New Search
  • The Cause Number format:
Each case is assigned a unique number using the following components:

For more information on case numbers and docket entries, check the Attorney's Handbook .
  • Entering the Cause Number for a search:
First, select the "Division" where the case is filed. Click on the down arrow button for a pop-up menu of selections.Each division's data must be searched separately. When searching by cause number, the "All Divisions"selection will return an error, since each case uses a unique division code. This option should only be used with party name searches (see below).

Next, press the <TAB> key on your keyboard to place the cursor in the "Case Year" field. Or, use the mouse andclick (left mouse button) within the field box. Enter the 2-digit year code for the case. (e.g. "98" for 1998) Do NOT use the division code (e.g. "IP") in this field.

Now use the <TAB> key to move to the next field, "Case Number". Enter the significant digits of the 4-digit number. For example, "0023" can be entered as "23".

For a civil case, this is all that is required for a search. For  criminal cases, use <TAB> once more to move the cursor to the last Case Number field, "Defendant Number".

Once each field is entered, click on  submit.jpg (1486 bytes)

 
  • Entering a Party Name for a search:
First, select the "Division" where the case is filed. Click on the down arrow button for a pop-up menu of selections. When searching by party name, the "All Divisions" option may be used to search the entire database.

Position the cursor in the "Party Name" field, and type the party name to be searched.
You must use a minimum of three characters in the name.

Enter the party's last name first (e.g. "Smith, John" ). The search is not case sensitive -- "SMITH", "Smith" and "smith" are all valid.

Once the name is entered, click on  submit.jpg (1486 bytes)

Click on the entry in the "Party List" most closely matching the desired case, then click on select.jpg (1419 bytes)

If the selected case is not the one desired, either click on New Search or use the "Back" button in your browser to return to the Party List.

When searching by party name, better results are often achieved by entering just the first few characters of the name (at least three), then scrolling through the returned "Party List". To improve speed, entries are searched using an "index" technique, which is similar to looking up a word in the dictionary. This means any characters entered must match exactly, including spaces and punctuation.

For instance, entering "The Smith Corporation" would not find a case which was docketed as "The John P. Smith Corporation".
  • Printing the Case Information:
The results of the Case Search can be printed using your browser's "Print" button. Because the case information page contains several frames, you may first need to click somewhere within the actual docket sheet area of the screen to enable the "Print" feature.

                  caseframe.jpg (8548 bytes)
  U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana ▪ Updated September 08, 2005