4 ms·

Very interesting topic, hadn't ever considered the possibility that the availability of legal proceedings / documents might be something other than a taxpayer-s

Very interesting topic, hadn't ever considered the possibility that the availability of legal proceedings / documents might be something other than a taxpayer-subsidized venture. It sure seems like that's the appropriate source for funds to accomplish this.

maxxxxx 9y ago
When I heard abut this the first time I also was surprised that this stuff is not available for free. In a country governed by laws it should be one of the most important things that the law is easily accessible to all people.
- JumpCrisscross 9y ago
  > one of the most important things that the law is easily accessible to all people As rayiner points out [1], court filings are not case law. Decisions, the only component of a court's output that can properly be considered law, are generally freely and publicly available. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16230803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16230803
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    That's fine. I still think that if openness is a good thing then the legal system should be one of the first places. Everything should go into a central and open database.
    - JumpCrisscross 9y ago
      > I still think that if openness is a good thing then the legal system should be one of the first places And I would tend to agree with you. But make that argument, not something about the laws of the land being locked away. The “free law” pitch comes across as dishonest to anyone remotely familiar with the system.
    - arcbyte 9y ago
      I mean, they do already. The database is just the court records and you can go to the courthouse and access them. That's how its been for centuries.
      - maxxxxx 9y ago
        I think it's time to take the records online.
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
  - rocqua 9y ago
    Another reply claimed that it occurs that decisions are wrongly tagged and thus accidentally not available for free: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16231087 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16231087
    - thinkcomp 9y ago
      See "District Court Opinions that Remain Hidden Despite a Longstanding Congressional Mandate of Transparency – The Result of Judicial Autonomy and Systemic Indifference" by Peter Martin at Cornell. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3034399 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3034399

maxxxxx 9y ago

When I heard abut this the first time I also was surprised that this stuff is not available for free. In a country governed by laws it should be one of the most important things that the law is easily accessible to all people.

JumpCrisscross 9y ago
> one of the most important things that the law is easily accessible to all people As rayiner points out [1], court filings are not case law. Decisions, the only component of a court's output that can properly be considered law, are generally freely and publicly available. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16230803 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16230803
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  That's fine. I still think that if openness is a good thing then the legal system should be one of the first places. Everything should go into a central and open database.
  - JumpCrisscross 9y ago
    > I still think that if openness is a good thing then the legal system should be one of the first places And I would tend to agree with you. But make that argument, not something about the laws of the land being locked away. The “free law” pitch comes across as dishonest to anyone remotely familiar with the system.
  - arcbyte 9y ago
    I mean, they do already. The database is just the court records and you can go to the courthouse and access them. That's how its been for centuries.
    - maxxxxx 9y ago
      I think it's time to take the records online.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
- rocqua 9y ago
  Another reply claimed that it occurs that decisions are wrongly tagged and thus accidentally not available for free: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16231087 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16231087
  - thinkcomp 9y ago
    See "District Court Opinions that Remain Hidden Despite a Longstanding Congressional Mandate of Transparency – The Result of Judicial Autonomy and Systemic Indifference" by Peter Martin at Cornell. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3034399 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3034399