Our Mission

About CourtWatch.us

CourtWatch.us is a citizen-built, public accountability database. We believe every American has the right to know how their courts are operating — and that public record data should be accessible to everyone, not just lawyers and journalists.

01 — Why We Exist

The problem we're solving

"If a judge releases someone who goes on to commit a violent crime, the public deserves to know. Not to assign blame — but to be informed."

Court records are technically public. But accessing them requires knowing which portal to use, which county to search, and how to navigate systems designed for legal professionals — not ordinary citizens. The result is that critical accountability information exists but remains practically invisible to the people most affected by judicial decisions.

CourtWatch.us changes that. We collect, organize, and present public court data in a format that any citizen can understand and act on. We started with Orange County, Florida — and we're expanding.

02 — Our Values

What we stand for

Accuracy First

We only publish what we can verify from official public records. No speculation. No editorializing. Data speaks for itself.

Radical Transparency

We publish our methodology, our sources, and our limitations. We tell you exactly what the data does and doesn't mean.

Nonpartisan

We cover all judges regardless of their political affiliation or appointment. Public accountability applies equally to everyone.

Free Forever

This database will always be free to search. Public records belong to the public. We will never charge for access to this information.

03 — Roadmap

Where we're going

CourtWatch.us launched with Orange County, Florida in 2025. Here's what's coming:

Live Orange County, FL — 19 judges, 211 cases, 2024 data
Coming Soon All 67 Florida counties — using the Citizens Right to Know annual reports required statewide under FSS 907.043
Coming Soon Bulk data import from Florida Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA) statewide court statistics
Planned Defendant repeat offense tracking — see how many times individuals cycle through the system
Planned All 50 states — starting with states that have strong public records laws and digital court portals
Planned Email alerts — get notified when new data is added for judges in your county
Planned Media partnership program — giving journalists direct data access for investigative reporting
Planned Defendant criminal history database — a searchable record of repeat offenders across all counties and states, so citizens can see who keeps cycling through the system and back onto their streets

04 — Support Us

Keep this free

CourtWatch.us runs on donations and small ad revenue. No government funding. No special interest backing. No paywalls — ever.

The cost of running this site is modest — hosting, database, and data collection infrastructure runs approximately $50–100/month. Every dollar goes directly to keeping the lights on and expanding coverage to more counties and states.

Support CourtWatch.us

Help us expand to all 67 Florida counties and eventually all 50 states. Every contribution keeps this resource free and independent.

Make a Donation

05 — Contact

Get in touch

We welcome tips, corrections, press inquiries, and partnership requests.

For general inquiries, data corrections, press, or partnerships: hello@courtwatch.us

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