Subject: Court cases should be public Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 09:30:59 -0500 From: Gavin Sutcliffe Organization: Webthreads, LLC To: citation@teo.uscourts.gov Dear Sirs and Madams, It goes against the founding principles of our country that court opinions should be hidden behind obstacles such as one's ability to pay. All U.S. federal judicial opinions should be freely and publicly available, without being held hostage to a corporation's profits. Our country is built on the freedom of speech and ideas. Federal court opinions, as interpretations of our Constitution and our laws, belong in the public domain. A public domain citation system would understandably be a burden to initiate, but it would be a massive impetus to improved freedom of speech and political discourse. Sincerely, Gavin Sutcliffe (A concerned citizen) Gavin Sutcliffe Director, Web Services http://www.webthreads.com Webthreads, LLC 1919 Gallows Road Vienna, VA 22182 tel: 703-848-9027 Interactive Direct Marketing Technology