Subject:  in favor of public domain citations for court opinions
Date:     Fri, 14 Mar 1997 22:41:27 -0500 (EST)
From:     GATWOOD@CUA.EDU
To:       citation@teo.uscourts.gov

March 14, 1997

ABA Citation Resolution
Suite 4-512
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Washington, DC 20544

via Internet: citation@ao.uscourts.gov

Dear members of the U.S. Judicial Conference,

     I am writing to urge the adoption of a system of public domain 
citations for court opinions. I reject the notion that a private 
company, namely West Publishing, could "own" the citations to court 
opinions. I am appalled by the unfair burden the present monopoly 
places on the shoulders of the American taxpayer. I call for the 
immediate break up of the West monopoly.

     In closing I echo the following questions raised by the Consumer 
Project on Technology (CPT) which I ask you to consider carefully.

     "Of course the more basic issue concerns the Court's 
responsibilities toward the public. Is not the law the most public of 
all public documents? Isn't it unseemly for the court to operate as a 
profit center for a commercial entity? How do we explain this system 
to high school students who are trying to learn legal research on the 
Internet? Why is this taking so many years to resolve? Why has the 
judiciary been so reluctant to protect the public in these matters? 
For all of the above reasons, we urge the U.S. Judicial Conference to 
approve the public domain citation proposed by the ABA." 

Sincerely,

Mr. Jody Gatwood, Assoc. Professor
Benjamin T. Rome School of Music
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC 20064
Phone: 202 319-5414
e-mail: gatwood@cua.edu