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Originally posted by CPD SIG:

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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.

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Originally posted by BB61:

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Originally posted by jhe888:

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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.