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Court of Appeals Case Files

September 9, 2026

Court of Appeals case files cover appeals from decisions in bankruptcy, civil and criminal cases. They may also contain appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims. This guide explains the two packages available and what you must supply to order.

The two packages

Entire Case File. Includes all documents in a case file. The package covers a maximum of 150 pages. Copies over the package maximum are charged at a standard labor charge billed in 15-minute increments, $22.00 per 15 minutes, quoted to the customer. The National Archives will notify you if the file is over 150 pages.

Docket Sheet. A list of the documents filed in a Court of Appeals case; an outline of the case. The package covers a maximum of 20 pages. Copies over the package maximum are charged at $0.50 per copy. The National Archives will notify you if the total number of copies will exceed 20 pages.

What you must supply to order

To order a Court of Appeals case, the following information is required:

  • state in which the court is located
  • city in which the court is located
  • case name or names
  • case number
  • transfer number
  • box number

You can obtain the case information above from the Federal court in which the case was filed and closed. NARA cannot locate a case file without both the transfer number and the box number, so both are required: ask the court for the Federal Records Center transfer and box numbers for the case. If the court cannot supply them, NARA cannot retrieve the file. For a directory of Federal courts see uscourts.gov/courtlinks.

Where these records are held

Court records available through Request and Order Reproductions are owned by the U.S. Court System but stored at the National Archives Federal Records Centers. Regional Archives house court records that are the legal property of the National Archives. To research a court record at a National Archives Regional Archives, see National Archives regional archives.

Certified court records carry an additional charge.