Alaska Court Records Search

Alaska Court System

For the last year tallied, the state of Alaska saw 122,566 cased filed within the trial courts. This figure represents an increase of 1.3% over the previous year. Of the annual total, 24,048 were filed with Superior, and 98,518 were filed in District. The most substantial increase of 4.8% took place at the Superior Court level from year to year. Additionally, for last year, the trial courts combined, disposed of 119,007 cases.

The Court of Appeals must first review appeals that originate in either the Superior Courts or District Courts. From there, the Alaska appellate courts send cases to the Supreme Court. There are 42 Superior, and 20 District courthouses spread over the four jurisdictions. AK uses a “unified” court system that is totally state-funded. There is also a U.S. bankruptcy court in Alaska with offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau.

Supreme Court

Court of Appeals

Superior Court

District Court

Are Alaska Court Case Files Public Record?

Most records in the state court records system are open to the public with a few exceptions. Any criminal cases where the charges were dismissed will be removed from public view. Additionally, in criminal matters where the person was found not guilty, those records will be removed within 60 days by the court clerk's office. All juvenile delinquency information is not available to the general public. According to United States federal law and Alaska statutes, some personal or sensitive information must also be removed or redacted from publicly posted court documents. This includes information such as minor’s names, home addresses, financial information like bank accounts and other identifying data such as a social security number or tax ID.

AK Court Case Filing Information

Currently, Alaska does not have an electronic filing system for their courts. Therefore, they have a section on the courts.alaska.gov website where users can download various forms for things like filing for divorce, obtaining a domestic protective order, opening a small claims case along with name changes, filing motions in current cases and other civil and criminal filings. They also have a section of public notices on the different fees associated with each type of filing. The paperwork must be dropped off or mailed directly to the appropriate court. Their website has detailed instructions along with the forms to make the justice system easy to navigate. They even have information on attorneys and reporting judicial conduct that is inappropriate.

Search for Alaska Court Records Online

Using Infotracer’s efficient search tool, anyone can get AK public records on demand. The AK records database includes cases from the largest counties of Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough as well as other parts of the state like Ketchikan and Juneau. The United States Freedom of Information Act combined with the Alaska Public Records Act (APRA) makes it easy for someone to search AK all different types of records.

Some records like juvenile records are kept confidential by Alaska legislature, but most court cases online are available and searchable. The general public has the right to search for public records and review court dockets from all types of courts, including criminal court cases, probate court cases, domestic relations cases, and more.

An Alaska state court records search by name will reveal a lot about a person. Gain instant, free access to all types of AK records when you use Infotracer.

Alaska Court Statistics

In 2012, the Alaska courts received 135,644 filings. In 2016, the number of filings decreased by 12.9% and counted 118,130 filings and had 113,467 outgoing cases

Family Court Cases

Domestic relations caseload of Alaska at year end of 2016 has decreased by 17.2% compared to the last 5 years.

Alaska Criminal Caseloads

The number of criminal cases in Alaska courts counts to 27,445, with 6,423 felony cases and 21,022 misdemeanors accordingly.

State Superior Courts

Alaska has 42 Superior Courts, and they have general jurisdiction over all trials in the state. These courts are spread over four jurisdictional districts. Every year the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court chooses one judge from a Superior Court in each district to oversee all courts in his or her district. This honor comes with a one-year, renewable term. Superior Courts hear both criminal and civil cases. AK Superior Court also serves as an appeals court for the District Courts. The types of cases resolved by Superior Courts are divorce, child abuse, custody, neglect, domestic court orders. property cases for deceased persons and mental illness matters.

District Courts

There are 21 District Courts in Alaska with as many judges. It was created in 1959. The AK District Courts are trial courts with limited jurisdiction. These courts handle state misdemeanors along with violations of local ordinances per district. They also resolve civil cases of up to $100,000 and small claims cases of up to $10,000. These courts also hear most emergency issues involving children and domestic violence cases.

Along with this workload, the AK District Courts are also responsible for issuing summonses, arrest and search warrants. Some of the these courts also record vital statistics. Appeals from the district court level first go to the Superior Court and then the Court of Appeals.