Law.com has House Judiciary Advances Bipartisan Bill to Make PACER Free to Public:
The Open Courts Act of 2020, introduced by Reps. Hank Johnson and Doug Collins, would give the federal judiciary two to three years to update and modernize its electronic public access program before making PACER free for the public.
Johnson, who introduced the bill and chairs a subcommittee on the courts, also cited a need to make court filings more accessible for lawyers who don’t have the same resources as attorneys with Big Law firms. “Convenient access to public records in federal courthouses shouldn’t be a privilege just for the wealthy few and their silk stocking, tassel shoe-wearing corporate lawyers,” he said. “Young attorneys who want to use their law degree to make a difference deserve the same access to the federal court system as their wealthy corporate counterparts.”
Law360 has House Panel Advances Bill To Make PACER Free:
Anyone who goes to the U.S. Supreme Court can read any of the documents filed before the court free of charge," Johnson said. "That's the way it should be. The public has a fundamental right to free access to public documents."
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