CourtListener Scraper

⚖️ Search CourtListener case law and dockets

Legal researchers, compliance teams, journalists, and developers can search public CourtListener records with one full-text query. Get structured opinions, federal RECAP dockets, or oral arguments with available court, date, citation, docket, and source-link data for review and downstream work.

• Search public RECAP records with Recap Pacer and a focused full-text query.
• Review older public federal records with Recap Archive and source links.
• Find a case by party or case text with Free Court Case Lookup.
• Narrow a federal case search by court, date, or record type with How To Look Up Federal Court Cases.
• Search public records by a party or case name with Pacer Case Lookup By Name.

📚 CourtListener records you can review

What you get

Each saved row is one CourtListener record. Choose opinions, Federal dockets / RECAP records, or Oral arguments. Rows include the case name, record type, record ID, and source URL, and can include court, date, status, and fields for the selected record type. CourtListener may not provide every field for every record, so optional fields can be empty or missing.

Opinion rows can include the author, panel, citations, citation count, opinion type, excerpts, a document URL, and full opinion text when requested and available. Docket rows can include docket details, judges, nature of suit, filing entries, document links, and page counts when CourtListener provides them. Oral-argument rows can include the panel, duration, text snippet, and audio URL.

The Actor returns public source data for research and review. It does not give legal advice, explain what the law means, or decide a case outcome.

▶️ Search CourtListener records

Run steps

1. Choose a target: Opinions, Federal dockets / RECAP records, or Oral arguments.
2. Enter one full-text query, such as habeas corpus or a party name.
3. Add filters that match the target, such as a court, date range, judge, citation, docket number, or nature of suit.
4. For Opinions, choose the sort order and turn on full opinion text when you need it.
5. Set Maximum records per run, or leave it blank to return all available records until the source is exhausted.
6. Start the run and open the dataset or the run summary.

Each run uses one search setup. Filters for another record type are ignored. CourtListener controls which public records and fields are available for a match.

⚙️ Input

Input fields

Field	Type	What it does
target	enum string	Chooses opinions, dockets, or oralArguments.
query	string	Required full-text words or phrase for the selected CourtListener record type.
court	string	Optionally limits matches to a CourtListener court or jurisdiction ID.
judge	string	For Opinions, filters by judge or author name. It is ignored for Federal dockets / RECAP records and Oral arguments.
citation	string	For Opinions, filters by citation. It is ignored for Federal dockets / RECAP records and Oral arguments.
sortBy	enum string	For Opinions, orders results by relevance, dateFiled, or citationCount.
includeFullText	boolean	For Opinions, asks for full opinion text when CourtListener provides it. It is ignored for Federal dockets / RECAP records and Oral arguments.
natureOfSuit	string	For Federal dockets / RECAP records, filters by nature of suit. It is ignored for Opinions and Oral arguments.
docketNumber	string	Filters Opinions and Federal dockets / RECAP records by docket number. It is ignored for Oral arguments.
startDate	string (YYYY-MM-DD)	Includes Opinions and Federal dockets / RECAP records filed on or after this date, or Oral arguments dated on or after it.
endDate	string (YYYY-MM-DD)	Includes Opinions and Federal dockets / RECAP records filed on or before this date, or Oral arguments dated on or before it.
maxItems	integer	Stops after this many records. Leave it empty to return all available records until the source is exhausted.

target and query are required. Date values must use YYYY-MM-DD. Fields that do not apply to the selected target are ignored.

Example input

This is the public input from a successful current-beta default-style run:

{
  "target": "opinions",
  "sortBy": "relevance",
  "includeFullText": false,
  "query": "habeas corpus",
  "maxItems": 1
}

🧾 Output

Run summary

The Actor also publishes a run summary with links and counts:

Field	Type	What it does
datasetUrl	string	URL for the dataset that holds the returned records.
returnedRecords	string	Number of records saved in the dataset.
sourceTotalAvailable	string	Total matches reported by CourtListener, when available.

