Firefox Plug-In Frees Court Records, Threatens Judiciary Profits

[Robbien]

Access to the nation’s federal law proceedings just got a public interest hack, thanks to programmers from Princeton, Harvard and the Internet Archive, who released a Firefox plug-in designed to make millions of pages of legal documents free.

Free as in beer and free as in speech.

The Problem: Federal courts use a arcahic, document tracking system known as PACER as its official repository for complaints, court motions, case scheduling and decisions. The system design resembles a DMV computer system, circa 1988 — and lacks even the most basic functionality, such as notifications when a case gets a new filing. But what’s worse is that PACER charges 8 cents per page (capped at $2.40) and even charges for searches — an embarrassing limitation on public access to information, especially when the documents are copyright-free.

The Solution: RECAP, a Firefox-only plugin, that rides along as one usually uses PACER — but it automatically checks if the document you want is already in its database. The plugin’s tagline, ‘Turning PACER around,’ alludes to the fact that its name comes from spelling PACER backwards. RECAP’s database is being seeded with millions of bankruptcy and Federal District documents, which have been donated, bought or gotten for free by open government advocate Carl Malamud and fellow travelers such as Justia.

And if the document you want isn’t in the public archive, then RECAP adds the ones you purchase to the public repository.

The plug-in was released by Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, coded by Harlan Yu and Tim Lee, under the direction of noted computer science professor Ed Felten.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08/firefox-plug-in-frees-court-records-threatens-judiciary-profits/

download at
http://download.cnet.com/Recap/3000-11745_4-11094428.html