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Search by a Specific Court vs. Using the PACER Case Locator
If you know what court the case was filed in and you know the case number, login to PACER to search directly using the Query option.
The PACER Case Locator is a nationwide index that searches all federal court case records in one central location. If you are unsure where the case was filed and/or you do not have a case number, you can use the PACER Case Locator to find it. You can search nationwide or you can limit your search criteria to a specific state to locate your case.
For example, if you know your case was filed in Texas, but are unsure which district in Texas, you can search for the case in the PACER Case Locator in multiple districts at once, instead of manually searching in each one individually.