When the Supreme Court opens its term next month, it will finally begin making transcripts of its oral arguments available -- free, online and on the day of the arguments. That this represents a breakthrough shows how dramatically behind the times the justices are. But it is a breakthrough, nonetheless, that will dramatically improve the public's access to court proceedings.
Until now, the justices not only prohibited cameras and typically waited months to release audiotapes of arguments, they also waited weeks to release free transcripts. The public had to depend on the media to know in a timely fashion what happened. This was unfortunate, both because oral arguments are among the most majestic events in American democracy and because even excellent news stories often can't capture the full texture of arguments over complicated and nuanced points of law....
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
