OPR Articles
Serper-verified guides on court records, arrest sealing, the California Delete Act, EEOC compliance, FCRA background checks, and free Census research — every source ties to a primary government, court, or peer-reviewed feed.
Topic Hubs
Comprehensive 2026 explainers on each major public-records system — what changed, what's open, what's locked.
Court Records in 2026
What's new, what's open, what's locked. PACER, sealing standards, Tyler/FTR, and the state systems that changed under you.
Hub · Civil RecordsCivil Records in 2026
The quiet revolution in eviction, liens, and the public right to know. Free Law Project, Stanford SCAC, JPML, FRCP changes.
Hub · Criminal RecordsCriminal Records in 2026
The half-sealed system. Clean Slate, NLEAD, automatic expungement, LAPD breach, Giglio databases.
Hub · Federal CourtsFederal Courts in 2026
The year the filing system broke and the replacement began. CM/ECF tear-out, PACER modernization, $125M settlement.
Hub · Arrest RecordsArrest Records in 2026
The year access quietly inverted. Mugshot law shifts, LAPD breach, giglio-bradylist, named-feed coverage.
Hub · BankruptcyBankruptcy in 2026
Confirmed filings, failed strategies, and a new distribution calendar. Saks, Spirit, Purdue $7.4B, Harrington 603 U.S. 204.
Investigations
Original, government-sourced reporting on the systems that govern public-records access — the paywalls, the backlogs, and the enforcement actions reshaping who gets to know what.
The PACER Paywall: Why Americans Pay $0.10 a Page for Records They Already Funded
A $231 million federal program. 619 million record requests. A $125 million refund settlement just affirmed on appeal. And a quiet 2026 modernization that may finally end America's three-decade paywall on public court records.
Transparency · InvestigationFOIA Is Broken: The 2026 Backlog Numbers Washington Doesn't Want You to Read
1.7 million federal FOIA requests. A backlog that grew at 47 agencies. Exemption 7(E) cited 335,000 times in a single year. The transparency law turned 60 in 2026 — and the numbers tell a story.
Enforcement · InvestigationThe Mugshot Extortion Industry Is About to Get Crushed
The FTC's February 2026 PADFAA reminder. The May 2026 Kochava ban. Walmart's $100 million settlement. California's AB 1475. How the 2026 data-broker crackdown is quietly rewriting the rules.
Practical Guides
Short, source-verified how-to guides on finding records, clearing arrests, EEOC compliance, the California Delete Act, and free Census research.
Where to Find Arrest Records Online in 2026
State portals, sheriff jail rosters, GovInfo, PACER — and what Clean Slate laws now hide.
RecordsWhat's Inside a Police Arrest Report
Booking sheet, probable-cause affidavit, incident narrative — what's public and what's redacted.
RightsClearing Your Arrest Record (Clean Slate 2026)
13 states + DC automatically seal eligible records. Federal Clean Slate Act of 2025 explained.
PrivacyCan Someone See Who Viewed Your Record?
The honest answer: no — with FCRA, DPPA, and HIPAA exceptions you should know about.
PrivacyRemove Yourself from Online Databases
California DROP, the Delete Act, broker opt-outs, Google removal tools, and the scam playbook to avoid.
ComplianceBackground Checks vs. Criminal Records
How FCRA, EEOC, Ban-the-Box, and 2026 state Fair Chance laws stack up.
ComplianceEEOC Background-Check Rules for Employers (2026)
Disparate-impact protection, the case-by-case standard, and 2026 EEOC rule revisions.
ResearchAmerican Community Survey & Census Tools
Free demographic, social, economic, and housing data from the Census Bureau — refreshed February 2026.
ResearchSearch Engine vs. Public-Records Database
What Google finds, what it misses, and where the canonical records actually live.
PropertyReal Estate Property Background Search
County assessor, deed history, permits, title reports, CLUE, and seller disclosures — what each reveals.
SourcesGovernment Agency Press Releases (2026)
DOJ, FBI, SEC, FTC — the primary enforcement feeds, plus 2026 changes like the new National Fraud Division.
AboutWhat Makes Open-Public-Records.com Special
12.9 million case pages, primary-source verification on every claim, free with no upsells.
AboutFree Public Records vs. OPR — What's the Difference?
Free at the source vs. free and easy to use. The PACER fee saga, FOIA basics, and the scam economy.