I covered the Epic vs Apple trial for one month earlier this year. This case was one the most important antitrust cases in recent memory. It brought out many revelations about both the companies and the wider tech industry, often through legal filings. Together with other reporters, I try to find the most important details in these filings for my readers. Sometimes, however, the documents themselves are worth looking at. CourtListener, a website that allows you to search for documents online, makes it easier than you might think.The Public Access to Court Electronic Records system (PACER), is supposed to make US federal court documents public. However, PACER is a frustrating system that I have experienced many times. It is difficult to sign up. A search for a particular page or document costs only 10 cents. If you are trying to find information about a case, all of those fees add up quickly. PACER is essentially a game-loot system for the legal system.This restricts access to resources that could help people better understand US law and many individual news reports. Some journalists use Scribd and DocumentCloud to re-upload or link files, but not all outlets do this. This also blocks out a lot of information that is simply funny or interesting. Read about FBI agents searching for a mythical cache of gold that was stolen from the US Treasury during Civil War. It was then hidden in underground cave networks. You have the court system covered. Take this Federal Trade Commissions decision against Facebook. It may be the most ominous description of Friendster and MySpace ever written.In the early days of the internet's rise, many websites started to offer what became known as social networking services.You can do that by joining a Star Wars opening crawl.Damn, someone did it before I! pic.twitter.com/kKgwv5icl2 Without Context Paddy O'Connor, (@paddypadman2) June 28, 2020There is an informal PACER workaround. CourtListener, a nonprofit organization that preserves millions of filings, hosts an open and free archive. You will find many of the most fascinating material in the RECAP archive, which contains audio of oral arguments and court opinions. This includes the lengthy back-and-forth between Apple, Epic, government claims like the cryptocurrency fraud allegations against John McAfee, late antivirus tycoon, as well as important legal decisions such as a judge tossing that Facebook antitrust lawsuit.The RECAP archive is an enormous crowdsourced library that uses the same browser extension. A copy of a document is saved to the archive when a RECAP user logs in to PACER. It is accessible from anywhere, regardless of whether the extension has been installed.RECAP relies on PACER users sharing files so documents that have not been looked up by anyone else are generally impossible to find. If you are reading about a lawsuit, or major criminal case in the news there is a good chance that the archive contains details. One catch: PACER only covers federal courts, so if someone was sued or charged at the state level, you are probably out of luck.Navigating CourtListener can seem overwhelming. It is helpful to search for the names of any of the parties in the RECAP archive. Next, narrow your search by state or district with the select jurisdictions filter. If you are aware that a company has been sued in California you can choose the four California districts from the Federal Districts tab. For lawsuits or criminal charges that have just been filed, sorting by Newest Cases First is helpful. However, Newest Documents First may be useful for cases that are just being decided. You can search for the case number at the top of each page if you already have one document.Click on a case to see its docket, a detailed record of all that has happened. You will likely find the complaint or indictment against the defendant near the beginning of the list. A list of exhibits or evidence, such as images or email chains, may be found near the beginning. You might also find orders where a judge issues a decision. You will see a link to the file if the documents have been uploaded. If they have not been uploaded, RECAP will direct you to PACER. If you have an account, this is also a great moment to download RECAP and begin uploading.Keep in mind that court documents are only for individuals, companies and agencies. They do not necessarily tell the whole story. For example, the FBI didn't find hidden gold. It is often difficult to interpret them without knowing the details of specific cases. However, there are resources available that can help such as Orin Kerrs guide for reading a judge's opinion. They are a great tool to dig into the most important stories The Verge covers, and can sometimes be a lot of fun.
