PACER Fee Battle Pits Nonprofits, Supporters Against Government
Three nonprofits will ask the Federal Circuit this week to consider a Goldilocks question: whether fees the government charges to access court records are too high, too low, or just right. From a report: The nonprofits say the fees violate federal law because they're higher than what's needed to operate the system. They represent a certified class of 1.4 million users of the federal judiciary's Public Access to Court Records (PACER) system. The federal court system has come under fire for how it operates PACER, which processed more than 500 million requests for case information last fiscal year. Critics argue the pay system reduces transparency and erodes public trust in the courts. The government argues it's authorized to charge fees that exceed the cost of operating PACER and use the money for other court access projects. A lower court said PACER fees should be "just right," in that they should cover services that provide public access to electronic court information, but not pay for other court technology projects. Both sides appealed to the Federal Circuit. Fees for downloading a copy of a filing run 10 cents per page, up to $3 per document. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts collected more than $145 million in fees in 2014 alone, according to the complaint.
from Slashdot https://ift.tt/2H223Qh
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
from Slashdot https://ift.tt/2H223Qh
0 Response to "PACER Fee Battle Pits Nonprofits, Supporters Against Government"
Post a Comment