Connecticut Court Records

What is Included in Connecticut Public Court Records

Criminal Court Cases

Assault & Battery, Domestic Violence, Parole Violation, Probation Violation, Sexual Assault, Robbery, Manslaughter, Murder, Drug Offenses, And More...

Civil Court Cases

Bankruptcies, Legal Judgments, Lawsuits, Tax & Property Liens, Contract Disputes, Probates, Family Law, Small Claims, Evictions, And More...

Traffic Court Cases

Driving Under Influence, Driving While Intoxicated, Speeding Tickets, Traffic Citations, Reckless Driving, Driving Without a License, License Suspensions, Criminal Driving Violations, Accidents, And More...

Connecticut Court Record Lookup

Modern, access to some Connecticut court records online is straightforward despite the Connecticut courthouses being some of the oldest in the country, with proceedings having begun 1636. Most court records are public documents available to anyone who performs Connecticut court records search.

Superior courts

The trial courts in Connecticut are called superior courts, and they are divided into civil (called geographical area courts) and criminal (called judicial district courts) categories. Within the civil category are family court proceedings, such as Connecticut child support and custody cases, small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, juvenile cases, and non-jury trials. Automobile-related cases are found in the criminal division and can be obtained through Recordsfinder.com's Connecticut criminal records. Probate decisions which affect guardianships, trusts and estates, and the mentally ill are heard in a separate division.

Superior courts dispose of 53,000 civil cases per year, 2,674 criminal cases and 155,000 motor vehicle cases.

Some Connecticut CT court records are shielded from public access due to privacy laws regarding juveniles or the names of crime victims. Additionally, any record that has been sealed or expunged will not be available to the public.

Appeals courts

Panels of three judges review decisions made in lower courts to determine if state law was appropriately applied in selected cases. The appellate court makes about 500 determinations on lower court cases each year which can be viewed by Connecticut court case lookup.

At the top of Connecticut’s judiciary is the state supreme court, which advises legislators on the constitutionality of proposed laws, oversees members of the state bar and judiciary, and hears appeals of decisions made by state administrative agencies. It meets in eight two-week sessions per year.

Bankruptcy courts

When a Connecticut resident declares bankruptcy, he must go through the U.S. District Court for his geographical area. These federal courts also handle violations of federal law and cases that involve multiple states. Case information is available online by conducting Connecticut court record lookup.

Connecticut Notable Court Cases

In 2016 the state's ban on assault weapons was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court by default – the court refused to hear a gun rights group's challenge to the law. Despite saying the ban was a violation of the Second Amendment; the U.S. Supreme Court agreed that Connecticut may have such a law by refusing to hear the challenge. Connecticut enacted the assault weapons ban after the tragic murder of more than 20 young students and teachers at an elementary school in Newtown, CT in 2012.

The state's most violent killers are being resentenced due to the state Supreme Court's decision that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the state constitution. All of Connecticut's 11 death row prisoners are going back to state superior court for sentencing in 2016, revisiting some of the state's most bloody events. Among them is Joshua Komisarjevsky who was convicted of the 2007 Cheshire, Conn. home invasion that resulted in the deaths of a mother and her two daughters.

Connecticut Civil Case Statistics

Civil Caseload
Civil Caseload 194,536
Caseloads per 100.000 Population
Caseloads per 100.000 Population 5,439
Small Claims Caseload
Small Claims Caseload 43,109

State Small Claims & Rates Timeline

Year: Small Claims Max. Limit Small Claims Caseload per 100.000 Population Percent of Total Civil Caseload
2012$500048,5171,35124%
2013$500044,6901,24322%
2014$500042,2111,17421%
2015$500042,1901,17522%
2016$500043,1091,20522%

The caseload for small claims has decreased since 2012, going from 48,517 cases a year to 43,109 of 2016. The maximum limit of small claim charges has stayed the same at $5,000 in 2016 compared to the $5,000 that was registered 5 years ago.

Accordingly the small claims rate has decreased- 1,205 cases per 100 000 population compared to the 1,351 of 2012. The total percentage of civil caseloads accounts 28.1% for the state of Connecticut for 2016.

Criminal Caseloads by Type

Criminal Caseloads for Connecticut sum in 109,996 cases at the year end of 2016 which has a share of 81% of misdemeanor and 19% of felony charges. Total criminal cases have decreased in Connecticut compared to the criminal caseload of 2012 - 143,427 cases. Felonies and misdemeanors have changed since 2012 by +17% and -47% accordingly.

The Proportion of Felony and Misdemeanor Caseloads

Criminal Incoming Court Cases by type 2012-2016

Criminal Caseloads Timeline

Domestic Relations Caseloads & Clearance Rates

The state’s domestic relations caseload has counted 49,660 cases which is 1,389 court cases per 100.000 population. It has increased since 2012, the difference in caseloads is 12,189 for the last 5 years, being 37,471 in 2012.

State Court Holidays

Holiday: Date:
New Year's DayMonday, January 1, 2018
Martin Luther King DayMonday, January 15, 2018
Lincoln's BirthdayMonday, February 12, 2018
Washington's BirthdayMonday, February 19, 2018
Good FridayFriday, March 30, 2018
Memorial DayMonday, May 28, 2018
Independence DayWednesday, July 4, 2018
Labor DayMonday, September 3, 2018
Columbus Day Monday, October 8, 2018
Veterans' DayMonday, November 12, 2018
Thanksgiving DayThursday, November 22, 2018
Christmas Day Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Supreme Court Caseloads & Clearance Rates