Supreme Court Launches Web Site

In a move sure to ease the burden of law students and constitutional scholars everywhere, the Supreme Court launched its own Web site on Monday that features the high courts decisions, argument calendars and other information.

At http://www.supremecourtus.gov, visitors may read the court's decisions the same day they are released and study the High Court's argument calendar, schedules, rules, visitors' guides and bar admission forms.

The announcement came as welcome news to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), which for many months has had the creation of a Supreme Court site as Number Two on a list of a top ten most wanted government sites.

We surveyed academics, reporters and the general Web user to tell us what (government resources) they thought were missing in action, said Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst with the CDT. At the time, there was a lot of discussion about Judiciary Branch openness, and the fact that the Supreme Court didn't have a Web site was sort of emblematic of that problem.

At a congressional news conference last year, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., joined the CDT in chiding the Judiciary, that even Mongolia had a Web site for its Supreme Court.

Some of the justices call themselves Luddites, and in fact (Supreme Court Justice) Souter has called himself one on several occasions, Schwartz said. I think they're are concerned about what bringing technology into the court might mean.

Schwartz added that the high court was in the midst of rewiring the entire building to add the Internet to the lives of Supreme Court clerks.

Earlier last month, Justice Souter appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee to justify the Supreme Courts $100 million for funds to renovate the 1930s courthouse. Included in that budget was a request for $108,000 to fund three positions, two of which, Souter said, were necessary to support the court's continued efforts to keep pace with technological improvements in automation and security.

"We requested a research librarian to assist with the increasing complexity of legal research work due to the proliferation of online databases and CD-ROM applications, Souter told lawmakers. The introduction of more automated sources has increased the breadth of information available, but accessing that information has become more complicated.

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.