Court Documents Go Digital

Information Management Journal, Mar/Apr 2006 by Swartz, Nikki

The U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee has gone digital. West Tennesseans - and anyone else interested now can access federal court documents with a mouse click.

The Electronic case Filing system, a new electronic filing option, allows the public to access federal documents, records, and cases at no cost to the user. The system is part of a new rule that requires all papers in all active cases to be filed electronically through the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee's electronic filing system.

Civil, criminal, and miscellaneous cases that go through federal court now will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Through a free Public Access to Court Electronic Records or PACER account, attorneys and anyone with Internet access may log on at www.tnwd.uscourts. gov/n/home.asp?file=info/home.asp and view federal court records in this district. Users of the system can access all records except those that are sealed and certain police records such as grand jury and investigative proceedings, according to the court's website. Sealed documents may be submitted, but permission is not needed to access online. Private information is not accessible to the public.

Attorneys also will be able to file documents electronically. Tom M. Gould, court clerk for the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee, said that the new filing system will increase the number of attorneys who practice out of state.

Gould also said that the system would help the local federal court save money.

"It will cut down on the mailing of documents that could be several pages long," he said. "With this system, there would also be no need to store physical files, which would cut down on the cost of physical space needed to archive documents."

Gould said that public terminals for the system are located in the Memphis and Jackson court clerk offices, where people may come in to scan or print documents for 80 cents a copy, or even file a lawsuit electronically.