NCJ Number
129893
Date Published
1991
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This General Accounting Office study examines whether Federal courts are doing an adequate job distributing to the public copies of judicial opinions and other court documents.
Abstract
The study selected a sample of 10 of the 94 district courts on the basis of the volume of cases filed during 1989 and on their geographical locations across the country. The information in this report represents the procedures the court had in effect at the location where the district clerk is situated. In each court, researchers spoke to the clerk, the deputy clerk, or the supervisor responsible for responding to requests for documents. Three publishers of court information were interviewed to obtain their opinions on how well district courts respond to their requests for documents. Although all 10 courts allow public access to their documents, procedures for providing the documents vary. Differences relate to acceptance of requests for documents by telephone, prepayment of fees, the availability of copying machines for public use, and acceptance of credit cards as payment. In 1959 the Judicial Conference of the United States increased the standard fee courts charge for copies of documents from 25 to 50 cents per page. Some courts have instituted alternative procedures that enable requesters to obtain copies of court documents for substantially less than the 50 cents. The study recommends that the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts research the range of options the Federal courts are using to provide access to their documents. Working through the Judicial Conference, the Administrative Office should encourage courts to adopt that option that the court clerks determine would most benefit both their operations and requesters' needs. 1 table and appended supplementary information