There are a number of reasons that individuals need to perform a Wisconsin case search for court cases recorded in a Wisconsin county court of law. Court case records and documents are not just used for criminal background checks. This information can be used to research court cases that have been processed in Wisconsin’s judicial system.
Law students use Wisconsin case search portals to locate cases in state and federal courts of law to argue points and to justify case proceedings. These cases are either well-known cases or cases that provide legal support for ongoing cases.
Wisconsin Case Search and locating court cases
Wisconsin Case Search is the name of the portal that is used to locate court cases and to view court documents from all counties in Wisconsin. The portal is found on the Wisconsin courts web page.
This portal can also be accessed through the Wisconsin state law library and the Madison public library website. The reference department of the law library is responsible for maintaining information that is provided in the search.
What information is needed for a Wisconsin case search?
Depending on where the Wisconsin case search is performed, you may need the following information:
- Library card
- Information regarding the court case
- Method of payment for fees such as making copies and/or for printing out material.
- Cat-5 internet cable cord to access the internet using a wired connection
Using the State Law Library
The State Law Library provides information for historical cases, federal cases, and state cases for Wisconsin. If you perform searches through the law library’s search portal, you must go in person to the law library. The portal is unable to be accessed remotely.
The library allows individuals to use their laptops or mobile devices to access and perform searches on legal documents and research legal proceedings. You are also able to access the legal resource center, self-help law center, and the conference room reservation system.
Law firms can set up a billing account that can be used for having documents delivered to a specific location and for services provided in the library. The billing account is a prepaid account and requires an annual advance payment of $8 a month.
The state law library provides access to commonly filed court forms, assistance in some areas from library staff, and the ability to request documents and records that are both certified and uncertified.
Additional Information
If you have questions that need to be answered you can complete the online contact form. This form will send an email to the law library’s reference department. You will need to include your contact information for a staff member to contact you.
You can contact the law library using the following information:
Wisconsin State Law Library
120 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Madison WI 53703
Phone: 608-267-9696
Toll-free: 800-322-9755
Email: wsll.ref@wicourts.gov
Beginning July 6th, the hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 10 am until 3 pm in-person services, from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm for email services, and from 9 am until 4 pm for phone services.