If you’ve ever tried to figure out which Massachusetts court handles a particular case — or where to find a court record — you know how quickly the system can feel like a maze. There are multiple court departments, two levels of appeals, and records scattered across a statewide portal. This page lays out the structure plainly: which court does what, how cases move through the system, and where to go when you need to find a case or a record.

How Massachusetts’s courts are organized

Massachusetts operates a single, unified statewide court system — not a patchwork of separate county courts. At the base sits the Trial Court, which is divided into seven departments. Each department handles a defined category of cases, and together they cover everything from serious felonies to family disputes to housing conflicts.

Above the Trial Court sits the Appeals Court, which reviews decisions made at the trial level. At the very top is the Supreme Judicial Court, the oldest continuously operating appellate court in the Western Hemisphere and the final word on Massachusetts law. When a case is appealed, it moves upward through this structure — Trial Court, then the Appeals Court, then potentially the Supreme Judicial Court.

The Commonwealth has fourteen counties, and while county government was abolished in eight of them, counties still function as geographic and judicial units. Every county has an elected sheriff who runs the local jail, also called a house of correction. That layered geography shapes where cases are filed and where records are held.

Which court handles what

Here is a plain-English map of the seven Trial Court departments and the two appellate courts:

• Superior Court — the general trial court for serious criminal cases and major civil matters, including jury trials for felonies.
• District Court — handles misdemeanors, lower-level felonies, small civil claims, and many arraignments across the state’s local divisions.
• Boston Municipal Court — similar jurisdiction to the District Court but serves the city of Boston and its immediate neighborhoods.
• Probate and Family Court — covers divorce, child custody, adoption, guardianship, and the administration of estates.
• Land Court — handles disputes over real property, title registration, and zoning appeals.
• Housing Court — resolves landlord-tenant disputes, evictions, and housing code enforcement matters.
• Juvenile Court — handles cases involving minors, including delinquency proceedings and child welfare matters.
• Appeals Court — the intermediate appellate court, reviewing Trial Court decisions on questions of law.
• Supreme Judicial Court — the highest court in Massachusetts, with final authority over state law and constitutional questions.

How to find a Massachusetts court case or record

The statewide portal for searching court dockets, calendars, and case information is MassCourts. You can search by party name, case number, or court department. The portal covers cases across the Trial Court’s departments and gives you access to docket entries, scheduled hearing dates, and basic case status.

Court records in Massachusetts are generally public records. The governing law is the Massachusetts Public Records Law, codified at M.G.L. c. 66, § 10 (read together with c. 4, § 7, cl. 26), which establishes a default presumption that government records — including court records — are open to the public unless a specific exemption applies.

That said, Massachusetts is one of the more privacy-protective states when it comes to criminal records. The CORI law (M.G.L. c. 6, §§ 167–178B) tightly restricts public access to criminal offender record information. So while civil court records are broadly accessible, criminal case records may be subject to additional restrictions depending on the nature of the case and the disposition. When in doubt, contact the clerk’s office of the relevant court department directly.

Getting legal help

If you’ve read this far and realized you need more than a structural overview — you need actual legal advice — Massachusetts has resources to help you find an attorney. The Massachusetts lawyer referral service can connect you with a licensed attorney who practices in the area of law relevant to your situation.

Everything on this page is general information about how the court system is organized. It is not legal advice. If you are facing a real legal decision — a criminal charge, a civil lawsuit, a family court matter — you should speak with a licensed Massachusetts attorney who can advise you based on the specific facts of your case.

Looking up records for a specific county

Most people arrive at this page on their way to a specific lookup. If you want to find official records tied to a particular county — or check your own record — Massachusetts Arrests maintains county-level pages for the most common searches. You can browse Massachusetts arrest records by county, run a Massachusetts warrant search by county, or use the Massachusetts inmate & jail lookup by county to find out who is currently in custody at a county house of correction. Each page points you to the official sources for that county.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Massachusetts court system structured?

Massachusetts has a single, unified statewide court system. The Trial Court sits at the base and is divided into seven departments — Superior, District, Boston Municipal, Probate and Family, Land, Housing, and Juvenile — each handling a defined category of cases. Above the Trial Court, the Appeals Court reviews trial-level decisions, and the Supreme Judicial Court serves as the highest court in the Commonwealth.

How do I find a court case in Massachusetts?

The official statewide portal is MassCourts. You can search by party name, case number, or court department to find docket entries, hearing dates, and case status across the Trial Court’s departments. For records not available online, contact the clerk’s office of the relevant court directly.

Are Massachusetts court records public?

Generally, yes. The Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. c. 66, § 10) establishes a default presumption that government records are open to the public. However, criminal records are subject to additional restrictions under the CORI law, making Massachusetts one of the more privacy-protective states for criminal case information. Civil court records are broadly accessible; criminal records may require more steps to obtain.