A saved PDF can be reopened from the case vault. An unsaved court order may require a fresh CAPTCHA if its court session has expired.
Is the PDF saved, or is it only listed?
An order entry and a downloaded file are different things. Seeing an order date does not mean the PDF has already been stored. First check whether the case vault offers a saved PDF, and open it to confirm its contents.
Recover an expired court session
When an unsaved order needs a fresh session, use the CAPTCHA prompt within the vault. Once recovery succeeds, retry the selected order. Other orders for that same case can use the valid session while it remains available; this is not a promise that the session will never expire.
Do not repeatedly reload the whole application or search unrelated cases to repair one download. Check the selected CNR and order entry before retrying.
Diagnose the failure without losing correct documents
| Situation | Safe next step |
|---|---|
| Saved file opens | Continue using that file; a new court session is unnecessary for that saved copy. |
| Unsaved order requests CAPTCHA | Complete the inline recovery and retry the intended order. |
| Court response is slow or unavailable | Keep saved documents and retry later. A timeout does not prove that an order was deleted. |
| Download opens the wrong document | Compare CNR, parties, date and order number before using it. |
| Two orders share a date | Treat them as separate entries; the date alone is not a unique document identity. |
A recent hearing may not yet have a published PDF. Check the official eCourts record when availability is uncertain. LegalZoo does not guarantee automatic bulk downloads of every future order or email delivery for every publication.
For the normal workflow, see download and save an order PDF.