The Arkansas District Court system is part of the judicial branch of the federal government. Whether you are an attorney filing a federal case, a business owner pursuing or responding to litigation at the federal level or simply interested in reviewing Arkansas District Court rulings that affect your industry, you can access necessary information and even conduct case filing online through the District Courts in Arkansas.

In many cases, you will have a choice about whether to file a case in the federal or state courts. Bankruptcy and intellectual property disputes, however, are important exceptions; these cases may only be tried at the federal level, in Arkansas District Courts. As in most states, Arkansas is divided geographically into more than one federal court district, and you will need to file or request information from the appropriate AR District Courts. Use online resources to:

1. Identify the correct AR District Courts for filing a case.

2. Obtain the appropriate Arkansas District Court documents and forms for filing, or file a case electronically.

3. Gain access to Arkansas District Court reports.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify the appropriate Arkansas District Court

Arkansas District Court cases must be filed in the appropriate geographic district. Use the websites of the two AR District Courts to determine where to file Arkansas District Court documents.

I recommend: The Western District Court of Arkansas, headquartered in Fort Smith, serves communities such as Fayetteville and Texarkana. Use the map to determine your appropriate geographic division. The Eastern District Court of Arkansas has five divisions: Northern, Western, Pine Bluff, Eastern and Jonesboro.

Download Arkansas District Court documents and forms or use electronic case filing

Use the appropriate web links to download Arkansas District Court documents and necessary filing forms.

I recommend: Download forms you'll need to file a case or request information from the Eastern District Courts in AR. The Western District Courts in Arkansas provide downloadable documents and forms. Attorneys can register for the federal electronic case filing system to file online, but must do so separately for the Western and Eastern Arkansas District Courts.

Obtain Arkansas District Court records

The best way to obtain AR District Court records information is to use PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), the government's online database; registration is required. Other online public records databases may be less complete, but often provide easier access.

I recommend: Register to use PACER for access to Arkansas District Court rulings. Use Justia.com to search for an Arkansas District Court case by party name, case type or date; you can search by district or include the entire state. For full Arkansas District Court records, the unofficial source is Thomson West's Federal Supplement; bankruptcy records from AR District Courts are available in Thomson West's Bankruptcy Reporter.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't confuse Arkansas circuit courts or state district courts with US District Courts in Arkansas. Circuit courts handle issues on the county level; state district courts deal with other state and local jurisdictions.