Where can I download the full docket sheet and Document 1 for case 5:16-cv-00797 (C.D. Cal.)?
Executive summary
The federal docket and the original complaint labeled Document 1 in case 5:16‑cv‑00797 (C.D. Cal.) are publicly available through the federal PACER system and through several free archival mirrors; PACER is the official source for the court’s docket report while archived copies of Document 1 can be downloaded from multiple third‑party repositories that preserved the filing [1] [2] [3]. CourtListener and other legal‑data services maintain case landing pages and metadata for this docket, with CourtListener offering a free index and links to archived copies even when PACER requires a pay‑per‑document retrieval [4] [5].
1. Where the official docket sheet lives: PACER (what it is and the cost)
The authoritative way to obtain the full docket report for 5:16‑cv‑00797 is through PACER, the federal Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, which provides the official docket and links to documents for U.S. district courts [1]; PACER charges per‑document and caps the charge at $3.00 for a single document or the equivalent of 30 pages, and users should expect to pay under that fee‑cap when pulling individual filings [1].
2. How to get the docket without PACER: CourtListener and mirrors
Free Law Project’s CourtListener hosts a docket landing page for Katie Johnson v. Donald J. Trump, 5:16‑cv‑00797, which aggregates docket entries, offers a case identifier, and can point researchers to available documents or archived copies when PACER links are not used [4] [5]; researchers reliant on free access frequently begin with CourtListener because it centralizes docket metadata and often links to other public mirrors [4].
3. Where Document 1 (the Complaint) can be downloaded immediately for free
Multiple archival and content‑hosting sites preserved Document 1 — the complaint filed 04/26/2016 — and provide direct downloadable PDFs or text transcriptions: FactCheck.org’s uploaded PDF is a verified copy of Document 1 (noted as “Case 5:16‑cv‑00797‑DMG‑KS Document 1” in its filename) [2], the Internet Archive hosts a scanned collection titled “Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump child rape lawsuit | Case 5:16‑cv‑00797‑DMG‑KS” that includes the complaint and full text stream [6] [3], and several document‑sharing services (Yumpu, Scribd, PDFCoffee, PlainSite) also retain copies of the six‑page complaint labeled Document 1 [7] [8] [9] [10].
4. Practical steps to download each item right now
For an official docket download, sign into PACER [1], search the Central District of California docket number 5:16‑cv‑00797, and select “Docket Report” to produce and save the full docket [1]; for the complaint PDF without using PACER, go to FactCheck.org’s uploaded PDF or the Internet Archive entry and download the “Document 1” file directly, as both hosts show the six‑page complaint and associated pagination consistent with the court filing [2] [3].
5. Reliability, motives and caveats about third‑party copies
Third‑party mirrors and document‑sharing sites often reproduce court filings as convenience copies and can be removed, altered, or misindexed, so researchers who need the court’s official record for citation, certification, or litigation should prefer PACER’s native documents or the court’s archived PDF; CourtListener and the Internet Archive provide stable, useful access but are derivative repositories and their metadata notes can sometimes be imperfect [4] [3] [5].