How to Remove a CourtListener Case
CourtListener says it generally blocks search engines from indexing a page on written request. Here is how, and where search suppression fits.
Researched: October 2026
Quick overview
- On a request that includes links to the pages, CourtListener says it will generally block search engines from indexing them.
- A document is removed from the database only with a court order.
- If a court order requires expungement or redaction, names are replaced with initials or black boxes and a note is added at the top of the document.
- CourtListener has no control over search engines, which may take many months to drop a case, if they do at all.
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CourtListener's Content Removal Policy
CourtListener is sponsored by the non-profit Free Law Project. Its published policy says the board believes there is a compelling public interest in making the law broadly available, and describes the balance it tries to strike with the privacy interests of individuals and organizations.
CourtListener says it might update the policy in the future and makes no guarantees that it will keep blocked records in place.
It also says all removals not pursuant to a court order are at its sole discretion.
How to request search-engine blocking
CourtListener asks for the request through its contact page, with links to the pages you want removed from search results.
- 1
Collect the page links
Copy the links to the CourtListener pages you want blocked. The policy says the request must include them.
- 2
Send the request
Use the CourtListener contact page to send your written request with the links.
- 3
CourtListener blocks indexing
CourtListener says it will generally block search engines from indexing the pages using the robots HTML meta tag and/or the x-robots-tag HTTP header.
- 4
Search engines update
The policy says the pages will eventually be removed from all search engines. CourtListener has no control over how long that takes.
Court orders
CourtListener says it will not remove any public document from its database without a court order. For deletion, its policy says to get the information deleted from the public record and obtain a court order requiring the same.
With such an order, CourtListener says it will generally remove the document from its site. If the order requires expungement or redaction, it says it will generally anonymize or redact the case, replacing names with initials or black boxes and adding a note at the top of the document.
CourtListener makes no changes to other documents without a court order that specifically requires it.
Notice: A name showing up on a court-record site like this one often shows up elsewhere too. If you'd like to check, our free tool lets you see what else is out there.
If the page stays
CourtListener says a case is a public document and there may be other copies of it on the Internet. Blocking its own pages doesn't affect other websites, and it has no control over how long search engines take to drop a page.
Search suppression moves a record that stays published down in search results, and Google De-indexing applies where a page is eligible. We tell you which situation you're in before any work begins.
Common questions
Can CourtListener remove a case from its database?
CourtListener says it will not remove any public document from its database without a court order. With a court order, it says it will generally remove the document from the site.
Can I get a case blocked from search engines?
CourtListener says that if you want a case removed from the results of the major search engines, you send a request through its contact page, including links to the pages. Upon receiving the request, it says it will generally block search engines from indexing those pages using the robots HTML meta tag and/or the x-robots-tag HTTP header.
What happens if a court orders an expungement or redaction?
CourtListener says it will generally anonymize or redact the case by replacing names with initials or black boxes, and place a note at the top of the document explaining the change. It says it makes no changes to other documents without a court order that specifically requires it.
How long until the case disappears from search results?
CourtListener says that after it blocks the pages they will eventually be removed from search engines. It has no control over search engines, which may not remove the case for many months, if at all.
Will the case disappear from other sites?
Not necessarily. CourtListener says a case is a public document and there may be other copies of it on the Internet. Blocking affects only CourtListener's own pages.
Do I pay if the record isn't removed?
Our removal services are no-removal, no-fee: you're invoiced only once we achieve the removal defined in your Service Agreement. Search suppression is billed for the work performed.
Related
Also listed on another court-records site? See our PacerMonitor, Justia, PlainSite or UniCourt guides, or the full Court Records Removal service. Search suppression moves a record down, and Google De-indexing covers pages that shouldn't appear in Google at all.
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