GET /v2/case

Overview

GET /v2/case is the primary DocketLayer endpoint. Submit a case ID and court code, pay $0.99 in USDC via x402, and receive structured case data. Supply last_checked to get a delta block containing every new filing since your last query. Base URL: https://api.docketlayer.ai Price: $0.99 USDC per successful query Sandbox: Add ?test=1 or X-DocketLayer-Test: 1 — returns fixture data, no charge

Request

Parameters

Field	Type	Required	Description
`case_id`	string	Yes	Case identifier — e.g. `1:24-cv-01234`
`court_code`	string	Yes	Court identifier — e.g. `nysd`, `deb`, `cand`
`last_checked`	string	No	ISO-8601 timestamp with timezone offset. When supplied, response includes a `delta` block.
`context`	string	No	`basic` (default) or `full`. `full` adds full party list with attorneys, cross-references, and complete docket history.
`language`	string	No	`en` or `fr`. For bilingual jurisdictions, requests the preferred response language.
`filing_types`	string	No	Comma-separated list of filing types to filter the delta — e.g. `order,judgment`. Does not filter the case context.
`callback_url`	string	No	Webhook URL for async result delivery. Response is immediate; payload is pushed when ready.

Example request

curl "https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/case?case_id=1:24-cv-01234&court_code=nysd&last_checked=2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"

Python

result = client.get(
    "https://api.docketlayer.ai/v2/case",
    params={
        "case_id": "1:24-cv-01234",
        "court_code": "nysd",
        "last_checked": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
        "context": "basic"
    }
).json()

Response

Meta block

All responses include a meta block:

Field	Type	Description
`request_id`	string	Unique identifier for this request
`queried_at`	string	ISO-8601 timestamp — use as `last_checked` in your next call
`query_cost_usd`	number	Always 0.99 for live queries; 0 in sandbox
`coverage_status`	string	`full` or `partial` for this court
`cache_age_seconds`	number	Seconds since DocketLayer last refreshed this case from the source court
`context_delivered`	string	`basic` or `full`
`language_delivered`	string	`en`, `fr`, or `bilingual`
`truncated`	boolean	Whether the response was truncated
`sandbox`	boolean	Whether sandbox mode was active
`tag`	string \| null	Value of `X-DocketLayer-Tag` header if supplied

Context: basic (default)

{
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_01jt7y4kx0",
    "queried_at": "2026-04-29T12:00:00Z",
    "query_cost_usd": 0.99,
    "coverage_status": "full",
    "cache_age_seconds": 87,
    "context_delivered": "basic",
    "language_delivered": "en",
    "truncated": false,
    "sandbox": false,
    "tag": null
  },
  "case_id": "1:24-cv-01234",
  "court_code": "nysd",
  "case": {
    "case_number": "1:24-cv-01234",
    "case_name": "Smith v. Jones",
    "case_name_secondary": null,
    "case_name_secondary_language": null,
    "case_type": "civil",
    "court_code": "nysd",
    "court_name": "Southern District of New York",
    "jurisdiction_country": "US",
    "language": "en",
    "date_filed": "2024-05-10T00:00:00-04:00",
    "date_terminated": null,
    "status": "open",
    "assigned_judge": "Hon. Sarah Johnson",
    "nature_of_proceeding": "Contract: Other",
    "cause": "28 USC 1332",
    "jury_demand": "both",
    "primary_parties": [
      { "name": "John Smith", "type": "plaintiff" },
      { "name": "Acme Corp.", "type": "defendant" }
    ],
    "appellate": null
  },
  "delta": {
    "changed": true,
    "since": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "change_count": 1,
    "new_filings": [
      {
        "entry_number": 42,
        "filed_at": "2026-04-11T14:23:00Z",
        "filing_type": "order",
        "filed_by": "Hon. Sarah Johnson",
        "description": "Order granting motion to dismiss",
        "document_identifier": "0042",
        "document_identifier_type": "pacer_doc_id",
        "external_url": "https://ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/doc1/..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

The delta block is only present when last_checked is supplied.

