开放法院法案旨在终结PACER高额收费
SOURCE / EFF-Updates · Court Records Should Be Free
原文
Court Records Should Be Free
完整原文
Court records belong to the public. Yet anyone seeking access to federal court filings through PACER, a government software system that stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records, is usually required to pay hefty fees to search for and view documents. PACER’s fees have long acted as a barrier that makes it hard, especially for low income people, to see and understand the work produced by our own public servants. That's why EFF joined a broad group of organizations supporting the Open Courts Act of 2026, legislation that would modernize the federal courts' electronic filing systems and eliminate PACER fees. Public access to the courts is a cornerstone of democratic accountability. The bill would replace the aging PACER and CM/ECF systems with a modern, unified platform designed to improve public access, strengthen cybersecurity, and reduce long-term costs. Supporters note that PACER currently collects more than $150 million annually in fees from the public, despite court records being public documents. The Open Courts Act would also make court records easier to find, access, and understand. The legislation builds on a similar proposal, also supported by EFF, that previously won bipartisan support in the Senate Judiciary Committee but did not become law before the end of the congressional session. This is not a new issue for EFF. More than a decade ago, we criticized PACER's paywalls and the removal of some court records from online access, arguing that the public should not have to pay to read the law and the judicial decisions that shape it. The Open Courts Act would move U.S. courts a big step closer to that goal. In addition to EFF, the bill is supported by Fix the Court, the group pushing this bill forward; the Free Law Project, which maintains RECAP, software that has created a large archive of legal opinions and other court records; as well as civil society groups, open government watchdogs, and media groups. Public access to the courts is a cornerstone of democratic accountability. Let’s eliminate unnecessary barriers to court records, and bring the federal judiciary’s tech into the modern era. Read the full letter supporting the Open Courts Act of 2026
归纳
PACER系统作为联邦法院电子记录入口，长期向公众收取高额费用以查阅文件，成为低收入群体获取司法信息的障碍。为改变这一现状，电子前哨基金会（EFF）联合多个组织支持《2026年开放法院法案》。该法案计划用现代化统一平台取代老旧的PACER和CM/ECF系统，提高公众访问、加强网络安全并降低长期成本。PACER年收费超1.5亿美元，而法庭记录本属公共财产。法案还希望使记录更易查找和理解，此前类似提案曾获跨党派支持但未通过。EFF早在十年前就批评PACER的付费墙，法案将推动联邦法院迈向司法开放。支持者包括Fix the Court、民间团体、政府监督及媒体组织。
点评
PACER系统对公共司法记录收费，涉嫌违反公众知情权与信息自由原则，法案旨在通过立法终结这种商业性收费模式。
法律视角点评
AI 生成 · 人工审核核心关切
PACER系统对公共司法记录收费，涉嫌违反公众知情权与信息自由原则，法案旨在通过立法终结这种商业性收费模式。
实务启示
中国法律人应关注本国司法数据开放收费的合规边界，避免以成本名义限制公众获取裁判文书等公共司法信息。