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To follow a federal lawsuit, find the court handling it, search that court’s PACER docket, and check whether the court offers an RSS feed or another public alert service. PACER is the official source for federal docket information; CourtListener’s RECAP archive and alerts can help you discover activity, but confirm important filings on the court’s docket. PACER does not provide a universal email alert subscription for every public observer.
Find the court and case
Federal cases are filed in a particular district, bankruptcy, or appellate court. If you know which court is handling the case, search that court directly. If you do not know the court, start with the PACER Case Locator, the nationwide index. PACER explains that individual court information updates immediately, while the national index updates daily, so a recently filed case may take longer to appear in the locator. PACER: Find a Case
- Register for PACER. PACER requires an account to access federal court records online. Records are available at all hours, subject to system availability. PACER
- Open the likely court’s case search. Use the PACER Court CM/ECF Lookup to locate the court’s site. If you are unsure which court to choose, search the Case Locator instead. PACER Court CM/ECF Lookup
- Search by case number when possible. Otherwise, search by a party’s name in the likely court, or use the nationwide locator if the court is unknown. A case number is usually the most direct way to narrow a search.
- Open the docket report. The docket is the chronological record of filings and court events. Review its entries, then open a document link when one is available. The PACER manual notes that an entry without a link may require you to request the document from the clerk’s office. PACER User Manual
Choose an alert method
Alerts vary by court and service. A PACER account lets you access court records; it does not automatically enroll every member of the public in email notices whenever a case changes.
| Option | Coverage and timing | Cost and access | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court-specific PACER/CM/ECF search | Official court information; PACER describes specific-court information as updated immediately. | PACER charges may apply; document access depends on the docket entry. | Confirming the official docket and accessing source filings. |
| Court RSS feed | Available only when the court provides a feed; sends notices of docket activity. | The feed is free; opening linked material may require PACER access. | Receiving passive updates from a court that offers RSS. |
| CourtListener/RECAP alerts and archive | Depends on material collected for the RECAP archive; it is not a guarantee of immediate or complete coverage. | The cited service pages describe free research and alert access; features or limits may change. | Supplemental discovery and convenient alerts. |
Check for a court RSS feed
Use the Court CM/ECF Lookup to find the court and see whether it offers an RSS feed. PACER says some courts provide free feeds with summarized docket text and links to new case activity. Availability is court-specific, and a link from an alert may still require PACER login. PACER: How can I receive case alerts using an RSS feed?
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Distinguish public alerts from party notices
CM/ECF filing notices are not the same as a public RSS subscription. PACER’s filing FAQ describes email notices sent to registered participants when documents are filed. Qualifying party recipients receive one free look at the linked document within 15 days. That does not mean any member of the public receives those notices merely by creating a PACER account. PACER filing FAQ
Some courts offer other court-specific tools. For example, the Fourth Circuit lets registered public interested parties request filing notices through its “Notice for Cases of Interest” utility. This is a Fourth Circuit option, not a standard feature across federal courts. Fourth Circuit: Notice for Cases of Interest
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Use CourtListener/RECAP as a supplement
CourtListener provides searchable RECAP materials and docket alerts. RECAP is populated from PACER content collected by users, so an alert or archive result is a useful lead, not proof that every filing is present or that the archive is current. Check consequential activity against the official docket. CourtListener Help
Understand PACER fees before searching
On its pricing page accessed in 2026, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts lists PACER fees of $0.10 per page for covered searches, reports, and documents, with a $3.00 cap per document for documents such as docket reports. Search fees are based on pages generated, including searches that return no matches. Some report types and transcripts have no maximum. Users are billed quarterly when charges for the prior quarter exceed $30; charges of $30 or less are waived. PACER pricing
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- Search by case number when you have it, and use docket report filters to reduce billable results.
- PACER lists specific free-access circumstances, including court opinions, courthouse access, certain notices to parties, and court-approved fee exemptions.
- The pricing page announced a temporary fee increase effective January 1, 2027. Check the official schedule for the rate that applies when you use PACER, particularly after that date.
When a case does not appear or a document is missing
- Try the filing court directly. The nationwide Case Locator updates daily, so it may lag information on a specific court’s system.
- Check the case number and spelling. A case number or party-name variation can change search results. Filters can also narrow a docket report unexpectedly.
- Ask the clerk about an entry without a document link. The docket may show that an event occurred even when the document is not available for self-service download.
- Contact the court where the case may have been filed if you cannot identify it. PACER directs users who cannot locate a case to contact the likely court. PACER: Find a Case
Do not treat alerts as proof of a deadline
A docket alert is a monitoring aid, not legal advice or representation. A third-party alert may arrive late or omit material, and an official court docket can change as proceedings continue. If a filing affects a deadline or legal obligation, confirm the docket and consult a qualified lawyer about what the entry means for your situation.
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