Scrutinize

What Scrutinize does

Scrutinize is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that transforms New York state court records into accessible, quantitative judicial profiles and statewide transparency reports. Its core product is the Judicial Profiles platform (judges.scrutinize.org), which publishes searchable profiles for every state judge in New York, including career backgrounds, published decisions, suppression reversals, excessive sentences, bail-setting behavior, and disciplinary records. Supporting products include annual "State of NY Courts" factsheets (most recent published March 2026 covering 2025 data), thematic research reports on bail reform implementation ("Setting Bail to Fail," 2025) and judicial misconduct ("Reverse & Reassign," 2024), and FOIL-sourced public judge directories.

The underlying technology combines FOIL-obtained machine-readable court data with data analysis and AI-assisted workflows to convert unstructured judicial records into standardized, comparable metrics. The organization does not sell software or data; all tools and datasets are provided free to the public. Revenue is exclusively donations (employer matching, wire transfers, donor-advised funds, and stock gifts accepted). The serviceable audience is segmented horizontally across four personas: the general public and voters; policymakers and advocates; media and journalists (NYT, WNYC, Hell Gate/Type Investigations); and researchers and academics (Harvard Law School Public Service Venture Fund; NYU Zimroth Center).

Name

Scrutinize

Legal name

Scrutinize

Website

https://scrutinize.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scrutinize is a New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses FOIL-sourced data and AI-assisted analysis to publish searchable judicial profiles and statewide transparency reports for every New York state judge, serving the public, policymakers, journalists, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Judicial Transparency Data and Research

NAICS

Courts (92211), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Judicial Courts & Court Administration (BPAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters) (BPAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Judicial transparency data
• Court accountability research
• Judicial performance metrics
• Court data analytics
• Legal transparency nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Scrutinize is funded through donations from the public. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law as an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 41-3579109. They accept employer matching, wire transfers, donor-advised fund gifts, and stock gifts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scrutinize operates a Judicial Profiles platform providing searchable profiles of every New York state judge with quantitative performance metrics, alongside annual statewide research reports analyzing court trends. The organization uses data analysis, AI, and legal research to transform complex judicial records into accessible metrics, supplemented by FOIL-sourced judge directories and specialized reports on bail reform implementation and judicial conduct.

Product overview

Scrutinize is a nonprofit judicial transparency organization offering a suite of tools for understanding New York state court decisions. The core product is the Judicial Profiles platform providing searchable profiles of every state judge with performance metrics. Supporting products include annual research reports on statewide judicial trends, specialized reports on bail reform implementation and judicial conduct, and FOIL-sourced judge directories. All offerings transform complex judicial data into accessible metrics for public accountability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Judicial Profiles Comprehensive database of New York state judges featuring performance metrics, career information, published decisions, sentencing patterns, bail-setting behavior, and disciplinary records, enabling public assessment of judicial performance.
• The State of NY Courts: 2025 in Review Annual factsheet providing statewide analysis of judicial metrics including published decisions, suppression reversals, excessive sentences, bail decisions, and public discipline, showing year-over-year trends.
• Setting Bail to Fail: The Gap Between Bail Reform's Goals and Reality Research report analyzing judicial compliance with New York's 2019 bail reform law, examining whether judges set affordable bail options and examining patterns in bail-setting practices across the state.
• Reverse & Reassign: Red Flags of Improper Judicial Conduct Research report examining appellate court decisions where cases were reassigned to different judges, identifying patterns of judicial impropriety including bias, prejudice, and procedural misconduct.
• Full List of New York State Judges — FOIL Release Freedom of Information Law releases providing comprehensive public directories of New York state judges, including current terms, titles, and court assignments, with cleaned and standardized datasets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13.6% increase in published judicial decisions tracked year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• The New York TimesnotableGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor media outlet that has featured Scrutinize's research and data on judicial transparency and court practices.
• WNYCnotableGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic radio station that has covered Scrutinize's work on New York court transparency.
• Just Impact AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner supporting criminal justice reform and court transparency initiatives with advisory resources.
• The Zimroth Center at NYU School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner on the 'Setting Bail to Fail' report examining judicial implementation of the 2019 bail reform law in New York.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Center for State Courts: The leading U.S. organization conducting research on state court systems and judicial performance. Comparable to Scrutinize as a research-driven authority on state-court operations, though broader in scope and federally affiliated rather than focused on a single state's trial-court decisions.
• Brennan Center for Justice: NYU-affiliated law and policy institute that produces empirical research on courts, judicial selection, and criminal justice. Comparable as a high-profile NY-based court-research organization with policy advocacy and academic credibility, though much broader in mission than Scrutinize's judge-level transparency focus.
• ProPublica: Investigative journalism nonprofit producing data-driven reporting on criminal justice and courts, including the 'Courts of Contempt' collaboration that featured Scrutinize's work. Comparable as a mission-driven data-journalism outlet that has partnered with Scrutinize, but operates at national scale across many issue areas.

Direct peers

• Center for Court Innovation: New York-based nonprofit that pilots court reform projects, publishes research on judicial practice, and produces data-driven analyses of state and local courts. Directly comparable as a NY-rooted court-research and reform organization serving overlapping audiences of policymakers and reformers.
• Court Watch NYC: NYC-based volunteer organization that observes and documents state-court proceedings to promote transparency and accountability. The most direct operating peer to Scrutinize in NY court monitoring, though smaller-scale and volunteer-led rather than data-product focused.

Emerging players

• The Marshall Project: Nonprofit newsroom covering the U.S. criminal justice system with a strong data and investigative orientation. Comparable audience and donor base to Scrutinize (criminal-justice reformers, academics, journalists), though broader in topic scope and not focused on judge-level metrics.
• Innocence Project: NY-based nonprofit using DNA evidence and litigation to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals and reform criminal-justice practice. Comparable as a NY-rooted criminal-justice reform organization with policy research output and overlapping donor/foundation ecosystem.
• The Appeal: Nonprofit news outlet producing original reporting and analysis on criminal justice, policing, and courts. Comparable audience overlap (journalists, advocates, academics) and policy-impact orientation, though editorial rather than data-product in nature.

Others

• Lambda Legal: NY-headquartered national legal organization pursuing impact litigation and policy advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Thematically adjacent as a NY-based legal-advocacy nonprofit, but with a different mission, litigation model, and donor base than Scrutinize.
• Just Impact Advisors: Advisory organization supporting criminal justice reform initiatives, listed as a strategic partner to Scrutinize. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but comparable audience and policy-reform orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scrutinize