Bristol County Superior Court Case Search

Bristol County Superior Courts create and maintain data concerning all court events, including judicial administrative issues. The data may exist as court dockets, exhibits, case files, or jury lists. Public members may search these data to get information about case proceedings and to investigate a person or entity’s background. Superior court case searches are also important for legal research.

In Bristol County, the superior court or other designated custodians may withhold access to certain case files. Such restricted files typically contain information whose disclosure is not in the public interest. For example, information on crime victims is exempt from public access; only authorized parties are eligible to access the records.

What Kinds of Cases Are Heard in the Bristol Superior Court?

The Bristol County Superior Court oversees all civil and criminal cases. It has exclusive jurisdiction over felonies, general civil unlimited, civil equity, complex commercial, and real estate title and boundary cases. However, it shares jurisdiction with other courts on misdemeanors and administrative agency appeals.

Note: The Superior Court in Taunton and Fall River handles criminal matters, while the New Bedford courthouse oversees civil cases.

Bristol County Superior Court

The Bristol County Superior Court is a trial court that has general jurisdiction over civil and criminal case types. This means it has jurisdiction over a broad range of civil and criminal cases. However, the court will only handle cases that are of a higher severity or financial threshold. For example, the superior court hears felony cases that carry a minimum of a five-year sentence. It also hears civil disputes in which the claim for damages is more than $25,000.

The superior court typically handles civil and criminal cases that are of much significance in the resident’s lives. For instance, residents may use the courts to resolve disputes that involve huge amounts. The superior courts are located at these addresses:

Superior Courts in Bristol County
Bristol County Superior Court —Fall River
186 South Main Street
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3300

Bristol County Superior Court—New Bedford
441 County Street
1st Floor
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 996-2051

Bristol County Superior Court —Taunton
9 Court Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 823-6588

Bristol County Case Lookup

Public members can find and obtain Bristol County case files by using the following options:

Online searches on official databases

The Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access platform maintains online access to trial court case files, documents, and other related documents. Persons or entities interested in using this platform must follow these steps:

1. Visit the online platform.
2. Select the "Click Here" button to search court records.
3. On the subsequent page, choose the court department, division, and location where the case was heard.
4. Next, select your preferred search option by clicking on the tabs below. The platform offers searches by case party name, number, case type, and ticket or citation number. There are also options for adding the date range.
5. Click on "Search" to generate search results.

In contrast, you can request older court records by filling out an online request form on the website. The agency will retrieve the records and send them to the inquirer’s address.

Walk-in requests at the courthouses

In Bristol County, the courts maintain copies of court documents. Interested parties can obtain such records by visiting the courthouse that handled the case. The court will attend to the request during business hours on weekdays. Note that public self-service terminals are also installed at the courthouses. These terminals enable the public to view court documents.

The court staff will charge fees for producing physical copies of court documents. Copy fees may be different based on the request volume and type.

Note: Confidential court documents are obtainable through walk-in requests to the courthouse. Inquirers must present a valid ID to obtain such documents.

Bristol Superior Court Case Search by Name

Name-based searches for court records require using record subjects' names to locate related court documents. In Bristol County, public members can name-search superior court records through official online searchable platforms. The Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access platform allows name-based searches for court records. Interested parties using the platform must follow these steps:

1. Visit the online search platform.
2. Select the "Click Here" button at the bottom of the page.
3. Fill out the court specifics, including location, division, and department.
4. Next, select the "Name" search option.
5. Provide the case party’s first and last name.
6. Click on "Search" to generate case records related to the case party names.

Bristol Superior Courts also maintain public self-service terminals at their physical locations. Interested parties may conduct name-based searches on the terminals.

Note: Name-based searches may bring up information about other case parties that have similar names. Thus, ensure the names are correctly spelled and in the right order. You can also fine-tune the search results by including additional identifiers, like filing date range and birthdates.

Bristol Superior Court Docket Search

Court dockets provide summarized information on all events in a case proceeding. Such documents typically include filings, case-party information, attorneys’ names, calendars, orders, and judgments.

To find Bristol Superior Court dockets, inquirers may conduct searches through the Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access platform. Inquirers must follow these steps to locate court docket information on the platform:

1. Visit the online court docket search platform.
2. Select the "Click Here" button at the bottom of the page.
3. Input court details, including division, location, and department.
4. Next, choose your preferred search option from the available tabs.
5. Provide relevant search data using the selected search option.
6. Click on "Search" to bring up court docket information.

Conversely, interested parties can look up superior court dockets at the courthouse that heard the case. Inquirers may visit the courthouses during business hours at these locations:

Bristol County Superior Court —Fall River
186 South Main Street
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 491-3300

Bristol County Superior Court—New Bedford
441 County Street
1st Floor
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 996-2051

Bristol County Superior Court —Taunton
9 Court Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone: (508) 823-6588

Court docket searches are important for various reasons, including the following:

• It enables public members to track a case’s progress.
• It helps you identify important documents by checking the filing dates.
• It helps you find information about case parties and attorneys.

Lookup Bristol County Superior Court Online

Public members can look up Bristol County Superior Court records through offline online repositories like the Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access platform. To view records on the platform, inquirers must use any of these search options:

• Name-based search
• Case number search
• Case type search
• Ticket or citation number search.

Alternatively, third-party search platforms like Massachusettscourtrecords.us may offer online access to Bristol County’s superior court records. These platforms are typically easy to use and do not restrict users from out-of-state locations. Nevertheless, they operate outside government jurisdiction and, as such, are not verifiable options for accessing court documents.

Supreme Court vs. Superior Court

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is different from the Supreme Court in terms of function, jurisdiction, and hierarchy. The SJC has the highest judicial authority in the state and is also referred to as the final appellate court since it reviews appeals from the Court of Appeals and lower courts. The court’s jurisdiction includes supervising the court’s operations and attorneys’ conduct. In addition, the SJC sets the rules of court operations, including the rules of ethics and procedure.

On the other hand, the Superior Court is a trial-level court with general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The court typically handles civil and criminal cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of lower courts.