“Attorney Jeffrey Pyle, who argued on behalf of the Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel and the Sun Journal, said the delay for processing could prevent the public and the media from accessing a new filing until the next day or even over the weekend. He said 26 new complaints have been filed in the Bangor court since this rule took effect, and nearly a quarter were not available until the next business day.
Partner Jeff Pyle was quoted in the Portland Press Herald on June 9 in an article discussing whether the public should have immediate access to new civil cases filed in Maine’s electronic court records system.
Court officials argued that up to four business hours of processing time is necessary and allowed under the law. The Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel, the Sun Journal and the Bangor Daily News said even that waiting period is unconstitutional and not needed in other states.
“That impairs the First Amendment right to know what the courts are doing, to report on the news, to report on the news in a timely fashion when the news is fresh and it is most likely to command public attention,” Pyle said.
Read the article here.