BNA reports new DOJ-Court effort on court opinions

[James Love <love@tap.org>]

According to a May 1, 1995 BNA report titled "Alternative Case Citation 
Issue Examined by Joint DOJ-Judicial Group," the Department of Justice 
and the U.S. Judicial Conference Civil Issues Working Group has agreed to 
"examine the issues surrounding the creation of an alternative citation 
method, according to a DOJ official."

The story is written by Morenike Efuntade, and it quotes a number of 
persons, including Paul Friedman at DOJ, and Judge J. Owen Forrester, of 
the U.S. District Court (and chair of the technology subcommittee of the 
Judicial Conference).  The article suggests that the courts might back a 
proposal to create a central respository of court opinions at Emory 
University.  At present Emory University disseminates opinions from the 
11th Circuit Court via a World Wide Web server on the Internet.  

In one quote Judge Forrester says:

    "It would seem that if a non-profit organization chooses
     to keep a database online of federal decisions that it 
     would also have the power to assign citations and even number 
     paragraphs,"  Forrester told BNA.  "If that happened, I think
     that would address the core concerns in the present debate.


more later.  jamie
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James Love, TAP; internet:  love@tap.org
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