University Libraries

Agencies for access to court and criminal records vary widely by jurisdiction. 

Start with the district or municipality from which you believe the case originated. Ohio is used below as an example.

Ohio Courts

Directories of Courts

• Court Records Free Reference and Directory directory of courts across the U.S.

Athens County Courts

• Athens Municipal Court traffic violations, drunk driving

• Common Pleas Court divorce cases, domes viol civil protection orders, child suppt/custody

• Probate Court (contact info) marriage licenses

Ohio Courts

• Supreme Court of Ohio / Ohio Judicial System Attorney Search 

• Ohio Supreme & Appellate Court Opinions Search 

• Ohio Attorney General Opinions

Find Cases (state & federal)

• Lexis Nexis (click "Connect" then "Look up a Legal Case")

• See librarian Kelly Broughton's Legal Resources guide

Criminal Records

• Southeast Ohio Regional Jail search for current & past inmates in local jail

• Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction search for persons incarcerated, parole dates, etc.

• Ohio Sex Offender Registry search for offenders by geographic area

• National Sex Offender Registry