Subject: Expressing support for public domain citations
   Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 11:00:17 -0600
   From: "Harold A. Driscoll" <harold@driscoll.chi.il.us>
     To: citation@teo.uscourts.gov

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 write to urge the United States Judicial Conference to adopt a 
public domain citation for judicial opinions.

     If in fact the purpose of the Courts is to serve the public, 
then a public domain citation is the only viable alternative.

     To impede public access to the courts until and unless a royalty 
is paid to some private company would have sharp similarities to 
legal-enforcement of extortion.  By way of analogy, what would we 
think if the school administration supported a bully who demands 
lunch money of all the smaller kids, prior to their gaining entry 
into a grade school?

     With all due respect, this issue would seem to be a "no-
brainer." I must confess, there are few issues where I have difficult 
seeing both sides of an issue, but this one has that rare 
distinction.

     I therefore urge the Judicial Conference to adopt a system of 
public domain citations to court opinions.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   Harold A. Driscoll
                                   Chicago, Illinois