Opinion rows

Field	Type	What it does
recordType	string	The record type, opinion.
recordId	string	Stable ID for the CourtListener record.
caseName	string	Name of the case.
court	object	Court and jurisdiction details for the record.
court.name	string	Name of the court.
court.id	string	CourtListener court or jurisdiction ID.
court.jurisdiction	string	Jurisdiction linked to the court.
recordDate	string	Filing date for the opinion.
status	string	Status reported by CourtListener.
sourceUrl	string	CourtListener page for the opinion.
opinion	object	Details available for the opinion.
opinion.author	string	Judge or author named for the opinion.
opinion.panel	string[]	Judges listed on the opinion panel.
opinion.dateArgued	string	Date the case was argued, when given.
opinion.documentUrl	string	URL for downloading the opinion document.
opinion.citations	string[]	Reporter citations listed for the opinion.
opinion.citationCount	integer	Number of citations reported for the opinion.
opinion.opinionType	string	Type of opinion reported by CourtListener.
opinion.opinionCount	integer	Number of opinions in the source case record, when given.
opinion.syllabus	string	Source-provided syllabus text, when available.
opinion.proceduralHistory	string	Source-provided procedural history, when available.
opinion.excerpt	string	Source-provided opinion excerpt, when available.
opinion.fullText	string	Full opinion text when requested and available.

Opinion example

This is a shortened row from a successful current-beta opinion run with full opinion text requested. The fullText value is the public-copy omission marker "..."; the other shown values are from the returned row.

{
  "recordType": "opinion",
  "recordId": "4521308",
  "caseName": "In re Habeas Corpus by Snyder",
  "court": {
    "name": "Supreme Court of Kansas",
    "id": "kan",
    "jurisdiction": "S"
  },
  "recordDate": "2018-07-27",
  "status": "Published",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4521308/in-re-habeas-corpus-by-snyder/",
  "opinion": {
    "author": "Stegall",
    "citations": [
      "422 P.3d 1152"
    ],
    "citationCount": 6,
    "opinionType": "combined-opinion",
    "opinionCount": 1,
    "excerpt": "\n\n\n  The opinion of the court was delivered by Stegall, J:\n \n\n  In May 2013, the Saline County District Court first found Clay Robert Snyder not competent to stand trial because of his intellectual disability. Since then, Snyder has cycled through competency detainment and involuntary commitment at least twice. Most recently in November 2016, the district court found Snyder was still not compete",
    "fullText": "...",
    "documentUrl": "http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/Opinions/SupCt/2018/20180727/117167.pdf"
  }
}

Docket rows

Field	Type	What it does
recordType	string	The record type, docket.
recordId	string	Stable ID for the CourtListener record.
caseName	string	Name of the case.
court	object	Court and jurisdiction details for the record.
court.name	string	Name of the court.
court.id	string	CourtListener court or jurisdiction ID.
court.jurisdiction	string	Jurisdiction linked to the court.
recordDate	string	Filing date for the docket.
status	string	Status reported by CourtListener, when available.
sourceUrl	string	CourtListener page for the docket.
docket	object	Federal docket and RECAP details.
docket.docketNumber	string	Docket number reported by the source.
docket.dateTerminated	string	Date the docket was terminated, when given.
docket.dateLastFiling	string	Date of the latest docket filing, when given.
docket.natureOfSuit	string	Nature of suit for the docket, when available.
docket.assignedJudges	string[]	Judges assigned to the docket.
docket.referredJudges	string[]	Judges referred to the docket.
docket.entries	object[]	Filing entries and documents listed for the docket.
docket.entries[].entryId	string	Stable ID for a docket entry.
docket.entries[].entryNumber	string	Docket entry number reported by the source.
docket.entries[].dateFiled	string	Date the docket entry was filed.
docket.entries[].description	string	Source description of the docket entry.
docket.entries[].pageCount	integer	Number of pages in the entry, when given.
docket.entries[].documents	object[]	Documents linked to the docket entry.
docket.entries[].documents[].documentId	string	Stable ID for the source document.
docket.entries[].documents[].documentNumber	string	Document number reported by the source.
docket.entries[].documents[].description	string	Source description of the document.
docket.entries[].documents[].pageCount	integer	Number of pages in the document, when given.
docket.entries[].documents[].downloadUrl	string	URL for downloading the document, when available.
docket.entries[].documents[].sourceUrl	string	Source page for the document, when useful.

