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Federal Court Online Availability of Transcripts and Hearings
The July 2008 Pacer quarterly newsletter reviews the current status of audio file and transcript availability using CM/ECF (PACER):

Transcripts of federal district and bankruptcy court proceedings that have been ordered by a party and produced by the court reporter or transcriber, and have been delivered to the Clerk's office, will be available for public inspection for 90 days. During this time, a copy of the transcript may be purchased from the court reporter or transcriber. A docket entry in CM/ECF will provide the contact information for the court reporter or transcriber. After the initial 90-day period, PACER account holders will be able to view, print, and download transcripts at the rate of $.08 per page. The 30-page cap for documents does not apply to transcripts. Transcripts were first made available on docket sheets during the Spring of 2008.

Five federal courts are currently making digital audio recordings of courtroom proceedings publicly available online through CM/ECF (PACER) as participants in a one year long pilot: the U.S. District Courts in Nebraska and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, along with the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Maine, Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Northern District of Alabama. PACER account holders can listen to digital recordings of hearings by selecting a docket entry from the Docket Report that contains an audio icon. The duration of the pilot project will be 12 months during which the fee for accessing the recordings is $.08 in addition to $.08 per page of the Docket Report (up to 30 pages).

July 2008 Pacer Quarterly Newsletter

Full post as published by Legal Dockets Online on July 15, 2008 (boomark / email).