Context: full

When context=full, the case object expands to include full parties with attorneys, cross-references to related cases, and the complete docket history.

{
  "case": {
    "...all basic fields...",
    "parties": [
      {
        "name": "John Smith",
        "type": "plaintiff",
        "role_in_case": "lead plaintiff",
        "date_joined": "2024-05-10T00:00:00Z",
        "date_terminated": null,
        "attorneys": [
          {
            "name": "Jane Doe",
            "firm": "Doe & Associates LLP",
            "role": "lead counsel",
            "date_action": "2024-05-10T00:00:00Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "cross_references": [
      {
        "relationship": "consolidated",
        "case_id": "1:24-cv-01235",
        "court_code": "nysd",
        "relationship_note": null
      }
    ],
    "docket_history": [
      {
        "entry_number": 1,
        "filed_at": "2024-05-10T09:00:00Z",
        "filing_type": "complaint",
        "filed_by": "John Smith",
        "description": "Complaint filed",
        "document_identifier": "0001",
        "document_identifier_type": "pacer_doc_id",
        "external_url": "https://ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/doc1/..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Case fields

Field	Type	Description
`case_number`	string	The case identifier
`case_name`	string	Primary case name
`case_name_secondary`	string \| null	Secondary name (bilingual jurisdictions)
`case_name_secondary_language`	string \| null	Language of secondary name
`case_type`	string	`civil`, `criminal`, `bankruptcy`, `appellate`, etc.
`court_code`	string	Court identifier
`court_name`	string	Full court name
`jurisdiction_country`	string	`US` or `CA`
`language`	string \| null	`en`, `fr`, or `bilingual`
`date_filed`	string \| null	ISO-8601 case filing date
`date_terminated`	string \| null	ISO-8601 termination date if closed
`status`	string	`open` or `closed`
`assigned_judge`	string \| null	Assigned judge name
`nature_of_proceeding`	string \| null	Nature of suit or proceeding
`cause`	string \| null	Statutory cause of action (US federal courts)
`jury_demand`	string \| null	`plaintiff`, `defendant`, `both`, or `none`
`primary_parties`	array	Primary plaintiff and defendant (basic context)
`appellate`	object \| null	Appellate-specific fields if applicable

Delta fields

Field	Type	Description
`changed`	boolean	Whether any new filings were found since `last_checked`
`since`	string	The `last_checked` value you supplied
`change_count`	number	Number of new filings
`new_filings`	array	Docket entry objects — empty if `changed` is false

Docket entry fields

Field	Type	Description
`entry_number`	number \| null	Entry number from the source court system
`filed_at`	string	ISO-8601 filing timestamp
`filing_type`	string \| null	Normalized filing type — `order`, `motion`, `judgment`, `notice`, etc.
`filed_by`	string \| null	Filing party or judge name
`description`	string	Docket entry text
`document_identifier`	string \| null	Document identifier in the source system
`document_identifier_type`	string	Identifier scheme for the source system — e.g. `pacer_doc_id` for PACER courts. See the field reference for the full enum.
`external_url`	string \| null	Direct link to the document at the source court portal

Notes

last_checked management — Store meta.queried_at from each response and use it as last_checked in your next call. This ensures you never miss a filing between queries. Document access — Document URLs link to the source court portal. For PACER federal courts, retrieving the document requires valid PACER credentials. For state and Canadian courts, access requirements vary by portal. DocketLayer provides the link — document access is the caller’s responsibility. Appellate context — For appellate cases, the appellate field contains panel composition, appeal type, originating court, and oral argument date where available.

Getting started

API reference

Concepts

Guides

Integration quickstarts

Resources

Overview

Request

Parameters

Example request

Response

Meta block

Context: basic (default)

Context: full

Case fields

Delta fields

Docket entry fields

Notes

​Overview

​Request

​Parameters

​Example request

​Response

​Meta block

​Context: basic (default)

​Context: full

​Case fields

​Delta fields

​Docket entry fields

​Notes

Overview

Request

Parameters

Example request

Response

Meta block

Context: basic (default)

Context: full

Case fields

Delta fields

Docket entry fields

Notes