The Open Courts Act of 2026 directs the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to create a unified electronic system that will consolidate federal court documents, dockets, orders, opinions, and audio recordings from all federal courts (except the Supreme Court) into a single publicly accessible platform within five to six years. The new system must include search capabilities, bulk access features, and programming interfaces (APIs) to allow the public and researchers to easily find and analyze court information, while meeting modern security and accessibility standards. The legislation affects federal courts nationwide and their users, including the general public, legal professionals, and researchers seeking access to judicial records. The Act includes protections to ensure that existing safeguards for indigent filers, prisoner filing procedures, sealed documents, and confidential information remain unchanged. This bill aims to modernize how the public accesses federal court information while maintaining necessary privacy and legal protections.
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