Public Records & Data Use

Our sources

KnowJudges compiles information from official court and government websites, judicial biographies, rosters, rules, orders, published opinions, public-record repositories, and other cited materials. Individual profiles link to supporting sources and record when a source was checked where that information is available.

Source materials remain subject to the rights, access conditions, and legal rules that apply to them. A record being publicly accessible does not necessarily mean that every use is unrestricted, and KnowJudges does not make a categorical claim that all source material is in the public domain.

KnowJudges original work

KnowJudges may create original descriptions, annotations, verification notes, classifications, source mapping, and editorial presentation. The selection, coordination, arrangement, and maintenance of the database may also be protected where applicable. We reserve applicable copyright, database, and related rights in that original work.

No ownership claim over facts. KnowJudges does not claim copyright or database rights in a bare fact merely because the fact appears here. Third-party names, text, images, and records remain the property of their respective rightsholders where rights exist.

Uses generally permitted

Subject to the Terms of Use and applicable law, people may browse the site, link to public pages, use normal search-engine indexing, cite KnowJudges with attribution, quote limited portions for commentary, and make reasonable use for journalism, scholarship, research, education, and individual legal preparation.

These permissions do not waive third-party rights, confidentiality rules, court orders, or any requirement to verify the current official record.

Bulk and automated use

Unless law independently permits the activity or KnowJudges gives written permission, users may not systematically scrape, copy, download, reconstruct, mirror, republish, resell, or use a substantial part of the database; circumvent technical limits; remove source or rights information; or use KnowJudges-created content or database organization to train or improve a commercial model.

Bulk exports, APIs, MCP access, commercial research, and other structured uses may be available under a separate data licence. Search-engine discovery is allowed in accordance with robots directives. The TDM reservation response headers apply only to rights KnowJudges may lawfully reserve; they do not create rights in public facts or third-party materials.

Historical records and sensitive information

Accurate historical judicial records may be retained after a person changes role or leaves office because appointment history and past public service provide important context. A profile’s absence from a current roster does not by itself establish that the historical record is wrong.

KnowJudges is intended for public, professional judicial information. It is not intended to publish residential addresses, personal telephone numbers, personal email addresses, family details, sealed information, or similarly sensitive private data. Official courthouse addresses and official professional contact channels may be included when relevant.

Corrections, sealed information, and source changes

We rely in good faith on official and cited sources, but sources may be incomplete, delayed, superseded, or wrong. Verify time-sensitive information with the responsible court. If a record is inaccurate, sealed, restricted, or exposes sensitive private information, use the Corrections & Record Review route. Good-faith source reliance does not prevent correction, restriction, or removal when appropriate.

Policy history and contact

This is the first published version of this policy. Future material versions may be retained or linked here so readers can identify the rules that applied at a particular time.

Questions about permitted data use or licensing: info@swanslake.com.