Idaho Court Case Lookup

A court case in Idaho is a legal proceeding in which one party brings a dispute or allegation against another party in a court of law. The Idaho Court System is organized into four levels, and courts at each level have distinct jurisdiction.

Idaho Supreme Court: This is the state's highest court, as well as its court of last resort. Appellants may petition the Idaho Supreme Court to review a decision by the Idaho Court of Appeals, but the Idaho Supreme Court is not always required to do so.
Court of Appeals of Idaho: In 1980, the Idaho Court of Appeals was established as the state's intermediate appellate court. The court hears cases assigned by the Idaho Supreme Court, with the exception of convictions for capital murder and appeals from the Public Utilities Commission or Industrial Commission, which must be heard by the State’s Supreme Court.
Idaho District Courts: Idaho District Courts hear criminal cases, civil cases involving more than $10,000 in damages, and appeals of Magistrate Court decisions. Additionally, they may hear cases involving domestic relations and post-conviction relief actions in which an inmate challenges their conviction or incarceration.
Idaho Magistrate Division: Idaho Magistrate Division is under the District Court in Idaho Court System. Magistrate judges hear misdemeanor criminal cases and civil actions involving amounts less than $10,000. Magistrate judges have the authority to issue arrest and search warrants, handle habeas corpus proceedings, as well as domestic, juvenile, and probate cases. Magistrate judges may hold preliminary hearings in criminal cases to determine whether or not a felony offense will be tried by a jury in district court. The Magistrate Division's decisions can be appealed at the district courts.

The public can access information about criminal and civil cases heard in Idaho Courts by making use of the resource provided on the Idaho Court Data Website for viewing cases, charges, and financial data from Idaho’s state courts.

Access to court records within Idaho's unified court system is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. Depending on the requested information, a request may need to be sent to one of the following possible custodians:

Individual Records: For general case information for individuals, requesters may access Idaho's online case information system or contact the Clerk's Office of the court with jurisdiction over the case of interest. Documents from a case file are not accessible online and must be obtained from the Clerk's Office in person or by mail request. The exception is the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions, which are available online.

Compiled Records: In the event that a requester is seeking data compiled from the courts' case management system, he or she will be required to use a request form. To define the scope of a request, the requester must respond to multiple questions regarding who is requesting the data, the intended purpose of the request, and whether any of the data will be shared. Much of this information is required to prioritize large data requests, which, per ICAR 32(f), may be granted or denied based on the availability of sufficient resources to fulfill them.

Due to the numerous methods available for accessing court records in Idaho, requesters should first check the court website for the information and instructions specific to that court.

Are Court Cases Public Record in Idaho?

Yes. Court records are made accessible to the public in compliance with Idaho Court Administrative Rule (ICAR) 32. The public shall have access to the electronic records if they exist. These include indexes of litigants and parties for cases filed with the court, and listings of new filings that include the parties' names. iCourt is the state’s online database for electronic court records.

Can I Get Idaho Court Case Documents Online?

Yes, there are electronic court records for all 44 counties in Idaho that can be easily accessed online. Although, it is important to note due to the transitioning of case management systems from the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository and the iCourt Portal, requesters will need to search both systems to conduct a statewide search. Please visit the official source for the most recent information on case management and the status of the system transition in Idaho.

How to Conduct an Idaho Court Case Search by Name

The Idaho iCourt Portal, an online records repository for Idaho courts, allows members of the public to locate court documents of interest. The Portal provides public access to court records from 1995 to date for all 44 counties. There may also be information for older cases available on the website. The Portal is updated at least once per hour to reflect changes made to court records throughout the day. Requesters can conduct a case search using party names for their search. Alternately, requesters can also visit the courthouse where the case was heard, and speak with the court clerk, in order to submit a request for the case of interest.

What is a Court Case Number?

A court case number is a unique identifier assigned to a legal proceeding by the court Clerk's Office. It appears on every official document related to a case and is used throughout the court system to identify it (from filing to disposition). A case number may contain letters, numbers, or special characters (such as a dash), and its format differs depending on the court where the case was filed. The case number enables straightforward and distinctive identification of specific civil and criminal proceedings. It is utilized to identify the filing year, the filing office, and the assigned judicial officer(s).

