Author: Anosh Taheri-Tafreshi <anosh@ix.netcom.com> at ~Internet
Date: 3/14/ 0 01:56 AM
Priority: Normal
BCC: citation at AO-OCPPO
TO: citation@ao-uscourts.gov at ~Internet
Subject: Court opinions belong to the public

Dear Judical Conference Members,

     Please allow court opinions to be published via the Internet and 
allowed to be accessed by all people, and used to cite court opinions 
without need of a "toll" to West Publications. West Publications has 
made it functionally much more difficult for an average citizen to 
access court documents via its arcane numbering system and its use of 
tariffs. The Internet is a powerful tool that can be used to allow 
more citizen participation in government and have a more active role 
about finding out what the government is doing to, for, and against 
them. Judges are an impartial group that should not be swayed by 
groups of public opinion let alone private opinion, as in private 
corporations. Allow the internet to become the gateway for citizens 
to reap usable information about cases that judges make decisions on. 
Without fair access to this information, these decisions are useless 
to most people.

     Thanks for listening (I hope),

                                   Anosh Taheri