FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
OCT. 1 LETTER
The New England First Amendment Coalition and several Rhode Island open government advocates — collectively known as Access/RI — are requesting more public input be considered before the roll-out of a new online court records system.
The state judiciary plans to begin making court records accessible online to all members of the public next spring. The platform re:Search by Tyler Technologies reportedly will be used.
“While we applaud the court’s intentions and look forward to increased accessibility to court records, we are unaware of any public hearing or other opportunity to provide guidance on how this system could best be implemented,” the groups wrote to court officials on Oct. 1.
“Members of the public and organizations like ours can share important guidance on how the new system could be successfully launched and done so in a way that maximizes transparency,” they added.
In their letter, NEFAC and its Rhode Island partners listed examples of complications reported by users of the software in other states. They include:
• Policies that unduly restrict access to certain public information court officials deem too sensitive to make available online.
• Search function limitations that make it impossible to find relevant records and reoccurring error messages resulting from queries.
• Providing case documents as a PDF or other file formats that do not allow text searching.
• Lack of resources and training for court staff to help users troubleshoot issues arising from the software.
Of the six New England states, only Maine is currently using re:Search. Users there are experiencing a wide range of challenges that can only be overcome by visiting individual courthouses — an unfortunate necessity that defeats the purpose of online access and enables an inequitable system where court access is available to only those with the ability to travel, the groups wrote.
NEFAC recently called on the Maine Judiciary to fix the problems plaguing its system. The coalition is also working with court officials in Vermont to help improve online access to that state’s court records.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
NEFAC is supported by the Estate of Gloria L. Negri. Additional funding is provided by Leadership Circle donors including the Rhode Island Foundation, The Boston Globe, Paul and Ann Sagan, and the Robertson Foundation. Major Supporters of NEFAC’s work are Hearst Connecticut Media Group, Boston University, the Academy of New England Journalists, Connecticut Public, WCVB-Boston and WBUR-Boston.