Docket example

This is an unshortened row from a successful current-beta docket run. Optional fields that CourtListener did not return are not added.

{
  "recordType": "docket",
  "recordId": "8366557",
  "caseName": "Fuentes v. Habeas Corpus",
  "court": {
    "name": "District Court, S.D. New York",
    "id": "nysd",
    "jurisdiction": "FD"
  },
  "recordDate": "2018-11-30",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8366557/fuentes-v-habeas-corpus/",
  "docket": {
    "docketNumber": "1:18-cv-11232",
    "dateTerminated": "2019-01-11",
    "natureOfSuit": "550 Prisoner - civil rights",
    "assignedJudges": [
      "Colleen McMahon"
    ],
    "entries": [
      {
        "entryId": "453256104",
        "entryNumber": "1",
        "dateFiled": "2018-11-30",
        "description": "COMPLAINT against D.O.D, Habeas Corpus, NYS DOCCS, The Pentagon, The VA. Document filed by Peter Fuentes. (ks) (Entered: 12/04/2018)",
        "documents": [
          {
            "documentId": "468143576",
            "documentNumber": "1",
            "description": "COMPLAINT against D.O.D, Habeas Corpus, NYS DOCCS, The Pentagon, The VA. Document filed by Peter Fuentes. (ks) (Entered: 12/04/2018)",
            "sourceUrl": "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8366557/1/fuentes-v-habeas-corpus/"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "entryId": "453256106",
        "dateFiled": "2018-11-30",
        "description": "Case Designated ECF. (ks)",
        "documents": [
          {
            "documentId": "468143578",
            "description": "Case Designated ECF. (ks)"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "entryId": "453256107",
        "entryNumber": "3",
        "dateFiled": "2018-12-04",
        "description": "ORDER DIRECTING PAYMENT OF FEE OR IFP APPLICATION: Plaintiff is directed to render payment of the filing fee or submit an IFP application to this Court's Pro Se Office within thirty (30) days of the date of this Order. The Clerk of Court is directed to assign this matter to my docket. The Court certifies, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3), that any appeal from this Order would not be taken in good faith, and therefore in forma pauperis status is denied for the purpose of an appeal. See Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 444 (1962). Filing Fee due by 1/3/2019. In Forma Pauperis (IFP) Application due by 1/3/2019. (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 12/4/2018) (Attachments: # 1 IFP application)(keb) Transmission to Docket Assistant Clerk for processing. (Entered: 12/04/2018)",
        "documents": [
          {
            "documentId": "468143579",
            "documentNumber": "3",
            "description": "ORDER DIRECTING PAYMENT OF FEE OR IFP APPLICATION: Plaintiff is directed to render payment of the filing fee or submit an IFP application to this Court's Pro Se Office within thirty (30) days of the date of this Order. The Clerk of Court is directed to assign this matter to my docket. The Court certifies, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3), that any appeal from this Order would not be taken in good faith, and therefore in forma pauperis status is denied for the purpose of an appeal. See Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 444 (1962). Filing Fee due by 1/3/2019. In Forma Pauperis (IFP) Application due by 1/3/2019. (Signed by Judge Colleen McMahon on 12/4/2018) (Attachments: # 1 IFP application)(keb) Transmission to Docket Assistant Clerk for processing. (Entered: 12/04/2018)",
            "sourceUrl": "https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8366557/3/fuentes-v-habeas-corpus/"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Oral-argument rows

