# Court Records (US only)

#### API Authentication

Before using the PEP trace API, you must authenticate by logging in and obtaining an access token. Include this token in the `Authorization` header of your request.

### Court Records

he Court Records API enables a comprehensive nationwide search across hundreds of millions of United States court cases, lawsuits, and patents. This endpoint provides unparalleled coverage, including **100x more cases than Google Scholar** and **10x more than PACER**, the federal judiciary’s official system.

#### Comprehensive Court and Patent Search

* **Court Records**: Access federal, state, and county-level civil and criminal cases.
* **U.S. Patents**: Full-text search of **8.1 million patents** filed between 1/1/1976 and 07/01/2022.
* **Extended Results**: Retrieve up to **500,000 results** per query instead of the standard 2,000.

#### Common Case Volumes

Example keyword searches return vast volumes, such as:

* **Murder**: 926K cases
* **Fraud**: 2.1 million cases
* **Burglary**: 3.7 million cases
* **Assault**: 8.2 million cases

#### Required Parameters

Include these parameters in your JSON request:

| Parameter   | Data Type | Required | Description                                                                                |
| ----------- | --------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `key`       | string    | Yes      | Your API key.                                                                              |
| `lookupId`  | integer   | Yes      | Subscription-specific identifier. Retrieve valid IDs via `/request-monitor/lookupid-list`. |
| `keyphrase` | string    | Yes      | Search term (e.g., name, patent keyword, or case type).                                    |

#### Example Request

To execute the SSN trace method using cURL, use the sample request below. Replace the placeholder values as needed:

```bash
curl -X 'POST' \
  'https://irbis.espysys.com/api/developer/compliance_screening/court_records' \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "key": "<Your_API_Key>",
    "lookupId": <Your_Lookup_ID>,
    "keyphrase": "Donald Trump"
  }'
```

#### Understanding the Response

After submitting a request, you’ll receive a response with a unique `id` to track progress:

```
{
  "id": 509123,
  "status": "progress",
  "message": "Results will be available soon. Use API to retrieve data."
}
```

## Request Response Data

<https://irbis.espysys.com/api/request-monitor/api-usage/{id}?key={API> key}

Request to get a lookup data of a request with an id.

"id" parameter has to be passed in the path of a request - ID of a request to get lookup data for.

#### Example Path Variables

* **id**: The unique identifier for the request you wish to look up.
* **API key**: Your specific API key for authentication purposes.

#### CURL Example

```bash
curl -X 'GET' \
'https://irbis.espysys.com/api/request-monitor/api-usage/<id>?key=<API_Key>' \
-H 'accept: application/json'
```

Replace `<id>` with the request ID you are querying and `<API_Key>` with your actual API key.

#### Notes

* **Lookup IDs**: Your subscription plan determines available `lookupId` values. Use the `/request-monitor/lookupid-list` endpoint to list valid IDs.
* **Rate Limits**: Large result sets may take time to process. Poll the `api-usage` endpoint periodically.

## Search Response Schema

```json
{
  "criteria": "string",
  "type": "court_records",
  "status": "finished",
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "court_records"
    }
  ],
  "data": [
    {
      "case_style": {
        "plaintiff": {
          "first_name": "string",
          "middle_name": "string | null",
          "last_name": "string",
          "suffix": "string | null",
          "party_type": "string",
          "party_association": "string | null"
        },
        "defendants": [
          {
            "first_name": "string | null",
            "last_name": "string",
            "suffix": "string | null",
            "party_type": "string",
            "party_association": "string | null"
          }
        ]
      },
      "filing_date": "YYYY-MM-DD",
      "division_name": "string",
      "case_status": "string",
      "docket": [
        {
          "docket_number": "integer",
          "effective_date": "YYYY-MM-DD",
          "description": "string",
          "notes": "string [Sanitized]"
        }
      ],
      "type": "dict"
    },
    {
      "case_summary": {
        "case_no": "string",
        "style": "string [Redacted Names]",
        "case_type": "string",
        "date_filed": "YYYY-MM-DD",
        "location": "string",
        "party_information": {
          "petitioner": {
            "name": "string [Redacted]",
            "attorney": "string",
            "address": {
              "street": "string [Generic Placeholder]",
              "city": "string",
              "state": "ST",
              "zip_code": "XXXXX"
            }
          },
          "respondents": [
            {
              "name": "string [Redacted]",
              "address": {
                "street": "string [Generic Placeholder]",
                "city": "string",
                "state": "ST",
                "zip_code": "XXXXX"
              }
            }
          ]
        },
        "events_and_orders": [
          {
            "date": "YYYY-MM-DD",
            "event": "string",
            "filed_by": "string [Redacted]",
            "file_stamp": "YYYY-MM-DD"
          }
        ]
      },
      "type": "dict"
    },
    {
      "case_information": {
        "case_number": "string",
        "plaintiff": {
          "name": "string [Redacted]",
          "attorney": "string",
          "disposition": "string"
        },
        "defendant": {
          "name": "string [Redacted]",
          "attorney": "string",
          "disposition": "string"
        },
        "case_type": "string",
        "case_status": "string",
        "file_date": "YYYY-MM-DD"
      },
      "financial_information": {
        "total_financial_assessment": "number",
        "transactions": [
          {
            "date": "YYYY-MM-DD",
            "receipt_number": "RECEIPT-XXXX",
            "amount": "number"
          }
        ]
      },
      "type": "dict"
    }
  ]
}
```


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://api-docs.espysys.com/compliance-screening/court-records-us-only.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.