From the Winter 2001 issue of The News Media & The Law, page 17.
Legal courts around the country are developing and acquiring the technology to provide Internet or digital access to court public records. It can make data searches faster and more valuable for the press and members of the public. Although privacy pursuits are compelling some courts to query whether allowing such broad usage of courthouse data files.
A number of claims are considering new rules relating to electronic entry to court records. A few for these proposals prohibit electronic entry to specific types of documents, including arrest case documents. These types of records are more very sensitive and present more potential with regards to privacy concerns than detrimental case data files. Other plans are more expansive and will allow the general public to see most records, but with constraints on specified data elements or categories of information such as social reliability numbers or perhaps medical files.
The judiciary is asking for public comments on these kinds of proposals. When you are interested in the challenge, you should contact your state’s representatives and ask these to support changes to convey open records laws that permit wide-ranging access to almost all court records, no matter their type. You should also motivate attorneys to contact their elected officials you can look here and desire them to oppose any proposals that limit access to digital records.