Court Decisions MCP + API

What is Court Decisions MCP + API?

This Actor gives you programmatic access to court decisions from Germany, Austria, and the EU — from official open data APIs. Currently covering 115,000+ decisions from 14 courts across three jurisdictions.

Source	Country	Courts	API
NeuRIS	Germany	7 federal courts (BGH, BVerfG, etc.)	REST/JSON
RIS OGD	Austria	5 supreme/federal courts (OGH, VwGH, etc.)	SOAP/XML
EUR-Lex/CELLAR	EU	2 courts (CJEU, General Court)	SPARQL

Use it three ways: as a REST API for direct HTTP access, as an MCP Server for AI agents (Claude Desktop, Cursor), or as a standard Apify Actor to search, filter, and export case law in structured JSON.

No API key required. No scraping. Official public API access. One unified schema across all sources.

🚀 Get Started in 3 Minutes

Option A: MCP Server — Add this to your MCP client config (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "court-decisions": {
      "url": "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then ask your AI agent: "Find recent BGH decisions about data privacy", "Search Austrian OGH rulings on tenant law", or "Find CJEU judgments on consumer protection"

Option B: REST API — Call the endpoints directly from any HTTP client:

# Search decisions
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/search?query=Datenschutz&source=neuris"

# Get a specific decision by ECLI
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/decisions/ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:120324UVIZR234.23.0"

# List available courts
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/courts?jurisdiction=DE"

Option C: Apify Actor — Click Try for free above. No credit card required.

1. Choose an action: Search, Get by ECLI, or List Courts
2. Configure your parameters (optionally filter by source: neuris, ris-ogd, or eur-lex)
3. Run and download results from the Dataset tab (JSON, CSV, Excel)

🔍 What Can This Actor Do?

REST API

• 3 JSON endpoints: /api/search, /api/decisions/{ecli}, /api/courts
• Standard HTTP GET requests — works with curl, Python requests, any HTTP client
• Interactive API documentation in the Standby tab (OpenAPI 3.0)
• No special client library needed

MCP Server for AI Agents

• Connect to Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
• 3 structured tools: search_decisions, get_decision_by_ecli, list_courts
• AI-optimized response format with prioritized fields
• The only MCP server for European case law on Apify

Multi-Source Search

• Search across Germany, Austria, and the EU in a single query — or filter by source
• Retrieve individual decisions by ECLI identifier (automatic routing by jurisdiction)
• Filter by court, date range, and source
• Paginated results with configurable page size

Structured Output

• Normalized ECLI-based data model — consistent across all sources
• Full decision text, headnotes, guiding principles (Leitsaetze), operative part (Tenor)
• Court metadata, file numbers, keywords
• Every result includes a source field identifying the data origin
• Export as JSON, CSV, or Excel via Apify Dataset

Reliability

• Built-in caching (7-day TTL) for faster repeated access
• Automatic retry with progressive backoff per source
• Source-specific rate limit compliance (transparent throttling)
• Partial failure handling: if one source is down, results from other sources are still returned
• Clear warnings when a source is temporarily unavailable

👥 Who Is This For?

AI Agent Developers — Give your legal AI agent direct access to case law across jurisdictions. Use the MCP Server to let Claude, GPT, or custom agents search and cite court decisions in real time. Build RAG pipelines for legal research, compliance monitoring, or document analysis.

Legal-Tech Startups — Build legal research tools, compliance checks, or case law databases on top of structured, normalized data covering the DACH region. Use the REST API for direct integration — no special client library required. Pay-per-use pricing instead of expensive subscriptions.

Legal Researchers — Run systematic searches across courts in multiple countries. Export datasets for empirical legal studies, comparative law research, citation analysis, or NLP projects.

Compliance Officers — Monitor new court decisions relevant to your regulatory domain across Germany and Austria. Example: Track GDPR rulings from BGH and OGH by searching for "Datenschutz".

🔌 How Do I Connect as MCP Server?

