For the past seven years, the federal judiciary has been offering electronic public access services to improve the public's ability to access federal court information. These services have generated over seven million calls a year from the legal community and the general public. The judiciary's Electronic Public Access program has made access to court information by the general public faster and easier. Together, these specific applications provide a comprehensive program of electronic public access that meets a myriad of needs and requirements, providing a basic level of access to the public at little or no cost, while also offering more sophisticated service at reasonable costs.
The Supreme Court of the United States offers two electronic access services to the public for the purposes of disseminating information.
The U.S. Supreme Court Electronic Bulletin Board System is a new pilot service which provides online access to the Court's automated docket, argument calendar, order lists, slip opinions, rules, bar admission forms and instructions, Court tour information, special notices and general information. The automated docket posted on the Bulletin Board System (BBS) is current as of the preceding business day. Slip opinions and orders are posted within a few days after their release. This BBS contains opinions issued during October Terms 1993, 1994, and 1995. Access to the BBS is presently provided at no cost.
The Court also offers the U.S. Supreme Court Clerk's Automated Response Systems (CARS) which permits a caller using a standard touchtone telephone to obtain the status of cases on the U.S. Supreme Court automated docket from an automated voice synthesizer response system. Callers may receive case information, Bar admission information, or speak directly to a clerk. Callers can access information by using the Supreme Court docket number or the case name.
The appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts also offer several electronic public access systems. Following are brief descriptions of some of these services.
The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) uses an automated voice response system to read a limited amount of bankruptcy case information directly from the court's database in response to touchtone telephone inquiries. This service permits the caller to obtain information about a bankruptcy case quickly and easily by making a simple phone call. The service is now operating in approximately 75 bankruptcy courts. VCIS is free of charge.
Appellate Voice Information System (AVIS) is a comparable service to VCIS which enables a caller to gain appellate case information by use of a touch-tone telephone. AVIS is currently available in the District of Columbia, First, Second and Fifth Circuits, and is expected to be implemented in additional circuits this year. This service is also free to the public.
The ABBS (Appellate Bulletin Board System) is now available in all but one federal appellate court. This system offers public users electronic access to appellate court decisions (slip opinions) and other court information such as oral argument calendars, case dockets, local court rules, notices and reports, and press releases. Most appellate courts have upgraded their systems and offer both slip opinions and case dockets on the same public access computer and telephone number. Information on these systems can be viewed online or automatically downloaded into a user's computer. In accordance with Judicial Conference policy, most appellate courts charge a user fee for this service.
Public Access Terminals are provided free of charge for the public and are located in the clerk of court's office in all appellate, district and bankruptcy courts. Members of the public can go to the clerks' offices and can quickly and easily access these terminals to obtain pertinent case and docketing information.
The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system allows any user with a personal computer to dialin to a district or bankruptcy court computer and retrieve official electronic case information and court dockets usually in less than a minute. PACER is predominately utilized by attorneys and has eliminated the need to travel to the courthouse to retrieve routine information. Each court controls its own computer system and case information database; therefore, there are some variations among jurisdictions as to the information offered. Typically, information currently available through PACER includes basic case information, docket information, index information, and opinions. Many jurisdictions offer 800 telephone lines to eliminate long distance toll charges.
User fee charges for PACER service have been instituted in most courts. However, the Schedule of Fees established by the Judicial Conference of the United States permits courts to "exempt persons or classes of persons from the fees in order to avoid unreasonable burdens and to promote public access to such information." This exemption language is intended to accommodate those users who might otherwise not have access to court information in this electronic form. Classes of persons who may be exempted from the fee include indigents, bankruptcy case trustees, notforprofit organizations, and voluntary Alternate Dispute Resolution neutrals.
Internet Access to court information continues to expand. The Administrative Office manages the judiciary's Internet Web Site which contains general information on the judiciary, numerous publications, and proposed rules for public comment. Several individual courts have also established Internet sites and offer court information. In addition, numerous Internet web sites have independently arranged to offer judiciary information, such as opinions and court rules. A consortium of law schools, generally one from each circuit, provides free access to appellate slip opinions through each school's Internet Web Site. Circuits were approached individually by the law schools about participating in this effort. The member law schools have complete responsibility for retrieving the opinions and uploading them to the Internet. Arrangements such as these support access to government information without requiring government resources.
All of these services provide the public with greater and more rapid access to federal court information and utilize flexible options to meet the individual needs of the user. Expansion of electronic access services will continue to reduce the barriers to the public's ability to access court information.
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