Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Proposed bill would eliminate PACER fees
KC Johnson Retweeted:Proposed bill would eliminate PACER fees http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/new_bill_wants_to_end_pacer_fees/ … via @ABAJournal
Link to tweet
Proposed bill would eliminate PACER fees
BY JASON TASHEA
POSTED SEPTEMBER 18, 2018, 10:55 AM CDT
A new bill before the U.S House of Representatives would prohibit the federal courts from charging for public documents. The Electronic Court Records Reform Act would require that documents downloaded from the PACER database be free. Currently, the repository for federal court documents charges up to 10 cents a page.
“Americans deserve a justice system that is transparent and accessible,” said Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the bill’s sponsor, in a statement on Sept. 6. “I introduced the Electronic Court Records Reform Act to modernize the judicial records systems and remove fee-for-access barriers that technology has rendered unnecessary.”
Launched in 1988 with terminal access in libraries and offices, PACER went online in 2001, according to the Guardian. During the same time, as bandwidth and data storage grew less expensive, PACER inched up its prices from seven to 10 cents a page. Today, there is a cap of $3 when accessing case documents.
Included in the E-Government Act of 2002, the expectation was that the judiciary would only charge “to the extent necessary” to provide electronic docket information. In 2015, the federal courts pulled in $150 million in PACER fees, which is more than it costs to run the website. ... The extra fees have been treated as a slush fund of sorts by the judiciary. In one instance, a judge talked openly about using excess PACER fees to improve audio and visual equipment in this courtroom.
....
&feature=youtu.be
BY JASON TASHEA
POSTED SEPTEMBER 18, 2018, 10:55 AM CDT
A new bill before the U.S House of Representatives would prohibit the federal courts from charging for public documents. The Electronic Court Records Reform Act would require that documents downloaded from the PACER database be free. Currently, the repository for federal court documents charges up to 10 cents a page.
“Americans deserve a justice system that is transparent and accessible,” said Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the bill’s sponsor, in a statement on Sept. 6. “I introduced the Electronic Court Records Reform Act to modernize the judicial records systems and remove fee-for-access barriers that technology has rendered unnecessary.”
Launched in 1988 with terminal access in libraries and offices, PACER went online in 2001, according to the Guardian. During the same time, as bandwidth and data storage grew less expensive, PACER inched up its prices from seven to 10 cents a page. Today, there is a cap of $3 when accessing case documents.
Included in the E-Government Act of 2002, the expectation was that the judiciary would only charge “to the extent necessary” to provide electronic docket information. In 2015, the federal courts pulled in $150 million in PACER fees, which is more than it costs to run the website. ... The extra fees have been treated as a slush fund of sorts by the judiciary. In one instance, a judge talked openly about using excess PACER fees to improve audio and visual equipment in this courtroom.
....
&feature=youtu.be
