When family matters arise and they have to go to court to dispute the case it will be considered a family matter that
What is a family court?
Family court hears cases that involve family law and is a court of limited jurisdiction. They typically hear cases that are on child custody, domestic abuse, divorce and so on. Family courts are governed by local and state laws and depending on where your located the court may also be called a domestic court.
Depending on what jurisdiction your in a family court can handle incompetence hearings along with guardianship issues.
Are family court records public?
Most court records are public in nature unless they are sealed from public view by a court order. When talking about divorce records they are most likely going to be viewable and searchable unless they are sealed. However, there are court records that under the law not open to being viewed by just anyone including the general public. The following are examples of court record information that stay confidential:
- Mental health commitment proceedings
- Juvenile court proceedings
- Social security numbers
- Domestic violence protection orders
- Adoption and paternity proceedings
- Psychological evaluations and alcohol and drug treatment records
How to find the correct family court docket website in your state
Google the county you think or know the family court docket would have been filed in. For example. We will use Miami dade county as the county we want to find the family court search in. Here is the search string we used to find the proper website to search from. “Miami dade county family court docket search”
Typically when you search online there are a few ways that you can start off a search when looking for court docket records. Here are a few common ways that may be
- Party names
- Party type
- Case type
- date range
- Case number
- State case number
- Hearing date and court ype
Use a public record third party search
Along with the above methods of finding records that are related to family court dockets you can also find these types of public records by using a search service to help find all types of public data. Not only can you find court dockets but you can find more historical records like arrests, criminal, and warrants.
You can also locate social profiles and photos by searching this way. This is a great tool in conjunction with the finding court dockets by accessing them from courthouses.
Clerk of the court’s are your friend when searching for court dockets
The county clerk office within the courthouses is where you would need to go if you call or go into the courthouse in person. They are responsible for gathering and keeping these records available to the public for viewing in the future. In some places, you can go into the courthouse and you can search digitally for family court dockets or they can assist in helping you find the data. Either way, they are a good resource to find public records.
