KnowJudges

find_judges

Read-only

Find likely US judges by identifying search text, optionally narrowed by court, state, or county. Use this before requesting a profile when the canonical KnowJudges profile URL is unknown. Specifically named matches may have historical or uncertain service; retain their reported status. Returns at most 10 matches linked to canonical KnowJudges profiles; empty and bulk searches are unavailable.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>"
    },
    "name": "find_judges"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`court`	No	Court name fragment
`limit`	No	Maximum results, capped at 10
`query`	Yes	Judge name or other identifying search text
`state`	No	US state name or postal abbreviation, for example DC or California
`county`	No	County name fragment

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`limit`	Yes
`query`	Yes
`filters`	Yes
`results`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed13 schema fields changedOct 7, 2026
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / court_level / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / court_level / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / court_name / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / court_name / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / judicial_role / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / judicial_role / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / presentation_posture / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / presentation_posture / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / service_status / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / service_status / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / state / anyOf
```
Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / state / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required
```
Previous value: -[
-  "display_name",
-  "state",
-  "county",
-  "court_name",
-  "court_level",
-  "judicial_role",
-  "service_status",
-  "presentation_posture",
-  "guidance_scopes",
-  "profile_url"
-]New value: +[
+  "display_name",
+  "guidance_scopes",
+  "profile_url"
+]
```

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 7, 2026

removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / human_reviewed
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "boolean"
-}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required

Previous value: -[
-  "display_name",
-  "state",
-  "county",
-  "court_name",
-  "court_level",
-  "judicial_role",
-  "service_status",
-  "presentation_posture",
-  "human_reviewed",
-  "guidance_scopes",
-  "profile_url"
-]New value: +[
+  "display_name",
+  "state",
+  "county",
+  "court_name",
+  "court_level",
+  "judicial_role",
+  "service_status",
+  "presentation_posture",
+  "guidance_scopes",
+  "profile_url"
+]

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 7, 2026

removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / profile_tier
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```
removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / slug
```
Removed value: -{
-  "type": "string"
-}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required

Previous value: -[
-  "slug",
-  "display_name",
-  "state",
-  "county",
-  "court_name",
-  "court_level",
-  "judicial_role",
-  "service_status",
-  "presentation_posture",
-  "profile_tier",
-  "human_reviewed",
-  "guidance_scopes",
-  "profile_url"
-]New value: +[
+  "display_name",
+  "state",
+  "county",
+  "court_name",
+  "court_level",
+  "judicial_role",
+  "service_status",
+  "presentation_posture",
+  "human_reviewed",
+  "guidance_scopes",
+  "profile_url"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedOct 7, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "filters": {
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "properties": {
+        "county": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        },
+        "court": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        },
+        "state": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "null"
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      },
+      "required": [
+        "state",
+        "court",
+        "county"
+      ],
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "limit": {
+      "maximum": 10,
+      "minimum": 1,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "query": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "results": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "county": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          "court_level": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "court_name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "display_name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "guidance_scopes": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "human_reviewed": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "judicial_role": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "presentation_posture": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "profile_tier": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "profile_url": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "service_status": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "slug": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "state": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "slug",
+          "display_name",
+          "state",
+          "county",
+          "court_name",
+          "court_level",
+          "judicial_role",
+          "service_status",
+          "presentation_posture",
+          "profile_tier",
+          "human_reviewed",
+          "guidance_scopes",
+          "profile_url"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "maxItems": 10,
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "query",
+    "filters",
+    "limit",
+    "results"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedAug 17, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations cover the safety profile (readOnly, non-destructive, closed-world), and the description goes further: a hard cap of 10 matches, linkage of results to canonical profiles, unavailability of empty/bulk searches, and a data-quality caveat that named matches may have historical or uncertain service whose reported status should be retained.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Three sentences, front-loaded with purpose, then the routing rule, then behavioral limits and caveats. Each sentence carries distinct information and none is padding.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists, so return structure need not be explained, yet the description still supplies the practical result constraint (max 10) and the staleness caveat. Combined with the routing guidance, an agent has everything needed to call this correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents query, court, state, county, and the limit cap. The description restates the same narrowing dimensions but adds no format, syntax, or matching-behavior detail beyond the schema, making the baseline 3 appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb (find) plus resource (US judges) and scope (search text optionally narrowed by court/state/county). It also implicitly distinguishes itself from the profile-retrieval siblings by framing itself as the lookup step that precedes a profile request.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives an explicit trigger: use this before requesting a profile when the canonical KnowJudges profile URL is unknown. It also states a negative condition (empty and bulk searches are unavailable), so the agent knows both when to reach for it and when it will not work.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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