Kennedy, Wyden introduce bipartisan bill to modernize federal court records system

This press release from Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was published on 2026-06-02 and titled "Kennedy, Wyden introduce bipartisan bill to modernize federal court records system".

Kennedy, Wyden introduce bipartisan bill to modernize federal court records system

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in introducing the Open Courts Act, bipartisan legislation to modernize the federal judiciary's outdated records systems, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) and the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF). PACER serves as the public portal for accessing federal court records and filings, but the system is outdated, difficult to use, vulnerable to cyberattacks and expensive to maintain. It also requires Americans to pay fees to access many public court records. Right now, each U.S. District Court, U.S Courts of Appeals and U.S. Bankruptcy Court maintains its own e-filing and public records system, a recipe for inefficiency and vulnerability. The Open Courts Act would centralize CM/ECF and PACER into one system that makes public court records easier to access, strengthens cybersecurity measures and lowers long-term operating costs. " Americans should not have to sell plasma or wrestle with clunky government websites just to read public court records. PACER is old, very expensive and extremely burdensome to use. The Open Courts Act would drag this outdated system into the 21st century, protect court records from hackers and give taxpayers a better deal. Government services ought to serve the American people - not make them want to put their head through a wall," said Kennedy. "For far too long, unnecessary paywalls have kept the American people from freely accessing public court records. The Open Courts Act will deliver a long-overdue upgrade to PACER, saving taxpayers more than $60 million dollars in operating costs every year. Federal courts will then be able to remove burdensome paywalls and provide the public, including researchers and journalists, with free access to public court documents," Wyden said. Background : The Open Courts Act would Require the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to develop a modern replacement for PACER, eventually resulting in more than $60 million being saved every year . Remove the paywall for accessing public court records. Strengthen cybersecurity protections for the federal court records system. Lower long-term operating costs by replacing PACER with a more efficient system. Fund the new system and program without relying on annual congressional appropriations. Full text of the Open Courts Act is available here .