Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using JudgeFinder.io ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our Service.

2. Description of Service

JudgeFinder.io provides public information about judges in California courts, including:

• Biographical and professional information
• Court assignments and jurisdictions
• Case statistics and decision patterns
• Data-driven analysis of judicial tendencies

This information is derived from public court records and official databases.

3. Disclaimer of Legal Advice

JudgeFinder.io does not provide legal advice. The information on this platform is for informational purposes only.

Users should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional legal counsel. Always consult with a qualified attorney for legal matters.

4. Judicial Analytics Disclaimer

IMPORTANT: Judicial bias indicators and analytical metrics are statistical analyses of case outcomes, not character judgments or assessments of judicial fitness.

The bias patterns, tendency indicators, and statistical metrics displayed on this platform represent:

• Mathematical analyses of publicly available case outcome data
• Statistical correlations that may reflect case mix, jurisdiction characteristics, or procedural factors rather than judicial bias
• Aggregated patterns that do not account for case-specific facts, legal complexities, or applicable law
• Trend indicators derived from historical data that may not predict future case outcomes

These analytics should be interpreted as one data point among many factors to consider when researching judicial backgrounds. They do not constitute evidence of judicial misconduct, unfitness, or impropriety. Users should not rely solely on these metrics when making legal strategy decisions.

Our methodology documentation is available at judgefinder.io/docs/methodology and is updated periodically to reflect improvements in our analytical approach.

5. Data Accuracy Limitations

While we implement rigorous data validation processes, JudgeFinder.io makes no warranties regarding the completeness, accuracy, timeliness, or reliability of judicial data presented on this platform.

Data Sources

Judicial information is primarily sourced from:

• CourtListener by the Free Law Project - public court records and judicial profiles
• Official California court websites and public databases
• State Bar of California records for attorney verification
• Public appointment and election records

Known Limitations

• Minimum Case Threshold: Judges must have decided at least 500 publicly available cases for bias analytics to be calculated. Profiles with insufficient case data will display limited analytics.
• Data Lag: Court data may be 30-90 days behind real-time court activity due to processing and publication delays by source systems.
• Sealed and Confidential Cases: Analytics do not include sealed cases, juvenile matters, family law cases with privacy orders, or other confidential proceedings.
• Historical Accuracy: Position histories and case assignments prior to 2010 may be incomplete or unavailable depending on court digitization efforts.
• Name Matching: Judges with common names or similar name spellings may occasionally have cases misattributed. We employ multi-factor matching algorithms to minimize errors.

Users should independently verify critical information through official court sources before relying on it for legal proceedings or professional decisions. Report data inaccuracies to legal@judgefinder.io.

6. Advertising and Sponsored Content

JudgeFinder.io displays paid advertising from legal professionals and law firms. All advertisements are clearly labeled as "Sponsored" or "Advertisement" to distinguish them from editorial content.

Advertiser Disclosure

Advertisements may appear on:

• Judge profile pages - contextual placement based on practice areas and jurisdiction
• Court directory pages - geographic targeting based on court location
• Search results pages - displayed in designated sponsored sections

Editorial Independence: Advertising relationships do not influence judicial analytics, search rankings, or editorial content. Bias calculations and statistical analyses are computed using objective algorithms without consideration of advertising relationships.

Advertiser Standards

All advertisers must:

• Be licensed attorneys in good standing with their state bar association
• Provide verified bar numbers and credentials
• Comply with applicable attorney advertising rules and ethics regulations
• Accurately represent their qualifications, experience, and case outcomes
• Not make misleading claims or guarantees about legal outcomes

JudgeFinder.io does not endorse, recommend, or guarantee the quality of services provided by advertisers. Users should independently research and vet any attorney before engaging their services.

7. Professional Verification

Legal professionals who advertise on JudgeFinder.io or claim "Verified Attorney" status agree to:

• Provide accurate bar number(s) and jurisdiction(s) of licensure
• Maintain active, unrestricted license(s) in good standing
• Promptly notify JudgeFinder.io of any disciplinary actions, suspensions, or license status changes
• Comply with all applicable professional responsibility rules and attorney advertising regulations
• Not misrepresent their credentials, specializations, or case results

We verify bar numbers through state bar databases at the time of account creation. However, we do not continuously monitor disciplinary records. Users should independently verify attorney credentials through their state bar association before engaging legal services.

"Verified Attorney" badges indicate only that we have confirmed active bar membership at registration. They do not constitute endorsements, certifications of specialization, or quality assessments.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree to use JudgeFinder.io only for lawful purposes. You may not:

• Use the Service to harass, defame, or intimidate any person
• Attempt to access restricted areas of the Service
• Interfere with the Service's operation or security
• Scrape or harvest data without written permission
• Use automated systems to access the Service excessively
• Misrepresent the information provided by the Service

9. Intellectual Property

The Service's design, features, and content (excluding public court data) are owned by JudgeFinder.io and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not:

• Copy, modify, or distribute our proprietary content
• Use our trademarks without permission
• Reverse engineer our AI algorithms or analytics

10. User Accounts

If you create an account, you are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us of any unauthorized use

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, JudgeFinder.io shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless JudgeFinder.io from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Service or violation of these terms.

13. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your information. Additional information about cookies and tracking is available in our Cookie Policy.

14. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Notice

We are not a consumer reporting agency and the Service is not a consumer report as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

You agree not to use any information obtained through the Service to make decisions about a person's eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, housing, or any other purpose that would constitute a consumer report under the FCRA. If you need information for an FCRA-permitted purpose, obtain it from a certified consumer reporting agency.

15. Modifications

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

16. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service at our discretion, without notice, for any violation of these terms.

17. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of California, United States. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of California.

18. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at:

Email: legal@judgefinder.io
Address: JudgeFinder.io, California, USA

19. Additional Policies

Please review our additional legal policies for comprehensive information:

• Privacy Policy - Data collection and protection practices
• Cookie Policy - Cookie usage and management
• Acceptable Use Policy - Detailed usage guidelines and prohibited activities