Legal Research

A few times a month, I'll be happily working on a research project when suddenly I come to an unwelcome and dreaded realization.  The document that I need to continue my research is on PACER, and I'm going to have to log on to the federal government's clunky and awful court records database to get it.  It's never a good feeling, and I always wish that someone would do something to improve PACER.

Carl Malamud, leader of Public.Resource.org, agrees, and the New York Times has written an article about Malamud's efforts to make court records more accessible to the public.  I hope that Malamud's activism spurs the government to make PACER a better database.  For one thing, PACER needs full-text searching.  And how about throwing in some RSS feeds for good measure?  Let's hope that whoever is chosen to serve in the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer gives PACER some attention.