CourtListener State Court Dockets Scraper

CourtListener State Court Dockets Scraper

Scrape state court dockets from CourtListener by keyword or browse the latest filings. Each docket includes case name, docket number, jurisdiction, date filed, and status. No API key or login required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

CourtListener does not provide a dedicated listing endpoint for state court dockets; they are only available on individual case pages. This Actor reads the latest opinions feed and filters for state court dockets, returning each match as a record. It works without an API key, by scraping the public HTML.

Who uses it	Purpose
Legal researchers	Track new state court filings by jurisdiction or keyword without manual browsing.
Journalists	Monitor emerging litigation trends across state courts for investigative stories.
Compliance analysts	Identify state-level cases relevant to regulatory changes or industry risks.
Data analysts	Build datasets of state court dockets for predictive modeling or trend analysis.

What it does

This Actor collects state court dockets from CourtListener by keyword or by scraping the latest filings, and returns each docket as a record with case name, docket number, jurisdiction, date filed, and status.

• 🔍 Keyword search: Filter dockets by case name or keyword, or leave the field empty to scrape the latest filings across all state courts.
• 📅 Sort options: Choose date filed (newest or oldest first) or sort by relevance to prioritize results.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or via the API.

What you can do with CourtListener data

📈 Monitor state court filings by jurisdiction.

A legal researcher runs the Actor daily without a keyword to scrape the latest dockets from all state courts, tracking new cases for a litigation watch report.

🔍 Find cases by keyword across state courts.

A journalist enters a keyword like 'data breach' to scrape state court dockets mentioning that term, to find lawsuits for an investigative piece.

📊 Build a dataset of state court docket trends.

A data analyst scrapes dockets sorted by date filed for a month, then analyzes filing volumes by jurisdiction for a market intelligence report.

⚖️ Support compliance monitoring.

A compliance analyst uses keyword search to scrape dockets related to a new regulation, flagging cases that could affect their industry.

Why use this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Scrape CourtListener state court dockets by scraping the public HTML, no registration or token needed.
Structured output	Each docket returned as a record with case name, docket number, jurisdiction, date filed, and status.
Sort by date or relevance	Choose newest first, oldest first, or sort by relevance to prioritize results.
Export formats	Download as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for use in your workflow.

How it compares

This Actor focuses on state court dockets from CourtListener, while competitors offer different coverage.

Feature	ParseForge	Court Records Scraper	CourtListener Opinion Scraper - US Court Case Law API	PACER Court Records Intel - MCP Server
State court dockets	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Keyword search	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not listed
Sort by date filed	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
No API key required	Yes	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Export to CSV/JSON/Excel/XML	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Max 1,000,000 items per run	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed

What a CourtListener record looks like

Every record returns as one JSON object. Here is an example from a run:

{
 "title": "Integración De Las Salas De Despacho Durante Los Meses De Mayo Y Junio De 2018",
 "url": "https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10791709/integracion-de-las-salas-de-despacho-durante-los-meses-de-mayo-y-junio-de/?order_by=dateFiled+desc",
 "court": " 2028",
 "dateFiled": "2028-04-13",
 "status": "Published",
 "docketNumber": "ES-2018-1",
 "citation": "2018 TSPR 58",
 "scrapedAt": "2026-09-04T00:23:56.300Z"
}

Every value above is from a real run. A field a record does not have is returned as null.

Configure the run

Run the Actor from a keyword search or scrape the latest state court dockets. The sort order and max items filter results as they are collected, so only matching dockets reach your dataset. The Input tab shows all parameters.

An example run with the defaults:

{
 "orderBy": "dateFiled desc",
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger run:

{
 "orderBy": "dateFiled desc",
 "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.01321 per result. You pay only for the results stored in your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$1.32
1,000 results	$13.21
10,000 results	$132.10

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a sample. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the CourtListener State Court Dockets Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent direct access to CourtListener through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/courtlistener-dockets-scraper"

Then ask it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Make sure your search query is not too narrow. Try leaving the field empty to scrape the latest filings. Also check that maxItems is set high enough.

The output has fewer dockets than expected.

CourtListener's latest opinions feed may have a limited number of entries. Increase maxItems or run the Actor multiple times to capture more data.

Why are some dockets missing jurisdiction?

Jurisdiction may not be listed for every case in the feed. The Actor returns what CourtListener provides.

Can I scrape dockets from a specific date range?

The current input schema does not support date range filtering. Use the sort order to get newest or oldest first, then filter manually.

The Actor fails with a timeout error.

CourtListener's site may be slow. Reduce maxItems or run during off-peak hours. If the issue persists, contact support.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need an API key to use this Actor?	No. The Actor scrapes CourtListener's public HTML, so no API key or login is required.
What data does each docket record contain?	Each record includes title, url, court, dateFiled, status, docketNumber, citation, scrapedAt, and error. The exact fields come from a real run.
Can I scrape dockets from a specific state court?	Yes. Use the search query to filter by jurisdiction name (e.g., 'California') or leave it empty to scrape all state courts.
How many dockets can I scrape per run?	Free users are limited to 10 items as a sample. Paid users can set maxItems up to 1,000,000.
What sort options are available?	You can sort by date filed (newest first or oldest first) or by relevance to the search query.
Does this scrape federal court dockets too?	No. This Actor focuses on state court dockets from CourtListener. For federal dockets, consider a PACER-based scraper.
Can I export the data to Excel?	Yes. The Actor supports export to CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML formats.
Is the data updated in real time?	The Actor scrapes the latest opinions feed at the time of the run. Data freshness depends on CourtListener's update frequency.
What happens if the search query returns no results?	The Actor will return an empty dataset. Try a broader keyword or leave the query blank to scrape the latest filings.
Can I schedule this Actor to run daily?	Yes. You can set up a recurring task in Apify to run the Actor on a schedule.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Free Law Project. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.