Add this to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "court-decisions": {
      "url": "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Example Prompts

Try these with your AI agent:

• "Find recent BGH decisions about data privacy (Datenschutz)" → Agent calls search_decisions with query "Datenschutz" and court filter "BGH"

• "Search Austrian OGH rulings on tenant law from 2024" → Agent calls search_decisions with query "Mietrecht", source "ris-ogd", dateFrom "2024-01-01"

• "Show me the full text of ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:120324UVIZR234.23.0" → Agent calls get_decision_by_ecli — automatically routes to NeuRIS based on the ECLI country code

• "Find CJEU judgments on consumer protection from 2024" → Agent calls search_decisions with query "consumer protection", source "eur-lex", dateFrom "2024-01-01"

• "Show me the full text of ECLI:EU:C:2024:123" → Agent calls get_decision_by_ecli — automatically routes to EUR-Lex based on the ECLI country code

• "Compare how German, Austrian, and EU courts handle data protection claims" → Agent searches all three sources, retrieves decisions from BGH, OGH, and CJEU, synthesizes findings

• "Which courts are available?" → Agent calls list_courts and returns courts from all jurisdictions with source attribution

MCP Tool Reference

The MCP server exposes these 3 tools:

search_decisions

Search court decisions by keyword. Covers German federal courts (NeuRIS), Austrian courts (RIS), and EU courts including EuGH and EuG (EUR-Lex).

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
query	string	Yes	—	Search query (e.g. "Kuendigungsschutz", "Verbraucherschutz")
court	string	No	—	Court abbreviation (e.g. BGH, BVerfG, BFH, BAG, BVerwG, BSG, EuGH, EuG, OGH)
dateFrom	string	No	—	Decisions from date (YYYY-MM-DD)
dateTo	string	No	—	Decisions until date (YYYY-MM-DD)
limit	number	No	50	Max results (1–300)
source	string	No	—	Data source filter: neuris (Germany), ris-ogd (Austria), eur-lex (EU)

Returns: SearchResult

Field	Type	Description
items	CourtDecisionSummary[]	Array of matching decisions
totalItems	number	Total number of matching results
pageIndex	number	Current page index
pageSize	number	Number of items per page
hasMore	boolean	Whether more results are available
warnings	string[]	Optional — source availability warnings

Each CourtDecisionSummary contains: ecli, source, court (name + abbreviation), date, fileNumber, decisionType, and optional headline and guidingPrinciple.

get_decision_by_ecli

Retrieve a single court decision by its ECLI identifier. Supports German (ECLI:DE:...), Austrian (ECLI:AT:...), and EU court decisions (ECLI:EU:...).

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
ecli	string	Yes	—	ECLI identifier (e.g. "ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:120324UVIZR234.23.0")

Returns: CourtDecision

Field	Type	Description
ecli	string	European Case Law Identifier
source	string	Data origin: neuris, ris-ogd, or eur-lex
court	object	Court name and abbreviation
date	string	Decision date
fileNumber	string	Court file number
decisionType	string	Type of decision (e.g. Urteil, Beschluss)
guidingPrinciple	string	Key legal principle (Leitsatz)
tenor	string	Operative part of the decision
grounds	string	Full reasoning of the court
retrievedAt	string	Timestamp when the decision was fetched

Additional optional fields: sourceId, fileNumbers, judicialBody, decisionName, keywords, language, headline, headnote, caseFacts, dissentingOpinion, outline, sourceUrl.

list_courts

List available courts with decision counts. Includes German federal courts (NeuRIS), Austrian courts (RIS), and EU courts (EUR-Lex: EuGH, EuG).

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
jurisdiction	string	No	—	Filter by jurisdiction: DE, AT, or EU

Returns: Court[]

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Court identifier
name	string	Full court name
source	string	Data source (neuris, ris-ogd, eur-lex)
decisionCount	number	Number of available decisions
jurisdiction	string	Jurisdiction code (DE, AT, EU)

🌐 How Do I Use the REST API?

The REST API is available when the Actor runs in Standby mode. Three endpoints return JSON:

Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	/api/search?query=...	Search decisions by keyword, court, date, source
GET	/api/decisions/{ecli}	Retrieve a single decision by ECLI
GET	/api/courts	List available courts (optionally filter by jurisdiction)

Search Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
query	Yes	Full-text search term (e.g., "Datenschutz")
court	No	Court abbreviation (e.g., BGH, OGH, EuGH)
dateFrom	No	Start date (YYYY-MM-DD)
dateTo	No	End date (YYYY-MM-DD)
limit	No	Max results (1-300, default 50)
source	No	Filter by source: neuris, ris-ogd, or eur-lex

Examples

# Search German BGH decisions about data privacy
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/search?query=Datenschutz&court=BGH"

# Get a decision by ECLI (automatic source routing)
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/decisions/ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:120324UVIZR234.23.0"

# List Austrian courts
curl "https://<your-username>--court-decisions.apify.actor/api/courts?jurisdiction=AT"

Browse the interactive API documentation in the Standby tab above — it shows all endpoints, parameters, and response schemas.

▶️ How Do I Run as Apify Actor?

