Supreme Court Moves Toward Digital With Online Court Filings (thehill.com) 20
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hill: Supreme Court case documents will soon be made available for the first time online. The court announced Thursday that it will launch an electronic filing system on Nov. 13 that will make "virtually all new filings" accessible to the public via the court's website for free. Court documents for the lower courts are typically available online through the Public Access to Court Electronics Records, which charges a fee per page. The court's announcement comes just days after the high court unveiled a newly designed website. Court watchers say it's a surprising, but welcome, jump into the 21st century for a court that's been reluctant over the years to advance its technologies.
On the bright side.... (Score:1)
It will make it that much easier for them to 'revise' their rulings after the fact and ensure that anyone doubting what their ruling actually was can check for what the new 'company line' is in regards to a supreme court case.
Remember newspeak? This is how it will be implemented.
Decision (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Ooooh, is that a genuine ancient Harappa bronze battle-ax you're grinding?
Re: (Score:2)
The Supreme Court's decisions have been available online for at least 5 years, probably more. Granted, they don't have an app for access: you use a browser, and they're in PDF format so they resemble the final printed copy. But they're there. As is the court's agenda. As are records of oral arguments. So claiming that the Supremes are tech-averse is being kind of blind.
Many of the federal appeals courts also publish decisions (in PDF) on their web site rather than (or in addtion to) through PACER. As do a few District courts and some state courts.
The new twist is making the other case records available online. That's probably important for the lawyers and the true geeks, but less so for those who just want to know the final outcome. Frankly, I don't mind if those are behind the PACER paywall - it's all a business expense for the lawyers anyway.
And remember, the actual permanent record *is* still on paper, and is bound into volumes for use in law libraries. THAT will never change. What's online (and has been for, really, 10 years or more) is good enough for the rest of us.
Thanks for making a relevant post. I've been using the SCOTUS web site for years to read their decisions because the news so very often misquotes the court's decisions.
The funny thing is, I'm having a hard time finding past decisions on the new web site.
Time For Live Broadcasts of Court Hearings (Score:1)