The United States district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three territories of the United States -- the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands -- have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases. The 94 U.S. judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits.

There are two types of cases handled by Federal Courts, criminal cases and civil cases. Federal criminal charges are initiated by the government, usually through the U.S. attorney's office in coordination with a law enforcement agency. Civil Cases are filed by individuals or organizations, not by the government. Each type of case is handled as a separate Criminal or Civil court search.

Scope of Search: A Federal Civil or Federal Criminal Court search will include a minimum of seven years in the district specified.

Search Result - Criminal: In the event that a Federal Court criminal conviction or "hit" is found, the report will contain the case number, full case name, date of birth, file date, disposition date and number of years searched. We will also detail the method(s) used to match the applicant to the defendant, such as Name and Date of Birth; or Name, Date of Birth and SSN. Finally, we will provide case details including description of the crime, type of crime, disposition, any fines assessed by the court, any court fees assessed, and probation or prison time ordered. Additional information available will also be provided.

Search Result - Civil: In the event that a Federal Court civil conviction or "hit" is found, the report will contain the case number, full case name, date of birth, file date, disposition date, number of years searched for each criminal or civil case that is found. We will also detail the method(s) used to match the applicant to the defendant, such as Name and Date of Birth; Name, Date of Birth and SSN; or Name Only. Finally, we will provide case details including the plaintiff who filed the complaint, description of the case/complaint, and the judgment of the court. Additional information available will also be provided.

Search Result - Bankruptcy: The U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court where Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 are filed throughout the country will be searched. Typical case information yielded includes debtor name, filing type, and status of case. Creditor information is often provided. Some states have more than one bankruptcy court. If you do not know the appropriate federal district, we can determine this for you, based upon a provided city or county. If multiple bankruptcy courts are located within a single federal district, all courts will be searched.

Notice: Employers should use extreme caution in attempting to utilize bankruptcy records as a sole factor in determining employment.  A private employer may not discriminate with respect to employment if the discrimination is based solely upon the bankruptcy filing.  Federal law makes it very clear that using a bankruptcy against a job applicant can be a form of discrimination.  A person cannot be penalized for the lawful exercise of a legal right.  Under the "fresh start rule," a consumer is entitled to start over again; if a person went into bankruptcy to re-arrange a life, but cannot get a job because of the bankruptcy, then that person could never get ahead.