The Maine judiciary Thursday announced that the public would be able to access some court documents online once the $15 million electronic case filing system is implemented over the next few years, but that it would not be free. Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley said that the system would be similar to the federal judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records or PACER. Subscribers to that system pay both an annual fee and a fee for each page viewed online. The court has not yet determined what the cost for that system will be, who will be able to subscribe or what kinds of cases will be available on the internet.
Bangor Daily News
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos moved to reinstate a for-profit college accreditor despite her own staff's concerns that the organization did not meet federal education standards. A report obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Politico shows that senior officials at the Department of Education had serious concerns about the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which was terminated under the Obama administration in 2016. The March 2018 report by agency personnel concluded that ACICS should not be reinstated, Politico reported. But DeVos moved to allow the organization to resume operations anyway in April, after a judge ruled the Obama administration illegally ignored relevant evidence to the case.
Politico
First Amendment advocates erupted in outrage and concern in response to the news that the Department of Justice had seized years’ worth of email and phone records from a New York Times reporter as part of an investigation into government leaks — and wondered how many other journalists may be under similar surveillance. As the result of a leaks investigation, James Wolfe, a former Senate Intelligence Committee aide, was arrested and charged on Thursday with lying to investigators about his contacts with reporters. The indictment refers to four reporters, including Watkins.
Politico
Why did Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the census, approve adding a hotly contested citizenship question to 2020 census forms? On Friday, the Commerce Department released 1,320 pages of internal memos, emails and other documents related to Ross's decision as part of the lawsuits against the citizenship question. They provide some new insight into the behind-the-scenes discussions leading up to the commerce secretary's controversial announcement in March — one that could have ripple effects on the 2020 census results that will be used to reallocate congressional seats, draw legislative districts and distribute an estimated $800 billion a year in federal funds.
NPR
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