What does Preamble of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This bill, formally titled 'To provide for the modernization of electronic case management systems, and for other purposes,' aims to modernize electronic case management systems.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This bill is formally titled the Open Courts Act of 2026.

What does MODERNIZATION OF ELECTRONIC FEDERAL COURT RECORDS SYSTEMS. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section directs the development of a centralized electronic federal court records system. The system must provide search, bulk access, and application programming interface functions for content and metadata. Covered records include dockets, documents, orders, opinions, and audio recordings. The system aims to make covered records automatically accessible to the public, consistent with the E-Government Act of 2002. The system must comply with the Judiciary Information Security Framework and enable permanent, predictable URLs for documents. Data standards for the system will be established, incorporating widely accepted common data elements and a full text searchable format. The Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts is responsible for developing, delivering, operating, and sustaining the system. The system should utilize user-centered design principles and modern software development practices.

What does FUNDS FOR DEVELOPMENT, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF MODERNIZED of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section amends Section 303 of the Judiciary Appropriations Act, 1992, to establish fees for high-volume users accessing court records. It requires the Judicial Conference to prescribe a schedule of additional fees for users exceeding $25,000 in access fees or using bulk-access functions, within 210 days of the Open Courts Act of 2026's enactment. The collected fees are deposited into the Judiciary Information Technology Fund. The section defines 'annual covered costs' as the cost of operating the modernized court records system and covered public access program costs. Federal agencies will be assessed annual fees equal to their prior Public Access to Court Electronic Records access fees, adjusted for inflation, to offset these costs. If revenue is insufficient, the Judicial Conference may prescribe filing fees, considering factors like cause of action, filer status, and financial hardship. Fee waivers are available for filers with adjusted gross incomes below a specified threshold, adjusted for inflation. Excess funds in the Judiciary Information Technology Fund exceeding $50,000,000 will be transferred to the Treasury, and the fee schedule will be reviewed. No fees may be charged to access the functionality of the modernized court records system, except for fees collected from agencies.

What does DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY AND MOBILE-FRIENDLY DESIGN STANDARDS. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section establishes digital accessibility and mobile-friendly design standards for the system described under this Act. The system must comply with relevant digital accessibility standards established pursuant to section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If the system were operated by an agency in the executive branch, it must also comply with section 3559 of title 44, United States Code.

What does GOVERMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section mandates periodic notifications to Congress regarding the Director of the Administrative Office of United States Courts' progress on a system described in section 2 of this Act. The Comptroller General must notify Congress within one year of the Act's enactment, and quarterly thereafter, about the system's functionality and access to sprint reviews. The Comptroller General is required to conduct audits of the system every two years, starting two years after enactment. These audits will assess vendor compliance, code quality, and user needs. The Comptroller General must brief Congress on audit results and provide recommendations for system improvement. This section is set to expire ten years after the date specified in section 2(f).

What does CYBERSECURITY REQUIREMENTS. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section establishes cybersecurity requirements for the system described in section 2 of the Act. The Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts is responsible for ensuring the cybersecurity of this system. The Director must consult with cybersecurity expert agencies in the executive branch and adhere to relevant cybersecurity laws, policies, and standards. The Director may waive executive branch cybersecurity requirements if implementation is infeasible or would grant the executive branch access to confidential judicial branch information. When a waiver is granted, the Director must implement alternative actions to mitigate cybersecurity risks. The Director must annually notify congressional committees of any exceptions and alternative actions implemented. The Director must certify that the intent of the waived requirement has been achieved through alternate means. This section clarifies that the judicial branch is not required to provide the executive branch with privileged access to judicial branch information systems.

What does UPDATES TO THE E-GOVERNMENT ACT OF 2002. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section amends Section 205(b) of the E-Government Act of 2002. It establishes rules for the online availability of electronic files and docket information for closed cases. Closed case files must remain available online for 15 years after the case's closure or until transfer to the National Archives, whichever is later. Written opinions issued after the enactment of this section will remain available online unless redacted by court order.

What does PROVISION OF SERVICES BY THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

The Administrator of General Services may provide services to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Services provided may include administrative and technical support, or information technology products and platforms. These services are provided upon request from the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Services are provided on a reimbursable basis.

What does ELECTRONIC BANKRUPTCY NOTICES. of Open Courts Act of 2026 do?

This section amends Section 342 of Title 11, United States Code. The amendments involve inserting the term 'electronic' into several subsections and paragraphs. Specifically, 'electronic' is inserted before 'address' in subsection (e)(1), after 'provided to such' in subsection (e)(2), after 'of' in subsection (f)(1), and after 'provided to such' in subsection (f)(2).

Back to bills

Open Courts Act of 2026

Last updated: 6/2/2026 · Introduced: 6/2/2026

Author: John Kennedy (R-LA)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill mandates the creation of a centralized, publicly accessible electronic federal court records system with modern search and data standards.
To fund the modernized court records system, the bill establishes fees for high-volume users and requires federal agencies to contribute based on prior access fees.
The system must adhere to digital accessibility standards, including those outlined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and be designed with mobile-friendliness in mind.
The Government Accountability Office will conduct periodic reviews and audits of the system's functionality, vendor compliance, and user needs, reporting findings to Congress.
The bill amends the E-Government Act of 2002 to ensure electronic case files and written opinions remain publicly available online for at least 15 years after case closure.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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