PACER's paywall is bullshit, but just to temper things it does allow you to download a certain amount for free. I think it might be something like $30 a month.

PACER's paywall is bullshit, but just to temper things it does allow you to download a certain amount for free. I think it might be something like $30 a month. All my requests usually come in under this amount. What are the fees if you go to the courthouse? I've actually never been inside a federal courthouse despite litigating there for almost a decade. I assume they have an indigency application if you can't afford their fees - the state courts I've worked at do. You have a 1st Amendment right to court documents (and usually a constitutional or statutory right under state laws too). I don't know exactly how fees interact with your 1st Am. right. I would imagine that if you wanted a lot of documents and couldn't afford them that your 1st Am. right would win if you sued for it.