1. Click Try for free on this page — no credit card required
2. Choose an action: Search, Get by ECLI, or List Courts
3. Configure your parameters (see Input Parameters below)
4. Run the Actor
5. Download results from the Dataset tab (JSON, CSV, Excel)

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
action	string	search	Action to perform: search, getByEcli, or listCourts
query	string	—	Full-text search term (e.g., "Datenschutz", "Mietrecht")
court	string	—	Court abbreviation (e.g., BGH, BVerfG, OGH, VwGH)
source	string	—	Filter by data source: neuris (Germany), ris-ogd (Austria), or eur-lex (EU). Omit to search all.
dateFrom	string	—	Start date (ISO format, e.g., "2024-01-01")
dateTo	string	—	End date (ISO format, e.g., "2024-12-31")
ecli	string	—	ECLI identifier for direct lookup (routed automatically by country code)
limit	number	50	Maximum results per page (max 300)

Input Example

{
  "action": "search",
  "query": "Datenschutz",
  "source": "neuris",
  "dateFrom": "2024-01-01",
  "limit": 50
}

📋 What Data Can I Extract?

Each court decision includes the following fields — consistent across all sources:

Field	Description
ecli	European Case Law Identifier — unique ID across all EU courts
source	Data origin: neuris (Germany), ris-ogd (Austria), or eur-lex (EU)
court	Court name and abbreviation (e.g., BGH, OGH)
date	Decision date
fileNumber	Court file number (Aktenzeichen / Geschaeftszahl)
decisionType	Type: Urteil/Beschluss (DE) or Erkenntnis/Beschluss (AT)
headline	Short summary of the case
guidingPrinciple	Key legal principle (Leitsatz / Rechtssatz)
headnote	Editorial headnote summarizing the ruling
tenor	Operative part — the actual order or judgment
grounds	Full reasoning of the court
keywords	Legal keywords and topics

Output Example (Germany)

{
  "ecli": "ECLI:DE:BGH:2024:120324UVIZR234.23.0",
  "sourceId": "KARE600050824",
  "source": "neuris",
  "court": { "name": "Bundesgerichtshof", "abbreviation": "BGH" },
  "date": "2024-03-12",
  "fileNumber": "VI ZR 234/23",
  "decisionType": "Urteil",
  "headline": "Zum Anspruch auf immateriellen Schadensersatz ...",
  "guidingPrinciple": "Ein Verstoß gegen die DSGVO ...",
  "tenor": "Die Revision des Klägers wird zurückgewiesen ...",
  "grounds": "I. Der Kläger nimmt die Beklagte auf Zahlung ...",
  "keywords": ["Datenschutz", "DSGVO", "Schadensersatz"],
  "retrievedAt": "2026-04-06T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Output Example (Austria)

{
  "ecli": "ECLI:AT:OGH0002:2024:0010OB00045.24Z.0319.000",
  "sourceId": "JJT_20240319_OGH0002_0010OB00045_24Z0000_000",
  "source": "ris-ogd",
  "court": { "name": "Oberster Gerichtshof", "abbreviation": "OGH" },
  "date": "2024-03-19",
  "fileNumber": "1 Ob 45/24z",
  "decisionType": "Beschluss",
  "headline": "Mietrecht — Kuendigung ...",
  "grounds": "Der Revisionsrekurs ist zulässig ...",
  "keywords": ["Mietrecht", "Kuendigung"],
  "retrievedAt": "2026-04-06T10:31:00.000Z"
}

🏛️ Which Courts Are Covered?

🇩🇪 Germany — 7 Federal Courts (via NeuRIS)

Court	Abbreviation	Legal Domain
Bundesgerichtshof	BGH	Civil and criminal law
Bundesverfassungsgericht	BVerfG	Constitutional law
Bundesverwaltungsgericht	BVerwG	Administrative law
Bundesfinanzhof	BFH	Tax law
Bundesarbeitsgericht	BAG	Labor law
Bundessozialgericht	BSG	Social law
Bundespatentgericht	BPatG	Patent law

🇦🇹 Austria — 5 Supreme/Federal Courts (via RIS OGD)

Court	Abbreviation	Legal Domain
Oberster Gerichtshof	OGH	Civil and criminal law
Verwaltungsgerichtshof	VwGH	Administrative law
Verfassungsgerichtshof	VfGH	Constitutional law
Bundesverwaltungsgericht	BVwG	Administrative law
Bundesfinanzgericht	BFG	Tax and fiscal law

🇪🇺 EU — 2 Courts (via EUR-Lex/CELLAR)

Court	Abbreviation	Legal Domain
Court of Justice of the EU	EuGH (CJEU)	EU law, preliminary rulings
General Court	EuG	Competition, trade, state aid

🔜 Roadmap

• Switzerland — On the waitlist (no official API available yet).

