Open Courts Act of 2026

This bill would require the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to build a new central online system for federal court records, generally within 5 years (or 6 with a certified extension). The system would make dockets, filings, orders, opinions, and audio recordings available to the public for free upon filing, with search, bulk access, and automatic notification features. Development would be funded in the short term by added fees on high-volume users, and in the long term by annual fees charged to federal agencies, with possible graduated filing fees if that revenue falls short; filers earning under $250,000 would be exempt from those new filing fees. The bill also sets cybersecurity and accessibility requirements, requires regular reviews and audits by the Government Accountability Office, and keeps closed-case files online for at least 15 years.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• John Kennedy Republican sponsor
• 1 cosponsors