Request a copy of an Appeals Court case document or oral argument recording

Request and pay online through the e-pay portal

Documents can now be requested, and payments for those documents can be made, by visiting the Appeals Court's e-pay web portal.

• If you are asking for the fees to be waived, you must submit an email or written request instead of using the e-pay portal. Please follow the guidance below for submitting a request by mail or email.

Submit a written request

Documents filed in an Appeals Court case may be identified by visiting the public docket website and using the search feature to find the case and examine the docket. Please make your request for copies of case documents in writing and include the following details:

• Your name and physical mailing address.
• Your email address (most requests will be fulfilled by email).
• Appeals Court docket number (e.g., 2024-P-0123).
• Case name (e.g., Name v. Name).
• Specific documents requested (e.g., paper # 6 on the court's docket; the appellant's brief and record appendix).
• If you are asking for fees to be waived, provide supporting documentation (e.g., affidavit of indigency, CPCS Notice of Assigned Counsel form) in support of your request for waiver.

Please send the request to the Appeals Court in one of the following ways:

Send your request by email

Send an email to APCRecordsRequest@jud.state.ma.us. A staff member will respond to your email with information regarding payment and any additional information that is required to fulfill the request.

Send your request by mail

Mail your request to the Appeals Court at this address:

Appeals Court Clerk's Office

ATTN: Records Request

John Adams Courthouse

One Pemberton Square, Suite 1200

Boston, MA 02108

Unless you are requesting a fee waiver, please enclose payment by check or money order using the schedule of fees below. If you need to pay the fee in cash, you must come to the court in person with exact change. If you are not sure what your total fee is, please first contact the Appeals Court by email or phone to verify the fee amount.

Submit your request in person

You may come to the John Adams Courthouse in person, but it is not necessary unless you need to pay the fee in cash (exact change only). The Appeals Court will also accept check, money order, and credit or debit card payments in person at the counter in the Clerk's Office.

Form of transmission

When possible, the Appeals Court will send requested case documents by email, in PDF file format. Please note that depending on the file size of the documents requested, it may not be possible for the court to email a particular document, or multiple emails may be necessary. If the court cannot email a document, ordinarily it must be mailed on a CD-ROM (CD). A $4 surcharge for the mailing of the CD applies and is in addition to the cost of the documents. For more detail, see the fee schedule below. On a case-by-case basis, the Appeals Court may make certain larger documents available electronically through a web portal. Please inquire by email or phone to see if this is possible for your request.

Impounded case records

Impounded case documents will only be made available to a party or attorney who has entered an appearance in a case. The Clerk must verify the requester's identity and participation in the case before permitting access to any impounded case record. If you are an attorney contacting the court by email regarding an impounded record, please send your email from the address you have on file with the court and the BBO.

Pre-2000 case records

Most Appeals Court case records from before approximately 2000 were preserved on microfiche and may be requested as PDF documents. Please note this may take extra time due to the need for court staff to retrieve the records from the Appeals Court's microfiche archive and convert them to PDF format.

The Appeals Court historically did not retain single justice filings or the record appendix in panel cases. Items constituting the lower court record may be requested directly from the lower court where the case originated.

Before requesting an oral argument recording, please be aware you may be able to access a free video recording of the argument yourself if the argument was before a panel rather than a single justice. Video recordings of oral arguments in panel appeals held since April of 2020 may be viewed for free on the Appeals Court's YouTube channel. See details below. Recordings of single justice hearings are generally not available through the YouTube channel, and may be requested through the Clerk's office.

Free access to video recordings on YouTube

Since April of 2020, oral arguments in panel appeals have been live streamed on the Appeals Court's YouTube channel and remain available there afterwards for viewing (but not downloading) as archived recordings. Most single justice hearings are not livestreamed or archived. The YouTube channel is searchable for past recordings (it is best to search for the full docket number, e.g., 2024-P-0123).

Request an oral argument audio recording on CD

If you would like to request a CD of an oral argument recording, you may do so by purchase (currently a $50.50 fee) either on the Appeals Court's e-pay web portal or by mail or in person at the Appeals Court Clerk's Office. You may request a waiver of the fee, but if so, do not submit your recording request using the e-pay portal; instead you must submit an email or a written request by mail or in person. For all recording requests by email, mail, or in person, please include the following details:

• Your name and physical mailing address.
• Your email address.
• Appeals Court docket number (e.g., 2024-P-0123).
• Case name (e.g., Name v. Name).
• Date of the oral argument.
• If you are asking for fees to be waived, provide supporting documentation (e.g., affidavit of indigency, CPCS Notice of Assigned Counsel form) in support of your request for waiver.

Please send the request to the Appeals Court in one of the following ways:

Send your recording request by email

Send an email to APCRecordsRequest@jud.state.ma.us. A staff member will respond to your email and ask you for any additional information that is required to fulfill your request.

Send your recording request by mail

Mail your request to the Appeals Court at this address:

Appeals Court Clerk's Office

ATTN: Records Request

John Adams Courthouse

One Pemberton Square, Suite 1200

Boston, MA 02108

Unless you are requesting a fee waiver, please enclose payment by check or money order using the schedule of fees below. If you are not sure what your total fee is, please first contact the Appeals Court by email or phone to verify the fee amount. If you need to pay the fee in cash, you must come to the court in person with exact change.

Submit your recording request in person

You may come to the John Adams Courthouse in person, but it is not necessary unless you need to pay the fee in cash (bring exact change). The Appeals Court will also accept check, money order, and credit or debit card payments in person at the counter in the Clerk's Office.

Note about oral arguments held before March 1, 2005

The only recordings available for purchase are of oral arguments conducted by a panel or single justice of the Appeals Court on or after March 1, 2005. Recordings of arguments held before that date are not available.

Arguments held outside the John Adams Courthouse

If the argument was held at a location outside the John Adams Courthouse, then it is possible the argument was not recorded. Before you purchase a recording, please determine the location of the argument by reviewing the public docket website. If the argument was not held at the John Adams Courthouse, please call the Clerk's Office at (617) 921-4443 to verify that a recording exists.

The fees applicable to requests for copies of case documents and oral argument recordings are as follows:

If you are not sure what your total fee is, please first contact the Appeals Court by email or phone to verify the fee amount.

The Appeals Court will accept cash, check, money order, and credit or debit card payments in person at the counter in the Clerk's Office.  Please note that cash payments must be exact, as the Appeals Court cannot make change.  Checks and money orders may also be mailed (see next paragraph), but if you need to pay the fee in cash, you must come to the court in person. 

Make any check or money order payable to the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" or "Massachusetts Appeals Court."  Payments by check or money order may be mailed to: Appeals Court Clerk's Office, ATTN: Records Request, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Suite 1200, Boston, MA 02108.

For more information, see the Appeals Court fees page.

If you are requesting a copy of a case document or oral argument recording and asking that the associated fee be waived, please make the request following the steps described above.  In lieu of payment, please provide supporting documentation (e.g., affidavit of indigency, CPCS Notice of Assigned Counsel form) along with your request for waiver.  The court will review your submission and provide the requested items or follow up with you if additional information is required.