💰 Pricing

This Actor uses Apify's pay-per-event pricing. You pay $0.01 per result item returned — no subscription, no minimum commitment.

Pricing

Event	Price	Description
Result item	$0.01	Each decision returned (search result or ECLI lookup)
list_courts	Free	Reference data (courts list)

A search returning 10 results costs $0.10. A single ECLI lookup costs $0.01. No results = no charge.

Typical Monthly Cost

Use Case	Estimated Results/Month	Estimated Cost
Occasional research (student, journalist)	50–200	$0.50–$2
Regular case law lookups (solo lawyer)	200–500	$2–$5
AI agent integration (startup, MCP)	500–2,000	$5–$20
Cross-border comparative research	200–1,000	$2–$10

Free Tier

Apify provides free starter credits for new accounts — no credit card required.

No results, minimal cost: If a search returns no results, no result events are charged.

For exact pricing details, see the Pricing tab above.

✅ Data Sources & Legality

This Actor accesses official government open data APIs only:

Source	Provider	License	URL
NeuRIS	German Federal Ministry of Justice	Open Data	rechtsinformationen.bund.de
RIS OGD	Austrian Federal Chancellery	CC BY 4.0	data.bka.gv.at
EUR-Lex/CELLAR	EU Publications Office	EU Open Data	publications.europa.eu

• No authentication or API key required for any source
• No personal data is collected or processed
• Court decisions are public documents by law
• Data is accessed via official public APIs — not by scraping
• Compliant with GDPR and open data principles
• RIS OGD data used under CC BY 4.0 — attribution: Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem
• EUR-Lex data used under EU Open Data licence

⚠️ Limitations

• Supreme/federal courts only. State court decisions are not available. This covers the 14 highest courts across DE, AT, and EU.
• Search result cap (Germany). The NeuRIS API returns a maximum of 10,000 results per query. Use specific filters to narrow results. For individual decisions, use the ECLI lookup — no cap.
• NeuRIS in test phase. The German source has been in public test phase since April 2025. Occasional instability is possible. The Actor includes automatic retry with progressive backoff.
• Partial failure handling. If one source is temporarily unavailable, results from other sources are still returned. A warnings field indicates which source had issues.
• Content language. All court decisions are in German. Metadata field names are in English for ease of integration.

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🇩🇪🇦🇹🇪🇺 Fuer deutschsprachige Nutzer

Dieser Actor bietet programmatischen Zugang zu Gerichtsentscheidungen aus Deutschland, Oesterreich und der EU ueber die offiziellen Open-Data-APIs NeuRIS, RIS OGD und EUR-Lex/CELLAR.

Abgedeckte Gerichte:

• 🇩🇪 BGH, BVerfG, BVerwG, BFH, BAG, BSG, BPatG (7 Bundesgerichte)
• 🇦🇹 OGH, VwGH, VfGH, BVwG, BFG (5 Hoechstgerichte)
• 🇪🇺 EuGH, EuG (2 EU-Gerichte)

Drei Nutzungswege:

1. REST-API — Direkt per HTTP abrufbar (/api/search, /api/decisions/{ecli}, /api/courts). Funktioniert mit jedem HTTP-Client. Interaktive API-Dokumentation im Standby-Tab.

2. MCP-Server — Direkt in Claude Desktop, Cursor oder andere AI-Agents einbinden. Ihr Agent kann Entscheidungen aus allen drei Jurisdiktionen suchen, abrufen und zitieren. Einrichtung in unter 5 Minuten.

3. Apify Actor — Suchparameter eingeben, optional nach Quelle filtern, Ergebnisse als Dataset (JSON/CSV/Excel) herunterladen.

Kostenlos testen — Apify bietet Startguthaben fuer neue Accounts. Keine Kreditkarte erforderlich.

Alle Daten stammen aus offiziellen oeffentlichen APIs. Es werden keine personenbezogenen Daten verarbeitet. Gerichtsentscheidungen sind oeffentliche Dokumente. RIS-OGD-Daten unter CC BY 4.0 (Bundeskanzleramt, Rechtsinformationssystem). EUR-Lex-Daten unter EU Open Data Lizenz.

💬 Feedback & Support

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub or reach out via the Apify community.