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Direct answer
For New York public court records, identify the court type first. Use eCourts for available case information and NYSCEF guest search for public e-filed Supreme Court documents, then request missing or official records from the Clerk of Court or County Clerk that holds the case.
Match the New York record to the system that actually holds it
Online court systems
- eCourts routes to court-specific search products.
- NYSCEF guest search can expose public e-filed Supreme Court documents.
- Useful for identifying a case, status and available electronic material.
Court or County Clerk
- Holds the case record for requests outside online coverage.
- Needed when the court is not included in the online product.
- Provides the correct record route when an official copy rather than case information is required.
New York routing clues before you search
| Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Court type | Supreme, local civil, criminal, family and surrogate matters use different systems. |
| County or court location | Determines which clerk owns the physical or official record. |
| Index, docket or file number | Strongest bridge between an online match and a clerk request. |
| Document status | Check whether the item is an e-filed public document or a record that must be requested from the clerk. |
A New York court-case request is different from an agency FOIL request
New York’s guidance separates requests for court records from requests for agency administrative material. If the goal is a pleading, order, judgment or another item in a case file, the Clerk of Court or County Clerk holding that file is the relevant route. Treating a court case as a generic FOIL request can send the researcher to the wrong process.
The same source distinction helps when an eCourts search does not return the expected matter. Coverage varies by court, so first identify the court type and location. If the case is in a system such as NYSCEF, inspect the public electronic documents there. If not, use the court locator and the record-owning clerk rather than concluding that the case is unavailable.
Build a New York case-record trail that can be verified
1
Identify the court familyDetermine whether the matter belongs to Supreme Court, local civil/criminal, Family Court or Surrogate’s Court.2
Use the matching electronic searchLocate the case in eCourts or, for e-filed Supreme Court matters, use NYSCEF guest search.3
Capture the court and case identifierRecord the county, court and index or docket number before requesting anything.4
Ask the record-owning clerk for missing or official materialUse the Clerk of Court or County Clerk that actually holds the case file.