The records are public.
Here’s how to use them.
Courses, guides, templates, and research tools built from three years of Clutch Justice investigations. The methodology made teachable. Everything you need to read the record, file the request, and understand what the documents actually show.
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Use code CLUTCH25 at checkout for 25% off any course. One use per customer.
How to Read a Court Record
Court records are public documents. Most people can’t use them — not because the information is hidden, but because nobody taught them how the system is organized or what to look for. This course closes that gap.
Michigan Judicial Accountability Field Guide
Michigan has four institutions responsible for holding its judiciary accountable. They operate on parallel tracks with no central coordination. This course maps all of them — how each works, where each fails, and how to use all four together.
Institutional Forensics 101
Institutional forensics is the practice of understanding how systems fail. This course teaches you how to reconstruct what actually happened, identify where the record breaks, and map the gaps between process and outcome.
Legal AI Literacy
Built for people working in or around high-stakes systems. Learn how to assess AI outputs, identify blind spots, and understand how automation impacts legal records, decisions, and accountability.
A Citizen’s Guide to Taking on Your Local Government
If something isn’t adding up in your local government, this course shows you what to do next. Records requests, documentation strategy, and the right channels to get attention and action. Templates included.
Cold Case Research Methods
How to systematically review a cold case from the public record — what documents to request, how to build a timeline from primary sources, and how to identify what the original investigation missed.
Free Resources — No cost. No signup required.
DMCA Takedown Kit and Know Your Ordinances guide. Two practical tools available immediately at the course catalog.
The FOIA Playbook
Everything you need to file an effective public records request, anticipate exemptions, challenge a denial, and escalate when they stall. Built from three years of active FOIA work across Michigan courts, state agencies, and federal systems.
- How to structure a request that produces results
- The exemptions they use and how to challenge each one
- What to do when they ignore, delay, or partially deny
- Appeal and escalation pathways by jurisdiction
- Michigan-specific and federal FOIA guidance
FOIA Request Template Pack
Five pre-written FOIA request templates for the most common true crime and accountability research needs — ready to customize and file. Jurisdiction guidance and exemption anticipation language included in every template.
- Police report and incident record requests
- 911 call record and CAD log requests
- Autopsy and medical examiner record requests
- Court transcript and audio record requests
- Law enforcement personnel and disciplinary record requests
The Court Records Toolkit
How to find, read, and use public court records — docket entries explained, how to request what isn’t online, and what the procedural history of a case actually tells you. Built for true crime researchers, families, and advocates who are reading court records without a law degree.
- What every docket entry type means
- How to access records across Michigan and federal systems
- What the procedural history reveals about how a case was handled
- How to spot anomalies without legal training
How to Read a Police Report
What each section of a police report means, what language signals problems, what is typically omitted and why, and how the narrative in a report differs from what the underlying documentation actually supports. Written for a non-attorney audience.
- Section-by-section breakdown of standard police report structure
- Language patterns that signal incomplete or skewed documentation
- What a police report typically leaves out — and how to find it
- How to compare the report against other primary source documents
Wrongful Conviction Case Assessment Checklist
A structured diagnostic for evaluating whether a conviction has documentable problems — evidence testing, Brady disclosure, timeline integrity, witness impeachment, and procedural failures. Built for families, advocates, and researchers.
- Was evidence tested and documented correctly
- Brady and exculpatory disclosure checklist
- Timeline and alibi verification points
- Witness and informant reliability flags
- Procedural failure signature checklist
“Spot the Gap” Case Review Checklist
A true crime researcher’s checklist for evaluating whether the popular narrative of a case holds up against the documented record. Works for cold cases, wrongful convictions, and any case where the official story and the primary sources don’t match.
- Evidence chain of custody verification points
- Timeline consistency check against primary sources
- What the prosecution’s theory requires — and whether the record supports it
- Common narrative gaps and how to document them
Cold Case Evidence Gap Analysis Template
A fillable structured worksheet for mapping what evidence exists in a cold case, what is missing, what was never tested, and what FOIA requests would surface it. A working document you fill in for a specific case.
- Evidence inventory — what exists and where it’s documented
- Evidence gap map — what should exist and doesn’t
- Untested evidence log with testing recommendation notes
- FOIA request planner keyed to identified gaps
Case Timeline Builder Template
A structured spreadsheet for reconstructing a case timeline from primary sources. Date, source document, what it says, what it contradicts. The Clutch Justice methodology applied to a fillable working document you maintain as you research.
- Structured date, source, and entry fields
- Contradiction flagging column
- Source document tracking with citation format
- Instructions for building from primary sources, not secondary accounts
Michigan Courts Quick Reference Guide
How the Michigan court system is structured, what each court handles, how appeals work, what the JTC and ADB do, how to find public records in each system. Michigan-specific, built for researchers and advocates navigating the system for the first time.
- Michigan court hierarchy explained clearly
- JTC and ADB — what they do and how to access their records
- How to find case records across SCAO, MiCOURT, and PACER
- Public record access points for every court level
True Crime Research Starter Kit
The three essential guides bundled at a discount — everything you need to start reading primary sources on a case you care about. The FOIA Playbook, the Court Records Toolkit, and How to Read a Police Report.
- The FOIA Playbook ($29 value)
- The Court Records Toolkit ($49 value)
- How to Read a Police Report ($19 value)
- Save $17 versus buying separately
State of Michigan Courts — Annual Report
Judicial discipline trends, ADB actions, notable rulings, and court system performance data analyzed and published once a year. A reference document for researchers, advocates, and policy teams. Grant-fundable for watchdog buyers.
Clutch Justice Case Study Series
Standalone deep-dive PDFs on the most significant Clutch Justice investigations — full record analysis, timeline, source appendix, and Rita’s verdict. Starting with OCCK, Rachel Dorn, and Louis Conradt.
The Field Kit Community
A private community for true crime researchers, wrongful conviction advocates, and public records investigators. Weekly case notes from Rita, FOIA Q&A, and a space for serious researchers to share methodology and findings.
Clutch Justice Insider — Substack
Early access to Rita Ruins Everything installments, behind-the-scenes investigation notes, and work-in-progress analytical pieces before they publish. For readers who want more than the weekly briefing.
Not sure where to start?
Start with the True Crime Research Starter Kit if you’re new to primary source research. Start with Course 01 for the full email course methodology. Start with the FOIA Playbook if you have a records request to file right now. Or join a Field Session waitlist if you want to learn live with Rita.