CourtView Online Information

Search for Trial Court Cases (Return to CourtView Search)

Problems with CourtView Online Access

Cautions: Important!

Currency of Information | Verify Identity | Felony Convictions | Types of Cases Included | Dates Included

Currency of Information

Information appears on-line as soon as it is entered into the case management system. The clerks try to keep the system up-to-date, but some information may not be entered until several days after the event occurred.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Verify Identity

Do not assume that a person listed in this database is the person you are looking for without at least confirming that the date of birth is the same. The court system cautions employers, credit agencies, and others to verify identity before taking any adverse action against a person whose name appears in this database. Additional identifying information may be available in the case file. To request a copy of documents from the case file, contact the court in which the matter was filed.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Felony Convictions

Do not assume that a defendant was convicted of a felony based on the case type that appears on the Search Result screen and on the Case Summary screen. The case type only reflects the charges that appeared in the original charging document. If the original charging document included any felony charges, the case will be listed as a felony (either “District Court Felony” or “Superior Court Felony”), even if all the charges were eventually reduced to misdemeanors or dismissed.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Types of Cases Included

Information about confidential cases is not available on-line. For information about a confidential case, contact the court where the case was filed. Confidential case types include: Delinquency, CINA (Child in Need of Aid), Adoption, Mental Commitment, Alcohol Commitment, Emancipation, Medical Emergency, and Minor Settlement.

Information about cases that have been appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court or the Alaska Court of Appeals is available on the Appellate Courts Case Management System website.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Dates Included / Historical Cases

There is no comprehensive case information available for any trial court location before 1990. Some courts enter older case information into the database on an ongoing basis, so your search results may include matters from the 1980s and 1970s, but you should not assume that all the cases from those years are included in the Index. Contact each court for complete information about cases before 1990.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Searching & Navigation

Search Screen Information

There are three tabs for choosing the type of search.  Searching by case number is the default; choose another tab to search by name, or by ticket/citation number.

At the top of the search screen, you can select the Number of Results you want to display per page. Access to any additional pages is available at the bottom right corner of the screen.

The maximum number of records that will be returned for any given search is 500 cases. To view all cases involving a party with more than 500 cases, you must enter additional search parameters, such as searching by date ranges.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

How to Enter Case Number

When entering a case number, you must use leading zeroes. The sequence number must be 5-digits. Dashes are required

For example: 3AN-12-00001CR

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Searching for Party Names

To find all public cases about an individual:

1. Search for multiple spellings.
2. Suggest you use first initial. Search by common nicknames (for example, Bob for Robert).
3. If you are not sure about the entire spelling of a last name, search on the first part of the name. For example: You can search on “Christ” for Christensen, Christiansen, Christianson etc.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Searching for Companies

To find all public cases about a company, you need to do three separate searches:

1. Enter the first word of the company name in the Company Name field. Then click the SEARCH button. (If the result set is too large, try again with the first two words of the company name.)
2. To perform the second search, delete the key word from the Company Name field. Enter the same word in the Last Name field. Then click the SEARCH button.
3. To perform the third search, delete the key word from the Last Name field. Enter the same word in the First Name field. Then click the SEARCH button.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Searching for Wills

Use CourtView to search by name for wills deposited with any court in Alaska. Case numbers for wills end with a suffix of WI (example: 3AN-06-00001WI).

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Understanding Case Information

• Once you have entered the record of a case you will be on the “case detail screen”. There are two ways to navigate through case screens:
  • Scroll through the case detail screen. All information is on that screen.
  • To get to specific information, you can also click one of the tabs at the top to be taken to that section on the detail screen.
• Events: Only hearings that took place after CourtView was installed in the court are listed in the “Event” screen. Earlier hearings are listed in the docket.
• Party addresses and social security numbers are not displayed on web.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Docket Screen

The docket is a permanent, cumulative record of all proceedings in a case. Not all dockets represent documents in the case. Some dockets are descriptions of events entered in CourtView. For example: If a hearing is scheduled in CourtView, a docket is automatically created to reflect the scheduled event even though there is no document for that event.

Note: Dockets include limited information about filings and hearings that occurred before CourtView was installed in the court.

