The Interdependent Third Branch
Tracking court organization, administration, structure, and strategy
Reuters reports that a settlement is brewing in the class action lawsuit alleging that the federal judiciary overcharged users for PACER access. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but after several years of litigation, including a trip to the Court of Appeals, it appears that the case may be coming to a private resolution in the next few months.
I shared thoughts on the PACER lawsuit, and the larger questions it poses for the court system, here.
My latest piece for the New England Law Professors blog takes a look at the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Home Depot, Inc. v. Jackson, and asks whether the Court is quietly reevaluating the mission of the federal court system.
Give it a read, and while you’re there, check out the wonderful posts by my colleagues in areas as widespread as criminal law, immigration law, and constitutional law.
A federal court in Miami has denied the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss a putative class action alleging that users of the federal courts’ electronic records system (PACER) were improperly charged for accessing records. The government had argued that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the case, and that the plaintiffs had failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
Law.com has the story here. And for those who do not want to pay PACER fees, the court’s order is here. 🙂
UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: The Florida lawsuit here is separate from the lawsuit in the first linked story. That suit, filed in the federal district court in the District of Columbia, has already certified a class. Both cases apparently will now go forward.
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