A US federal judge Friday discovered {that a} Florida state court violated Courthouse News Services’ First Amendment right to “timely access court documents.”
Courthouse News Services alleged that almost all civil complaints are unavailable to the general public the day they’re filed in Broward County Circuit Court. The news service argued that these delays in accessing court documents “seriously hamper Plaintiff’s ability to report on lawsuits in Broward County,” invoking the First Amendment right to free press and free speech.
Judge Mark Walker decided that Courthouse News Services’ First Amendment right to timely access court documents was violated by the state court’s submitting system. Additionally, the county failed to present that granting the news service access to complaints and filings earlier than processing the pleadings would hinder court operations or serve any administrative capabilities. Walker discovered the delays to be “entirely preventable.”
Overall, Walker discovered that the state court’s insurance policies “unnecessarily inhibit the public’s right to monitor the judicial system[.]” He ordered the court to “confer and file a plan for providing timely public access to non-confidential civil complaints” on or earlier than June 24. Once this court approves the state court’s plan, an injunction might be issued to direct compliance with the plan. The state court will then be required to present steady updates.