Some examples of what you may find in the docket include:

• Event information (for example: scheduled hearings and/or trial dates)
• Motions filed and the results of those motions
• Monies received for fines, restitution, bail, filing fees, and payments applied to judgments
• Judicial assignments and/or reassignments
• Documents filed in the case
• Civil judgment information
• Sentencing information

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Case Disposition vs. Charge Disposition

In criminal and minor offense cases, only charge disposition displays. Do NOT assume that the defendant was convicted on all charges. Check the disposition for each charge.

In civil and small claims cases:

• If all claims against all parties were dismissed, then case disposition will reflect that the case was dismissed.
• If one or more claims resulted in a judgment, then the case disposition will reflect that the case was disposed by a judgment.
  • Do not assume that a judgment was entered against all defendants and on behalf of all plaintiffs. For complete information on how multiple claims were disposed, check the docket or the case file.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Case Status

In CourtView, there are three case statuses:

Open: Case has been initiated and has never been closed or reopened.

Closed: Generally, a case is closed when a final disposition on the case is entered. However, there are some exceptions as explained in the case status exception section below.

Reopened: Generally, a case is reopened for the following post-judgment activity. However, there are some exceptions as explained in the exception section below.

• All case types:
  • Order Vacating or Setting Aside Judgment
  • Order for New Trial (Either after motion or appeal)
  • Appeal Decision Other than Affirmed
• Criminal:
  • Petitions to revoke probation
  • Conviction is set aside
  • Motion to correct illegal sentence
• Domestic Relations:
  • Motion to modify custody, support or visitation
  • Motion to extend child support for 18-year old
• DV & Stalking:
  • Motion to modify or dissolve long term protective order
• Estates:
  • Petition for subsequent administration

Case Status Exceptions: In CourtView, there are some functions that result in a case being closed and reopened besides the general rules listed above. These exceptions are:

1. Judicial Reassignments. In CourtView, when a case is reassigned to another judge, the case is closed and automatically reopened. The case disposition will reflect a reassignment of a judge.
   Note: Many cases are opened without being assigned to a specific judge. When the case is assigned to a specific judge, the “case disposition” will reflect “Initial Judicial Assignment”. Thereafter, reassignments will reflect a disposition of preempt, recusal or administrative reassignment.
2. Jurisdiction Change: If a case has been transferred from district court to superior court jurisdiction or vice versa, the case will be closed with a disposition showing the change in jurisdiction. The case will then be immediately reopened in the new jurisdiction.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Financial Activity

If there are fines, bail, costs or other financial activity on a case, the "Financial" and "Financial Dockets" tabs will display at the top of the case record screen. Click these tabs to view financial activity on the case. These tabs do not display if there is no financial activity on a case.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Cost, Due Dates, "Adjusted" Amounts, and Other Financial Activity

Costs include such things as:

• Filing fees
• Miscellaneous monies paid to the court for copies, etc.
• Bail
• Cash Bonds
• Fines
• Surcharges
• Restitution
• Other monetary judgment amounts entered in criminal cases (cost of imprisonment, cost of appointed counsel)
• Monies collected and released in civil and small claims cases.

Financial information for a case is available by clicking the Financial Dockets tab at the top of case detail screen. The Financial Dockets listing includes costs on a case, amounts that have been adjusted, the adjustment reason and the balance due to the court.

The term “adjusted” means that the cost is no longer due to be paid to the court. However, if a cost has been "adjusted" there may still be a balance due payable to the state or city collections office. The “adjusted reason” will reflect if a cost has been transferred for collection. To determine why a cost has been adjusted: (1) Click the Financial tab; (2) hover over the (i) icon next to the amount adjusted. The adjusted reason will display.

If the adjustment reason is "Transferred for Collections," contact the state or city collections office to make payments or for information.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Other Information

Deciphering Case Numbers | Court Location Prefixes | Case File Suffixes | Case Types | Historical Cases | Requesting Copies of Court Records | Reporting Errors to Records | Reporting Technical Difficulties

CourtView Conversion Dates: the date each court started using the CourtView database

Deciphering Case Numbers

A case number is made up of four parts:

