Florida justices mull blocking online access to court records

By The Associated Press

06.06.02

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court grappled yesterday with the issue of Internet access to court records, but did not reach a decision.

The Judicial Management Council has recommended that the justices impose a moratorium on electronic access to trial court records until statewide polices to protect confidential information are developed.

"Isn't a moratorium on any Internet access to court records a rather drastic step to take?" Justice Harry Lee Anstead asked 5th District Court of Appeal Judge Jackie Griffin, who presented the report.

No, Griffin answered, adding that there's no practical way to screen out confidential material and that people would still be able to see public records by going to courthouses.

"The underlying question is simply because we can put all this stuff on the Internet should we put it on the Internet — must we put it on the Internet?" Griffin said.

Jonathan Kaney Jr. of Daytona Beach, an attorney for the First Amendment Foundation, told the justices that a moratorium was "troublesome ... very troublesome."

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