Although not all documents available to the public are classified to be included in the collection of documents known collectively as the Jackson County Public Records, majority of documents available to the general public are part of the same, and of all the documents that are placed under the umbrella of this classification, perhaps the most searched for would be court records.
This is because court records, which contain more than just the name of the parties, the type of case, and the claims, are of such importance not only to practitioners of law but to the general public. The information contained within these documents, including the minutes of the hearing, the summary of events that had happened while the case was being decided, the statements and names of witnesses, and, if the case had already been disposed of, the reason behind why it was disposed of the way it was, are of great use to the public. These records are also a means and ways for not only the higher judicial authorities but also the general public to ensure the transparency of governance and that the constitutional requirements of the legal process are complied Florida statute identified the clerk of court as the official custodian of court records. The same statute had unequivocally stated that court records are to be made available to the public upon request at any time and regardless of the circumstances behind the request. This command to the clerk operates to ensure that the clerk could not validly deny anyone the right to look into the records, but because the clerk is also charged with protecting the records, the clerk could provide for a procedure for the public to see the records.
The procedure for looking into the records of the clerk is simple enough and would start with the searcher actually arriving at the office of the clerk of court. The personal appearance of the searcher could not be ignored given that the records could not be taken out of the archives given the other mandate of the clerk of court. Nevertheless, the records may be viewed within the four walls of the archives, without fee.
Once the records had been located, the same could be copied by the office upon request of the searcher. Note, however, that copying of the records is not free because there is nothing in the law that states that they should be free. The fee for the copying, however, is usually just one dollar per page. After the documents had been copied, they could be certified by the clerk, who, as the official custodian of the records, is actually the only one who could verify their authenticity, for a fee of two dollars per document.
Another option for those who are in a hurry for obtaining a copy of the records is to use online resources in the form of specialized online databases. The World Wide Web is full of these databases, which makes them easier to locate. They are also easier to use and are often free of charge. Further, because they are done over the wire all that is actually required is for the searcher to have a computer, an internet connection, and a printer. In addition, they also provide more information given their networks with other databases that provide other types of information.
Jackson County Court Records Public Access
To obtain court records from the online database of the Jackson County Clerk of Court, follow the following procedure
- Visit the Search Page of the online database.
- At the space provided, fill in the information requested. Note that not all blanks are required to be filled.
- Once you have filled in the information, click ‘Search’ at the bottom of the page.
- At the results page, locate the record that you wish to view.
- Click on the box before the title of the record, then click ‘view selection’ at the bottom of the page.
- The specifics of the case should now be available to you.
Jackson County Public Records Free Access
Additional questions could be answered by the following links
Florida Public Records
Comprehensive Public Court Records of Florida Counties