Field	Type	What it does
recordType	string	The record type, oralArgument.
recordId	string	Stable ID for the CourtListener record.
caseName	string	Name of the case.
court	object	Court and jurisdiction details for the record.
court.name	string	Name of the court.
court.id	string	CourtListener court or jurisdiction ID.
court.jurisdiction	string	Jurisdiction linked to the court.
recordDate	string	Argument date for the oral argument.
status	string	Status reported by CourtListener, when available.
sourceUrl	string	CourtListener page for the oral argument.
oralArgument	object	Details available for the oral argument.
oralArgument.durationSeconds	integer	Length of the oral argument in seconds, when given.
oralArgument.panel	string[]	Judges listed for the oral argument.
oralArgument.textSnippet	string	Text snippet from the oral argument, when available.
oralArgument.audioUrl	string	URL for downloading the oral-argument audio.

Oral-argument example

This is an unshortened row from a successful current-beta oral-argument run.

{
  "recordType": "oralArgument",
  "recordId": "106003",
  "caseName": "Sherrod Brown v. FCC",
  "court": {
    "name": "Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit",
    "id": "ca4",
    "jurisdiction": "F"
  },
  "recordDate": "2026-08-07",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.courtlistener.com/audio/106003/sherrod-brown-v-fcc/",
  "oralArgument": {
    "durationSeconds": 4655,
    "panel": [
      "Robert Bruce King",
      "James Andrew Wynn jr"
    ],
    "textSnippet": "The Honorable, the Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Oyez, oyez, oyez. All persons having any manner or form of business before the Honorable of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit are admonished to draw a nod and give their attention till the Court is now sitting. The Honorable, the Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit are admonished to draw a nod and give their attention till the Court is now sitting. We",
    "audioUrl": "http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/26-1785-20260807.mp3"
  }
}

💳 Pricing

How charging works

The Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. The current charge is $0.0009 for each opinion, federal docket, or oral argument that is successfully saved to the dataset. The charge follows the saved public record, not a separate setup step.

Set maxItems when you want a smaller result set. Leave it blank to return all available records until the source is exhausted; the number of saved records then depends on the matches CourtListener provides.

🔌 Integrations

Use with Apify

Start runs in Apify Console or through the Apify API, then use datasetUrl to read the default dataset or export it from Apify. The Actor does not send records directly to outside services.

❓ FAQ

Do I need a CourtListener API token?

No. This Actor searches the public CourtListener service without a source credential field. CourtListener still controls public availability and rate limits.

Can I search opinions, RECAP dockets, and oral arguments?

Yes. Choose the matching value in target: opinions, dockets, or oralArguments. Filters that do not apply to that target are ignored.

Can I search for a party or case name?

Yes. Put the party or case name in query. For Opinions and Federal dockets / RECAP records, you can also use docketNumber when you know it.

Can I request full opinion text?

For Opinions, set includeFullText to true. Full text is returned only when CourtListener provides it for the opinion.

Why is a field empty or missing?

CourtListener does not provide every legal field for every record. Check the record's sourceUrl when you need to confirm a value.

How many records can a run return?

Set maxItems to stop after a chosen number of records. Leave it blank to return all available records until the source is exhausted; this schema does not set a fixed maximum.

Can one run use more than one search setup?

No. Each run uses one target, one query, and one set of filters. Start another run for a different search setup.

Does this Actor give legal advice?

No. It returns public CourtListener records and source links for research and review. It does not interpret the law or predict a case outcome.

📝 Changelog

0.0: Initial release

🆘 Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, file a ticket and I'll fix or implement it in less than 24h 🫡

🔗 Related Actors

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• FCC ECFS Filings — Review public FCC proceeding filings, filer details, and document links.
• CourtListener Scraper — 16 Fields, Opinions & Dockets — Compare another CourtListener search for opinions and dockets.
• CourtListener Federal Docket Scraper — RECAP API — Focus on federal docket numbers, parties, and filing activity.

Made with ❤️ by Maxime Dupré