Policy

Feds Profit Off Charging for Access to Public Records

Government takes in millions more from PACER than it costs to operate the system

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The federal government has collected millions from the online Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, or PACER – nearly five times what it cost to run the system.

Between fiscal years 2006 and 2010, the government collected an average of $77 million a year from PACER fees, according to the most recent federal figures available.