Sens. Kennedy and Wyden Push the Open Courts Act to Make Federal Legal Records Free
The Open Courts Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on the Judiciary for review. The bill is actively moving forward as it awaits further study by committee members.
This bill has strong support from both parties, but building a massive new computer system for all federal courts is expensive and difficult to organize.
People with federal criminal records will have their case documents more easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection, since the system removes per-page fees and makes records freely searchable. While this improves transparency and helps people track their own cases, it also means employers, landlords, and others can more easily find criminal case details, potentially affecting people's ability to move on after serving their time.
“The system shall make covered records automatically accessible, in accordance with the E-Government Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), to the public upon filing, or in the case of previously sealed records, after unsealing.”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Senators John Kennedy and Ron Wyden reintroduced the Open Courts Act of 2026 to modernize federal court records and eliminate the PACER paywall. The bill would centralize access and is funded by fees on high-volume users, though the judiciary has previously raised concerns about its budget impact.
The Open Courts Act of 2026 aims to provide free access to PACER and CM/ECF systems. It would centralize the disparate systems managed by different courts into one secure, easy-to-access platform, funded by high-volume user fees and federal agency contributions.
The Open Courts Act (S.B. 4667) would direct the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to modernize PACER and CM/ECF. The bill mandates new cybersecurity protections and makes access free for the public by centralizing systems currently managed by individual courts.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Open Courts Act of 2026
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