The CaliforniaCourtIntel API provides programmatic access to judge profiles, court directory data, tentative rulings, and county information. API access is available on Firm and Enterprise plans.
Step 1 — Confirm your plan. API key generation requires a Firm or Enterprise subscription. If you are on a Free or Pro plan, go to Settings, then Billing, then Change Plan to upgrade. Once upgraded, continue with the steps below.
Step 2 — Navigate to API Keys. Log in to your dashboard and go to Settings in the left sidebar. Click API Keys. You will see a list of any existing keys (empty if this is your first) and a Generate New Key button.
Step 3 — Generate and name your key. Click Generate New Key. Enter a descriptive name that identifies the key's purpose — for example, Production App, Internal Research Script, or CRM Integration. A descriptive name makes it easy to identify and revoke individual keys later without disrupting your other integrations.
Step 4 — Copy the key immediately. The full API key is displayed once, immediately after generation. CaliforniaCourtIntel stores only a hashed version and cannot retrieve the full key again. Copy it now and store it securely in a secrets manager, environment variable, or CI/CD secret storage. Never embed a key in client-side JavaScript, mobile app code, or a public Git repository.
Step 5 — Make your first request. The base URL for all API requests is https://api.californiacourtintel.com/v1. Pass your key as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. Example: curl https://api.californiacourtintel.com/v1/judges?county=Los+Angeles -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE'. A successful response returns a JSON object with a data array of judge records.
Managing and rotating keys. You can generate up to 5 API keys per account. To rotate a key without downtime, generate a new key, update your application to use it, verify it works, then revoke the old key by clicking the trash icon next to it. Revocation is immediate. If you suspect a key has been compromised, revoke it immediately and contact security@californiacourtintel.com.