A federal civil search identifies civil cases filed in federal court. Federal civil cases aren’t criminal cases. Examples of federal civil cases include the ones below:
- Antitrust activity
- Civil rights lawsuits
- Federal civil code violations
Federal civil records
Federal civil cases and county civil cases don’t overlap because the cases have different jurisdictions.
A federal civil search shows whether the candidate was a party in a lawsuit as either an individual or professionally.
Checkr searches the federal government’s publicly available database, PACER, for federal civil court files using the candidate’s name. The search covers records as old as the government allows. Governments usually make at least seven years available and potentially more, depending on the record.
Ordering
Federal civil search is available as an add-on. The federal civil search is unavailable as a standalone search.
Candidate experience
The candidate provides the relevant personally identifying information (PII) below:
- Birth date
- Email address
- Full name
- Phone number
- Social Security number (SSN)
The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:
- A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
- Other state and required disclosures as applicable
- Authorization for a background check
After the candidate signs the authorization form, Checkr starts the search.
If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.