Monitor a Court Docket for New Filings

Litigation moves on its own schedule and new filings drop without announcement. For journalists covering active cases, lawyers tracking opposing counsel activity, and investors monitoring litigation risk for portfolio companies, knowing when a new document appears in a docket is time-sensitive information.

Federal Court Filings: PACER

Federal court records in the US are available via PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). PACER charges $0.10 per page for document access, with free access up to $30 per quarter. Email alerts for docket activity are available through CourtListener (free) and RECAP, which are nonprofit projects that mirror PACER content and provide free alerts for specific cases.

For federal cases: set up CourtListener alerts first. They're free, comprehensive, and specifically built for this use case. CourtListener monitors dockets and emails you when new filings appear.

State Court Filings

State court coverage is more fragmented. Most states have their own eCourt or eFile systems with varying levels of public access and alert functionality. Some states (California, New York, Texas) have reasonably good public access portals; others require physical courthouse visits for certain record types.

For state court monitoring where no native alert exists, an AyeWatch page-change alert on the case's public docket URL provides coverage: set up a monitor on the case page and describe "alert me when new filings, orders, or hearing dates are added."

News Coverage of Litigation

For high-profile cases, AI topic monitoring on the case name or parties provides an additional layer: news coverage, legal analysis, and commentary that appears alongside the primary docket activity. A topic like "[Case name] litigation updates, court rulings, and legal commentary" catches the interpretive layer that the raw docket doesn't provide.