There was a recent great announcement from the Minnesota courts:
Case Documents Now Viewable on Courthouse Terminals
Members of the public are now able to view case documents on public access terminals in all Minnesota state courthouses, regardless of which district court the documents were filed in.
“Increasing public access to case records is one of the key goals of our move to electronic case records,” said State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba.
Since 2007, the general public has had access to the registers of actions in cases through courthouse terminals and via the Judicial Branch website. That service allows people to find information about a case, such as the names of the parties and attorneys; a list of case events, including hearings; and a list of documents that have been filed.
District courts are currently converting documents in all active cases to digital images. The images are stored in the Minnesota Court Information System (MNCIS), which is accessible through the courthouse terminals. Confidential and sealed case documents are not available through this new service. The effort is part of the Judicial Branch’s eCourtMN Initiative.
Documents can also be viewed at the State Law Library in St. Paul, MN.
This means that a consumer can go to a court terminal in any Minnesota courthouse and see filed documents from another courthouse. As we see E-filing ( the electronic filing) of documents, the access really should expand. It will give each person more ways to view the information they need and also provide for more transparency. This is another move in the right direction by the courts.
