Criminal case type codes and how to read them

Criminal case type codes tell you what kind of criminal matter you are looking at. They appear in the case number and in the court's docket fields. A prefix can show that a case is a felony, a misdemeanor, a traffic matter or a juvenile case, depending on the court. Knowing how to read them saves time when you search dockets or request records.

Federal criminal case types

In federal district courts, the letters cr mark a criminal case that began with an indictment or information. The mj type marks matters before a magistrate judge, such as complaints and initial appearances. Petty offenses use po in many districts. A number like 2:24-cr-00045 reads as the second division office, filed in 2024, criminal case, sequence number 45.

A federal criminal case also lists the charged statutes, usually from Title 18 of the U.S. Code. Those are separate from the case type. The type tells you the procedural track. The statute tells you the offense.

State criminal case types

State systems vary. Many courts use a prefix such as CR for felonies and CM for misdemeanors. Others use CF and CM, or CRM, or put the level in a separate category field. Infractions and traffic matters often have their own prefixes. Juvenile matters are usually labeled differently and are often not public.

Because the letters are not uniform, do not assume that a prefix you saw in one state means the same thing in another. Check the court's published list of case types. Most state court websites include one in their e-filing guidance.

Felony, misdemeanor and infraction

Under federal law, a felony is an offense punishable by more than one year in prison. A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year. An infraction is a minor offense with no jail time. State definitions differ in their cut offs and in how they treat the class of the offense. The case type prefix often follows that classification.

From the code to the law

Once you know the case type, the next step is the charge. Use the penal code lookup to open the statute, read its elements and see the opinions that interpret it. Then draft your motion or memo and check the citations in it before filing.

• Read the case number from left to right: office, year, type, sequence.
• Treat the type as a procedural label, not a charge.
• Look up the charged statute separately.
• Confirm local meaning with the court's own case type list.