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WSCCA - Case Search

  • Updated

    • Purpose: Use Case Search to find Appellate and Supreme court cases with a variety of search parameters.

    Applicable Users: Attorneys, court staff, general public

    Searching for a Case

    1. Navigate to Search > Case Search from the menu.
      WSCCA Search menu with attention called to Case search menu option
    2. In the Case search window, enter your search criteria.
      WSCCA Case search screen with basic search criteria including party name and case number
      • Unless searching by Case number, you must enter at least two search parameters.
    • Party name: Search for an individual party in a case by entering Last name, First name and/or Middle name. You must enter at least three characters of the last name.
    • Business name: Search for a business that is a party in a case. You must enter at least three characters of the business name.
    • Search similar names: Select this checkbox if you are unsure of the exact spelling of a party or business name. The search will include results that sound or are spelled similarly to your entry.
      Search similar names checkbox on the WSCCA case search page
    • Case number: Enter either the appellate case number (e.g., 25ap1 for 2025AP000001) or the circuit court case number (e.g., 04cf1 for 2004CF000001). When searching by a circuit court case number, you must also select a county.
    • County: Select a county from the dropdown to limit results. This must be used with at least one other search field.
    1. To use more search options, select the [Additional search criteria] button.
      WSCCA case search screen with attention called to Additional search criteria expand link
      WSCCA case search additional search criteria fields including attorney name and filing date
      Additional search criteria fields include:
      • Attorney name: Find all appeals involving a specific attorney. You must enter at least three characters of the last name.
      • Case status: Filter appeals by their current status. If no status is selected, the search returns appeals in all statuses. This must be used with at least one other search field.
      • Court type: Filter appeals by Supreme Court (SC) or the Court of Appeals (CA). If left blank, the search includes both courts. This criteria must be used with at least one other search field.
      • Current district: Find appeals within a specific district of the Court of Appeals. This must be used with at least one other search field.
      • Class codes: Find appeals matching a particular class code. This must be used with at least one other search field.
        • Note: Class codes have been modified over time. New class codes will not necessarily retrieve older cases of a similar type.
      • Filing date: Search for appeals filed on a specific date or within a date range. Enter a date in MM/DD/YYYY format or select the calendar icon. For a date range, complete both the From and To fields.
        WSCCA case search additional search criteria for Filing date with attention called to the calendar picker icon
      • Public domain citation (PDC) search: A Wisconsin public domain citation (PDC) is a specific format for court cases published from January 1, 2000, onward. It includes the year of publication, the court's abbreviation (WI for the Supreme Court, WI App for the Court of Appeals), and a sequential number (e.g., 2000 WI 14). PDCs are assigned to published opinions, rules, orders and other items issued by the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals.
        • PDC year: Select the year the court issued the opinion.
        • PDC court Type: Select the court that issued the opinion.
        • PDC number: Enter the sequential PDC number. This is optional. A search with only a year and court type will return all opinions with a PDC citation from that court for that year.
      • Citation of official publishers search: Use this search if you have the citation of a published opinion from either the Wisconsin Reports (Wis. 2d) or the North Western Reporter (N.W.2d) to retrieve the case history.
        • Citation volume: Enter the citation volume number.
        • Citation publisher: Select the appropriate publisher from the dropdown.
        • Page: Enter the citation page number.
    2. Select the [Search] button to retrieve your list.
      WSCCA case search with attention called to Search button

    Contact the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals

    Comments, suggestions, and questions regarding WSCCA are welcome. Please note all comments and suggestions will be reviewed, but a personal response to all submissions may not be possible. Please feel free to contact the Clerk's Office for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals by calling 608-266-1880 or using the form located on the WSCCA site.

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