estate planning, and family law.
In criminal proceedings, the specific accusations against the defendant are detailed. In civil cases, the plaintiff's or plaintiffs' claims are described.
Observing dates: Scheduled court proceedings, trials, and other court appearances.
Court minutes are concise summaries of what transpired during court appearances, including the judge's rulings, orders, opinions and other actions.
Briefs and motions: The documents submitted by the parties, including complaints, responses, motions, and other filings.
Court orders and judgments: Rulings, orders, and judgments issued by the court, such as granting or denying motions, granting temporary or permanent relief, or rendering the case's final decision.

Where to Find a Court Docket in Rhode Island

Rhode Island court dockets can either be found in the courthouses or online. Interested members of the public could walk up to the clerk's office in the courthouse of the particular county or the sheriff's office, or the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), which can be found in the capital city of Providence. There, the searcher will ask for the Court Docket of a particular case. Inquirers should have the docket number, a valid government ID card, and fee to facilitate the search.

Alternatively, Rhode Island court dockets can be located online through the Courts RI website. More generally, cases can be found at Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) or RECAP (PACER reversed). Another way to access Court Dockets is through third-party websites, which can be found online. Some of these are paid, while others are free.

How to Conduct a Rhode Island Court Docket Search

To perform a Rhode Island court docket search, the inquirer will need to know the court where the case was heard. Once confirmed, they may visit the appropriate clerk's office with the docket number of the case in question, the fees required, and a valid government ID card. They will then be provided access to a self-service terminal, where they can search by case number or docket number, name of attorney, name of parties involved, and other filters.

Court docket searches may also be performed through Courts RI. If the case in question is a criminal case, inquirers can contact:

Oregon Bureau of Criminal Investigation
150 South Main Street,
Providence, RI 02903

Inquirers can also opt to use third-party online websites. However, aggregate sites provide this service for a fee.

What is a Court Docket Number in Rhode Island?

Docket numbers are the numbers that are assigned to individual cases upon filing, whether handwritten or electronic. It is the court’s tracking number for each case. The docket number assigned to each case must appear on all papers or files related to the case. They are usually composed of a number or letter indicating the type of court, then a two digit number indicating the year, then CR or cr for criminal cases, CV or cv for civil cases, and lastly, the judge's initials. For instance, the docket number for criminal case number one thousandth, assigned to court number two and Honorable George Fleming in the year 2023 would be 2:23-cr-1000-GF. Another variant excludes the judge's initials. For instance, the docket number for the case of USA v. Ferrer filed in a Rhode Island District Court is 1:23-cr-00015. The 1 indicates that it is a First District court, 23, a short form of 2023, the year, cr means criminal case and 00015 means that it is the fifteenth case in that court for the present year.

A docket number is the most unique way by which a person can search for a Court Docket. This is because while two or more cases may share the same name of parties or the name of attorneys, no two cases share the same docket number.

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Rhode Island

If the searcher does not have the docket number for the particular case, they can still proceed to the clerk's office or the court administrator's office to find out. This means, however, that the searcher has to possess other information about the case such as the date or its approximate, the name of the parties involved or the name of the attorney(s). The searcher will be required to pay a token for the service.

An alternative way to find a docket number in Rhode Island is to use the public portal of Rhode Island's courts page. The searcher has to register an account on the page. As with the first option above, the searcher must also have the full name of the parties involved in the case.

Another way to look for docket numbers is by using third-party websites online. Some of these allow searches to be run using some filters or variables to produce the Court Docket with the docket number on it.