More access to justice court files
Good news for public access advocates today -- the Administrative Office of the Courts for Utah just announced the addition of 40 justice courts to the state court’s XChange service. XChange is a database of court case information that is available publicly for a monthly fee. Prior to the database expansion, accessing justice court case information required court users to contact each individual Justice Court.
For Xchan
ge, there is a set up fee of $25, plus a monthly charge of $30 per month for up to 200 searches during a billing cycle.
Title companies, attorneys, private investigators and newspapers like The Salt Lake Tribune, which use the system often, can absorb these costs pretty easily as part of doing business. But it does make it difficult for average, ordinary citizens to access the courts in the same way that big businesses are able to. That's why many sunshine fans prefer fee-free services. (A bit of good news here, though -- you can still access a lot of public information for free at The Tribune's voyeuristic internet endeavor, UtahsRight.com. And it's likely that crew is already salivating over a new chunk of easily-accessible public information.) Update: The public can also access Xchange for free at any district courthouse.
For Xchan
ge, there is a set up fee of $25, plus a monthly charge of $30 per month for up to 200 searches during a billing cycle.Title companies, attorneys, private investigators and newspapers like The Salt Lake Tribune, which use the system often, can absorb these costs pretty easily as part of doing business. But it does make it difficult for average, ordinary citizens to access the courts in the same way that big businesses are able to. That's why many sunshine fans prefer fee-free services. (A bit of good news here, though -- you can still access a lot of public information for free at The Tribune's voyeuristic internet endeavor, UtahsRight.com. And it's likely that crew is already salivating over a new chunk of easily-accessible public information.) Update: The public can also access Xchange for free at any district courthouse.
Justice court cases -- usually class B and C misdemeanors, infractions, and small claims cases -- don't typically make print in The Trib, but they are often the most pertinent to our (usually) mundane lives.
Let's say, for instance, that your house-sitter lets her girlfriends over to eat your food, drink your booze, and smoke pot in your basement (we're just speaking hypothetically, of course.) Chances are that when and if charges are filed against the young rascals, the case may find its way to the state's justice courts. And when you go to tell a judge about how you came home from vacation to find your house completely trashed and reeking of ganja (again, just speaking hypothetically, really) it'll likely be a justice court judge who hears your complaint.
-- mdl
Let's say, for instance, that your house-sitter lets her girlfriends over to eat your food, drink your booze, and smoke pot in your basement (we're just speaking hypothetically, of course.) Chances are that when and if charges are filed against the young rascals, the case may find its way to the state's justice courts. And when you go to tell a judge about how you came home from vacation to find your house completely trashed and reeking of ganja (again, just speaking hypothetically, really) it'll likely be a justice court judge who hears your complaint.
-- mdl
Labels: court records
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