Felony conviction in Cook County IL, back in 1993. I know the name of the convicted, and the case number. Are the details of the trial available to the public, online? I'm not having any luck.

Record, maybe, details probably not.
I've had to look up records in the south and have found most in the clerk of the court for those counties.
Attorneys may have better access through other sources.

Since it's Crook County, I imagine having an attorney make the request for you would avoid obstacles and/or delays.

Whatever office is the court clerk will have basic documents, probably on line. Charging documents, motions judgments, sentencing materials, etc. Find out who keeps the records, and ask how you get access.

I have always found superior court documents are not available online.

This was in NC, and superior court is where you go to have a jury trial or felony charges, everything else is handled at the district court level and is you in front of a judge and misdemeanors only.

I always had to ask the superior court clerk of the court for documents. If I just needs a verdict I could get that by running a query by name or docket number thru DCI(only avail to sworn officers or courts)

Probably not (too old, and not many jurisdictions have scanned in everything that old), but will be in hard copy, which will require a trip. Call the clerk first and ask, and then check recorder's office or county records.

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Also, I find often with cases that old, that there are not a lot of details--no transcripts, etc. Maybe just a complaint or indictment, and the final entry or judgment finding the person guilty, etc. But you may get lucky, so it it worth a few calls, starting with the Cook County clerk of courts. The case name and number are often indexed, even if the entire case file isn't.

For my county, the “public records” were generally online and very basic with the minimalist info. I had a login and password and could read everything , when I was at the sheriffs office, as part of my job. They scanned everything and I would guess that at least 10-20 times more documents are available for certain eyes only, compared to public access records.

Doubtful. And based on age, unless the case was subject to lengthy appeals, the court may have disposed of everything without scanning anything. You'd simply have minute entry records of the conviction and basic information pertaining to the sentence and probation. I'd simply call and ask them.

From the LE side of the world, I would say...good luck. We have a hell of a time with getting even dispositions on much more recent criminal cases from Cook County (for charging enhancements and such).

Rusbro,

I worked as a paralegal at a prosecutor's office for 4.5 years. What specifically are you looking for? As jhe888 says, the office of the court clerk will have the charging documents, motions and sentencing documents. However, if you really want the details of the crime, you would be better off contacting the records department of the arresting LE agency for a copy of the police report. Keep in mind that even though 1993 was in the computer era that via both routes, the records are probably going to be on microfilm.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
Doubtful. And based on age, unless the case was subject to lengthy appeals, the court may have disposed of everything without scanning anything. You'd simply have minute entry records of the conviction and basic information pertaining to the sentence and probation. I'd simply call and ask them.

No, this is probably wrong. Trial courts of record, whatever they are called, generally keep everything. In the old days, they kept paper, or maybe microfilmed it. Now they scan, and in bigger counties may be scanning old records, because that is still cheaper than keeping paper. Courts have to keep those records.

One of the courts in Harris County Texas is the 8th District Court (district courts are the "highest" trial court in Texas). It was one of the original courts created at statehood, and was a Republic of Texas court before that. The 8th has paper records going back to 1838 or something. You can look at filings signed by Sam Houston, and other luminaries of Texas history.

Most trial courts will have records going way, way back. Getting access may take a trip to the courthouse or some old warehouse, but those are public records.

The court's file will tell you the basics - who was charged, the motions, and the disposition. They won't tell you the "story" of the facts, though. But they will tell you the history of the case.

I'm out of state, so I'm limited to what I can find online. I've found enough to confirm the crime did indeed happen, which was the main goal. More detail would be nice, but it's not vital.

Thanks again for the replies.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
Doubtful. And based on age, unless the case was subject to lengthy appeals, the court may have disposed of everything without scanning anything. You'd simply have minute entry records of the conviction and basic information pertaining to the sentence and probation. I'd simply call and ask them.

No, this is probably wrong. Trial courts of record, whatever they are called, generally keep everything. In the old days, they kept paper, or maybe microfilmed it. Now they scan, and in bigger counties may be scanning old records, because that is still cheaper than keeping paper. Courts have to keep those records.

One of the courts in Harris County Texas is the 8th District Court (district courts are the "highest" trial court in Texas). It was one of the original courts created at statehood, and was a Republic of Texas court before that. The 8th has paper records going back to 1838 or something. You can look at filings signed by Sam Houston, and other luminaries of Texas history.

Most trial courts will have records going way, way back. Getting access may take a trip to the courthouse or some old warehouse, but those are public records.

The court's file will tell you the basics - who was charged, the motions, and the disposition. They won't tell you the "story" of the facts, though. But they will tell you the history of the case.

^^^
Not to be argumentative but I have personal experience regarding this. Each state differs. For example, about ten years ago I represented a client on a DV charge. About three years ago, I tried to pull the actual file after I couldn't find what I was looking for online. No luck. I spoke with the clerk of the court and got the response I posted. My state has document retention standards and some districts scanned more files than others based on a lot of factors. I actually had a case this week where there was only limited information available.

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:
Felony conviction in Cook County IL, back in 1993. I know the name of the convicted, and the case number. Are the details of the trial available to the public, online? I'm not having any luck.

Just looked at this thread-
My email is in my profile.

Send me the info, I'll call some States Attorney friends of mine.

I've crawled around in the basement of a rural courthouse-- with the 70-something Clerk of Court, Miss Lizzy, who was the ENTIRE Clerk's Office aside from a part-time courtroom deputy clerk-- looking for docs to prove up a prior felony conviction from the early 1970s. This was after 2010. jhe888 is correct, they're called "courts of record" for a reason.

The records are there. My biggest headache is usually getting the slugs who often populate the "front end" of the office to actually look for them. But with a docket number and name, it shouldn't be difficult.

Count on them being kept in an archive off-site, requiring a written request & fees, and be prepared for it to take a while. Bare minimum, they'll have the indictment, minutes of the the arraignment/plea, bonds or bail pieces, verdict or plea sheet, and judgment/sentencing/commitment order. If IL cases start in a lower court, you may see paper sent up from that court including a charging document (criminal complaint?) with probable cause for the arrest/charge detailed. Enough to have a pretty decent picture of what happened.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:
Felony conviction in Cook County IL, back in 1993. I know the name of the convicted, and the case number. Are the details of the trial available to the public, online? I'm not having any luck.

Just looked at this thread-
My email is in my profile.

Send me the info, I'll call some States Attorney friends of mine.

That’s a very kind offer. Thank you. I want to check with a co-worker and see if they think it’s worth troubling you and your friend with. Will let you know. Thanks again.

As a PI, if I wanted the actual records, I went to the clerks office of the court involved. And this often meant multiple offices: Civil, Criminal (both felony and misdemeanor), Divorce and or Probate. I was very nice to the clerks and even brought flowers.
A good clerk can work wonders and I often asked for the person who had worked there the longest, as they knew where everything was buried.
But this was expensive in time and mileage and most clients would not pay for it.

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:
Felony conviction in Cook County IL, back in 1993. I know the name of the convicted, and the case number. Are the details of the trial available to the public, online? I'm not having any luck.

Just looked at this thread-
My email is in my profile.

Send me the info, I'll call some States Attorney friends of mine.

That’s a very kind offer. Thank you. I want to check with a co-worker and see if they think it’s worth troubling you and your friend with. Will let you know. Thanks again.

No problem at all. I'm down at the courthouse enough with work. All I do is ask a friend to pull it up on the computer.