3PA - 98 - 01234CI
/       |        \            \
1         2       3          4

1. The prefix tells you the judicial district and court.
   Alaska has four judicial districts. A map of the judicial districts is available on the court's website.
   In this example, 3PA stands for Third Judicial District, Palmer. A complete list of court location prefixes is provided below.
2. This number is the year the case was filed with the court.
   In the example above, the case was filed in 1998. Paper documents for some older criminal case numbers may also have a letter before the year (S,C,M, or B); however, the letter has been removed in all electronic court case records and should not be included when searching for a court case.
3. This number is the next available number in the sequence of cases filed that year.
   In this example, this case was the 1234th case filed in 1998.
4. The suffix tells you the general category of the case.
   In the above example, CI stands for Civil. A complete list of case suffixes is provided below. Case suffixes change over time. For example, domestic violence cases used to have a separate suffix of DV; today they are assigned a CI suffix. If you do not get a satisfactory result when searching for a domestic relations or domestic violence case number filed prior to 1995, try searching on the case number using the following suffixes: DV, DR, and CI.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Court Location Prefixes

* These locations were changed from the Second to the Fourth Judicial District in 2002. Cases filed in these locations before 2002 will have a "2" instead of a "4" in their prefix.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Case File Suffixes

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Case Types

Case type refers to the breakdown of different kinds of cases. For example, traffic, civil, divorces, dissolutions, probate, small claims and criminal etc. Confidential cases are not available through web access. Parties to a confidential case may only access file information at the courthouse and may be required to produce identification in order to view the file.

Examples of confidential cases include:

• All children’s proceedings (Delinquency and Child In Need of Aid cases)
• Adoptions
• Alcohol Commitments
• Mental Commitments
• Emancipation
• Most other probate cases types except estates and protective proceedings

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Requesting Copies of Court Records

Requests for copies of case files should be submitted in writing to the records department or clerk of court where the case was filed. You may submit your request in person or by mail to the court. Only the Anchorage court accepts requests by email. Email requests for copies are not accepted at other court locations. A complete list of Alaska Court System contact information is available on our website.

Your written request for copies should include:

• the names of the parties
• the case number
• the case type (for example: civil, criminal, probate, small claims)
• your name
• your address
• your phone number

Please use request form TF-311 ANCH to make a request for copies of Anchorage case files.

Most court records are available for public inspection. Copies are 25¢ per page. A certified copy of a document is $5.00. There is a $15.00 per hour research fee. A deposit may be required on some copy requests.

Records in some proceedings, such as juvenile matters, are confidential and only parties to the case are allowed access to the file.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Questions About Case Records / Reporting Errors to Records

For questions about a case record, or if you believe a record in the database contains a factual error, please contact the court location where the matter was filed. Court System hours are 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday. Alaska is one hour behind the west coast.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Reporting Technical Difficulties

The Information Services Help Desk can not provide information about case records. For questions about a case record, or if you believe a record in the database contains a factual error, please contact the court location where the matter was filed.

Court System hours are 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday. Alaska is one hour behind the west coast.

If you are experiencing computer technical difficulties with the court case search website, contact:

Alaska Court System
IS Help Desk
907-264-8212

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Where to Post Bail

Outside Court Hours:

• Bail may be posted only at the JAIL where the defendant is being held.

During Court Hours:

• Bail may be posted at either the JAIL where defendant is located or at any COURT.

Form of Payment: Check with the jail or court to find out what form of payment is accepted (cash only, money orders only, credit card, etc.)

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Problems with CourtView Online Access

There are several problems with the new e-access application. We have notified our vendor, CourtView Justice Solutions (CJS), of the following problems:

• Mobile Devices: Some mobile devices users experience problems accessing the Search page on Web CourtView. Possible fix: Try using another browser, such as Chrome or Firefox. iPhone 4S users reported Chrome worked for them and Nexus 7 users reported Firefox worked for them.
• Attorney Phone Number: Attorney fax numbers are displayed instead of phone numbers. Attorney mailing addresses are correct in the court’s version of CourtView, but fax numbers are displaying on the web. CJS is working on this problem.
• Dismissed Party in Civil Cases: The case detail page does not list when a party has been dismissed and the date of dismissal. CJS confirms that they are working to fix this problem.
• Case Caption: The case caption does not display on the case record. CJS confirms that they are working to fix this problem.

Return to CourtView Search
Return to top

Rev. 7 March 2013 © Alaska Court System www.courts.alaska.gov webmaster@courts.state.ak.us

You'll need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view and print documents with this symbol. If you are using a screen reader, get support and information at the Adobe Access website.