DETROIT CRIMINAL JUSTICE · ARCHIVAL METHOD

HOW TO READ A COURT FILE.

Court files are layered records. The best historical reading comes from identifying what each document is, who created it, when it was created, and what legal purpose it served before drawing conclusions from it.

RESEARCH LENS

Read the document before the story.

Complaint / warrant: allegation and authority to proceed; not proof of guilt.

Information / charging paper: the formal accusation may change from the initial police description.

Docket / register entry: procedural timeline; often concise and dependent on abbreviations.

Transcript / testimony: richer detail, but still testimony from a particular speaker under particular conditions.

Order / verdict / disposition: tells what the court did; it may not explain every reason why.

Exhibit / attachment: evaluate provenance, completeness, labeling, and whether the item is original, copy, or later reproduction.

SOURCE STANDARD

Each filing is identified by creator, date, and legal purpose before it is used to support a historical claim.

← COURTS & JUSTICE CRIME & CRIMINOLOGY DETROIT PRESS