How to Read a Court Case Number

Each filed case is assigned a case (or docket) number in Idaho courts. The case number indicates the filing year, the case type, and the court where the case was filed, which is usually represented by a letter or a number.

There are particular details that a case number will typically reveal:

The year the case was filed
The specific court division that received the case filing
The type of case (small claims, criminal, traffic, limited civil, unlawful detainer, etc.)

Due to the fact that case numbers vary, individuals desiring to understand a court case number should consult the Clerk's Office at the issuing court.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Idaho

Case numbers, a set of unique numbers assigned to each case for filing purposes, are easily retrievable if other information that helps a court clerks locate court records is available. Details, such as the names of the parties involved, the court that heard the case, and the verdict, can facilitate a court record search. If the information provided by the requester is inadequate, it will be difficult to locate the case number, and such requests may be denied.

To conduct a case number search, requesters might need to use the online case information system to retrieve the case number for their case of interest or contact the specific clerk's office of the court with jurisdiction over the case.

Idaho Court Records Lookup

Transitioning from a paper-based system to a modern electronic online judicial system changed how Idaho Courts manage and preserve case information. The new iCourt system allows interested individuals to search court records, make payments, and obtain county contact information. By using the iCourt Portal, requesters are able to conduct record searches and make payments by selecting the appropriate county and service of interest on the website.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Idaho

For victims of human trafficking, Idaho expunges adult criminal records, juvenile records, and prostitution convictions. In Idaho, expungement erases a petitioner's criminal record and restores their status prior to the offense. The state expunges the record from all official sources but maintains a file of expunged records that only judges are permitted to view. In other words, no one, including employers, landlords, banks, etc., will have access to an expunged record.

In Idaho, expungement is extremely restricted, it is limited because individuals might be able to expunge charges and arrests, but cannot expunge most convictions.

In general, a petitioner is eligible to have a nonconviction record expunged if:

Their charges were dismissed.
The petitioner was arrested and not charged to court within the one year.
They were acquitted or found not guilty.
The petitioner was a victim of human trafficking and was arrested for or convicted of prostitution, but did not assert the coercion defense at trial.
The petitioner was involved in juvenile offenses, but not involved in serious violent offenses, after a one- to five-year waiting period.
Petitioner is eligible to have their records removed from the Idaho sex-offender registry if they have 10 years of good conduct, with exceptions for aggravated, repeat, and violent offenses.

Note that the Idaho State Police has purview over the expungement of non-conviction records. When a record is expunged, the petitioner's arrest and charges are erased. The record is sealed when a court grants expungement of a juvenile adjudication.

An expungement application involves five steps:

Determining Eligibility: Petitioner should check for eligibility using the "Expungement Flow Chart" from the Idaho State Police. Requesters can access the chart by visiting the Idaho State Police website for the flow chart.
Completing the Request Form: Download and complete the form for expungement. To access the form, the petitioner will need to visit the Idaho State Police website.
Submitting Supporting Documents: The Petitioner should obtain certified documents from the arresting agency and court demonstrating the petitioner's eligibility for expungement. Certified documents such as court order of acquittal or dismissal, a criminal citation or criminal complaint and summons, indictment or information will be helpful for the application.
Making Copies for Record Purposes: Petitioner should make copies of all documents, including one complete set for the Petitioner.
Submitting the Application: Send the completed expungement application and supporting documentation to the Idaho State Police at the following address:

Idaho State Police,
Suite 120
700 South Stratford Drive
Meridian, ID 83642

How to Check a Court Case Status in Idaho

Case parties and other interested parties can check the status of a court case online using the iCourt Portal. The portal serves information on court cases from 1995 to the present in all 44 counties. There may also be information for older cases available on the website. Typically, a case number or the name of a party is required to access the case information on the portal. A person can also check the status of their court case by physically visiting the courthouse.

How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Idaho.

