Legal Resources

Everything you need to fight back. Court portals, complaint forms, public records tools, and organizations that can help.

California Court Portals

Court System

California Courts — Official Portal

Search all California court records, find courthouses, access forms, and look up case information across all 58 counties.

courts.ca.gov →
Court System

San Mateo County Superior Court

Case search, court calendar, filing information, and department assignments for San Mateo County.

sanmateocourt.org →
Court System

LA County Superior Court

Largest court system in the nation. Online case access, tentative rulings, and court records.

lacourt.org →
Court System

SF County Superior Court

Case information, online services, and court calendars for San Francisco.

sfsuperiorcourt.org →
Case Law

CourtListener — Free Case Law

Free searchable database of millions of court opinions, oral arguments, and PACER documents. Essential for legal research.

courtlistener.com →
Case Law

Google Scholar — Legal Opinions

Search state and federal court opinions for free. Useful for finding precedent and case law.

scholar.google.com →

File a Complaint

Attorney Misconduct

California State Bar — File a Complaint

Report attorney misconduct, incompetence, or ethical violations. The State Bar investigates and can discipline or disbar attorneys.

calbar.ca.gov/complaint →
Judicial Misconduct

Commission on Judicial Performance

File complaints about judge misconduct, bias, or abuse of power. The CJP can censure, suspend, or remove judges.

cjp.ca.gov/complaint →
Police Misconduct

CA Attorney General — Civil Rights

Report civil rights violations, police misconduct, and pattern-or-practice violations to the state's top law enforcement officer.

oag.ca.gov/civil-rights →
Federal

DOJ Civil Rights Division

Report federal civil rights violations including police brutality, prosecutorial misconduct, and discrimination in the justice system.

civilrights.justice.gov →
Police Misconduct

ACLU of California — Report Violations

Report civil liberties violations. The ACLU litigates landmark cases and can provide legal representation.

aclusocal.org/report →
Disability Rights

CA Dept of Rehabilitation — ADA Complaints

File ADA accommodation complaints for court proceedings. Every courthouse must have an ADA coordinator.

dor.ca.gov →

Public Records & Transparency

Public Records

CPRA Request Generator

Our free tool generates a legally proper California Public Records Act request letter for any county agency in minutes. Just fill out the form and send.

Generate a CPRA Request →
Public Records

California Public Records Act Guide

How to file CPRA requests to obtain government documents, emails, settlement data, and charging statistics from any public agency.

RCFP California Guide →
Campaign Finance

CA Fair Political Practices Commission

Search campaign contributions, lobbying activity, and economic disclosure statements (Form 700) for all elected officials.

fppc.ca.gov →
Salary Data

Transparent California

Searchable database of public employee compensation. See exactly what every DA, judge, and officer earns from taxpayer dollars.

transparentcalifornia.com →
Police Shootings

CA DOJ — Officer-Involved Shootings

Official state database tracking all officer-involved shootings in California. Required by law since 2016.

openjustice.doj.ca.gov →
Exonerations

National Registry of Exonerations

Comprehensive database of every known exoneration in the United States since 1989. Searchable by state, county, and type.

exonerationregistry.org →
Attorney Lookup

CA State Bar — Attorney Search

Verify any attorney's license status, disciplinary history, and bar number. Essential for checking credentials.

calbar.ca.gov/search →
Settlements

Police Funding Database

Track police misconduct settlements and judgments across the country. See how much your city has paid.

policefundingdatabase.org →
Property Records

County Assessor / Recorder Offices

Search property ownership records, deed transfers, and liens. Useful for verifying ownership in property dispute cases.

CA County Assessors →

Organizations That Fight Injustice

Innocence

California Innocence Project

Investigates and litigates wrongful conviction cases in California. Has freed dozens of innocent people.

californiainnocenceproject.org →
Innocence

Northern California Innocence Project

Based at Santa Clara Law. Investigates claims of actual innocence and has secured numerous exonerations.

ncip.org →
Civil Rights

ACLU of Northern California

Defends civil liberties through litigation, advocacy, and education. Takes on police misconduct and prosecutorial abuse cases.

aclunc.org →
Civil Rights

ACLU of Southern California

Protects civil rights in Southern California through impact litigation and policy advocacy.

aclusocal.org →
Reform

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Oakland-based organization fighting for justice reinvestment, police accountability, and ending mass incarceration.

ellabakercenter.org →
Journalism

Davis Vanguard

Covers criminal justice, civil rights, and prosecutorial accountability in California. Publishes daily court watch reports.

davisvanguard.org →
Legal Aid

Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County

Free legal services for low-income residents including criminal defense, housing, and civil rights cases.

legalaidsmc.org →
Data

CalMatters — Criminal Justice

Non-partisan California journalism covering criminal justice policy, data, and reform efforts statewide.

calmatters.org/justice →

Know Your Rights

Tool

Am I Being Overcharged?

Free interactive assessment tool. Answer 10 questions about your case to identify overcharging patterns, charge stacking, enhancement abuse, and red flags to discuss with your attorney.

Take the Assessment →
Tool

Witness Network Map

Interactive visualization mapping how jailhouse informants, corrupt officers, and coached witnesses connect to hundreds of wrongful convictions. See how one bad witness taints dozens of cases.

Explore the Network →
Tool

Taxpayer Settlement Calculator

How much has your county paid for wrongful convictions and police misconduct? $661M+ across 16 counties with per-capita breakdowns.

Calculate Your County →
Tool

Misconduct Tactics Encyclopedia

15 documented prosecutorial and police misconduct tactics with legal citations, real examples, and what to do if it happens to you.

Browse Tactics →
Rights

Your Rights During Police Encounters

What you can and cannot do when stopped by police. Know your Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights.

ACLU Know Your Rights →
Rights

California Penal Code — Full Text

Complete text of California criminal law. Search specific statutes, elements of crimes, and sentencing guidelines.

CA Penal Code →
Rights

CALCRIM Jury Instructions

The actual instructions judges give to juries in California criminal cases. Know what the law says your jury must be told.

CALCRIM Instructions →
ADA

Court ADA Accommodations — Rule 1.100

Your right to disability accommodations in court. Every courthouse must have an ADA coordinator. You can request written communication, extra time, and more.

MC-410 Accommodation Form →
Defense

Marsden Motion — Replace Your Attorney

How to request new appointed counsel if your attorney isn't representing you effectively. Your constitutional right.

Self-Help: Change Attorney →
Jury

Jury Service — Your Power

As a juror, you have the power to judge both the facts AND the law. Understanding jury rights is essential for justice.

Fully Informed Jury Association →

See These Resources in Action

These cases from our investigation demonstrate why these resources matter:

Wrongful Conviction

Jamal Trulove - Framed by SFPD

SFPD fabricated evidence and manipulated a witness ID. Trulove spent 6 years in prison. A federal jury awarded $13.1M. Zero officers disciplined.

Read the full investigation →
Wrongful Conviction

Maurice Caldwell - 20 Years Innocent

A police sergeant with a grudge contaminated the only witness ID. Caldwell refused every plea deal for 20 years. Another man confessed.

Read the full investigation →
Overcharging

People v. James Jacobs

First-ever prosecution of a squatter removal operator. DA's star witness has 11 pending firearms charges from the same office prosecuting the defendant.

Read the full investigation →

View All 100 Cases →