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RED D R D E
UNIVERSITY OF MICH6
LIBRARIES-
MAY 28 2004
. . . ºf , ºr L BY
UNEL STATES OF AMERICA




WHAT I 5 FA C E R 7
Public ACCeSS to Court Electronic Records
(PACER) is an electronic public access Ser-
vice that allows users to obtain case infor-
mation from federal Courts. PACER is a
Service of the United States Judiciary, pro-
vided by the Administrative Office of the
United States Courts.
PACER offers an inexpensive, easy-to-use
alternative for obtaining case information
without having to visit the Courthouse.
PACER allows an Internet user to request
information about a particular case or
party. The data is immediately available
for printing or downloading.
EM/ECF
As the new Case Management/Electronic Case
Files system (CM/ECF) comes online in the federal
Courts, PACER will facilitate electronic access to
dockets and case file documents for registered
users. CM/ECF is a new case management system
that allows courts to manage electronic dockets. It
also allows each court the ability to receive filings
electronically, pursuant to local rule or order.

FADE E R FEEE
Electronic public access fees fund all of the hard-
Ware, Software, and other CoSts of providing
electronic access to court data. CongreSS has
authorized the Judiciary to charge fees for
copies of Court documents to the extent neces-
sary. The Judiciary has set fees at the lowest
level sufficient to fund the program. The devel-
opment of Internet technology has facilitated
dramatic improvements to the quality of public
access at a significantly reduced cost.
5 D NME FER E PEDTIVE
In 1853, the cost of a copy of a court docu-
ment was set by CongreSS at 10 cents per page,
a figure which, indexed for inflation, is now
equivalent to almost $2. To obtain a paper copy
today, a person Still must travel to the Court and
pay 50 cents per page. Technology and the
work of court staff, funded by public access
fees, have brought the courts closer to the citi-
zens, allowing round-the-clock access to court
information from anywhere in the world at a
fraction of the COSt.

H DVV D DE E IT VVD R K 7
PACER Offers Convenient electronic access to:
> Case file documents
> Listings of all case parties
> Reports of case-related information
> Chronologies of events entered in the case record
> Claims registries
> Listings of new bankruptcy cases
> Judgments or case status
> Nationwide party/case index
Users are billed quarterly and are allowed to enter
a client code of their own choosing to facilitate
tracking costs.
To register instantly, visit the PACER Service Center web
Site – www.pacer.uscourts.gov — and click on the
Registration icon. Fill out an online form and provide a
valid e-mail address. If credit card information is provided,
an account will be established immediately. Non-instant
registration will remain an option for those customers
who do not wish to provide a credit card number.
Those customers will receive the login information by
U.S. mail. There is no cost for registering.

FADE E R
AND D, NA/E [ F
For all federal Courts, PACER facilitates electronic
access to docket Sheets and other case informa-
tion. It also allows access to images of Court doc-
uments, if a Court has chosen to use electronic
case files. Each Court maintains its own case infor-
mation, as well as an Internet site, which may
Contain local rules, Court forms, and other items
available to the public free of charge. PACER pro-
vides the interface with each court System and
funds the network that facilitates these Web Sites.
A USer accesses Court information via the Court's
Internet site or through the PACER Service Center.
Although each court manages its own procedures
for electronic filing, all electronic public access to
case file documents occurs through PACER.
To fund the COSts of PACER and CM/ECF, the
Judicial Conference of the United States has Set a
fee of seven cents per page for electronic data
via the Internet, with the total charge for any
document, docket sheet, or case-specific report
not to exceed the fee for 30 pages – provided
however that transcripts of federal court pro-
ceedings shall not be subject to the 30-page fee
limit. The fee applies to all users, although no fee
is owed by users who do not incur more than
$10 of use in a calendar year. Parties entitled to
documents as part of the legal process receive a
free electronic copy, although they will be
charged for replacement copies, whether in
paper or electronic form.

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Information regarding
PACER is available at
> http://www.pacer.uscourts.gov or:
> PACER Service Center
P.O. BOX 780549
San Antonio, TX 78278-0549
(800) 676-6856
PACER®psc.uscourts.gov
Information regarding the Administrative Office
and CM/ECF is available at http://www.uscourts.gov
and your local court's web site.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
O
3 9015 08543 6791