As a public service, the cited opinions of the Idaho Supreme Court and Idaho Court of Appeals are made available online by the Idaho Supreme Court. After one year, all cited opinions are removed from the website.

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Idaho?

Although over 500,000 criminal and civil cases are filed in Idaho State’s court system each year, only a small percentage of these cases reach the trial phase. Up to 97 percent of civil cases are resolved without a trial, according to a publication by the American Judges Association.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Idaho?

According to Administrative Rule 57 of the Idaho Courts, the following time standards are adopted as guidelines for judges, trial court administrators, attorneys, and litigants to assist them in determining how long a case should take to conclude in a trial court:

Civil Cases: 540 days from complaint (District Court); 180 days from complaint (Magistrate Court).
Felony Cases: 30 days from the first appearance to order holding the defendant to answer in the district court or discharging the defendant (Magistrate Division ); 150 days from the first appearance in district court (District Court).
Misdemeanor Cases: 90 days from the date of first appearance
Infractions: 60 days from the date of first appearance
Domestic Relations and Child Support Enforcement: 180 days from the date of complaint
Juvenile: 90 days from the date of the admit/deny hearing (Juvenile Corrections Act cases); time for Child Protection Act cases varies with the time frames specified in the Idaho Juvenile Rules
Small Claims: 90 days from the date of complaint.

How to File a Case in Court in Idaho

A lawsuit is initiated by the filing of a complaint that outlines the facts of the situation as perceived by the plaintiff-the party seeking court assistance. The Deputy Clerk collects a filing fee at the time the complaint is submitted. Once a complaint and summons have been filed with the court, they must be delivered to the defendant, the opposing party. The defendant is then given 20 days to respond to the complaint in writing.

The written response to the complaint by the defendant, which is now filed with the court is known as an “answer”. Once again, the court clerk will collect a filing fee for the answer. The defendant may file a counterclaim concurrently with his or her answer. The counterclaim describes the relief to which the defendant believes he or she is entitled from the plaintiff. The plaintiff then has ten days to respond to the counterclaim that was filed by the defendant through the answer.

If a party misses a deadline, the opposing side may ask the court to rule in its favor by default. When a party fails to appear or file papers, a default is entered, and the judge may enter a decision or judgment. Most often, the deadlines are extendable, either by agreement (stipulation) of the parties or by court order.

After the filing of the various documents as described previously, there is typically a period of time for discovery. During this period, either side may require the other to respond to written questions known as interrogatories, request production of documents, provide copies of documents related to the case, give sworn testimony under oath known as depositions, and perform a number of other tasks that will aid the lawyers in their presentations. The discovery process can be lengthy and even complicated.

From the beginning of the dispute, the parties may have attempted to negotiate a resolution. The negotiation may continue for the duration of the litigation. Nonetheless, if negotiations have thus far failed and all discovery has been completed, either party may file a variety of motions with the court. These motions are merely requests for the court to rule on preliminary matters before the trial. An additional step at this point is the pre-trial hearing, during which the attorneys representing both sides of the case or the parties themselves, if they have chosen not to be represented by an attorney, meet with the judge in an effort to simplify as much as possible the factual and legal issues prior to trial. At the pre-trial hearing, the judge can frequently assist the parties in reaching a mutually acceptable decision.

If all negotiations prior to and during the pre-trial hearing are unsuccessful, the case will then proceed to a formal trial before the court.

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

If a court case was resolved prior to the scheduled trial date, it shows that the court or case parties found a way to settle the case in a manner other than a bench or jury trial. This alternate approach to resolving cases may involve any of the following:

Mutual Compromise: If a case is settled between the two opposing parties prior to trial, it is deemed resolved and no further proceedings will be initiated.
Diversion Program: A pre-trial sentencing procedure that allows a defendant in a less severe criminal case to avoid a structured trial and criminal conviction in exchange for completing a rehabilitation program and probation.
Plea Bargain: When a defendant enters a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced sentence or the dismissal of certain charges.
Dismissal: This happens when a party requests or the court orders that a case be dismissed prior to trial. The court could issue an order dismissing a case, if the defendant's rights have been violated.