Government’s PACER Fees Are Too High, Federal Circuit Says
The entire Federal Judiciary runs on a budget of about $8-$8.5 billion/year.[1] Think about that for a moment. One of the three co-equal branches of the US Government, and guardian of the US Constitution, operates on a budget of less than 1% of the Department of Defense's budget ($1.15 trillion), 10% of the Department of Homeland Security's ($91.6 billion), and 20% of the Department of Justice's ($42.3 billion).[2]One of the reasons for PACER fees (and other court costs) is the Judiciary's attempt to have some financial autonomy from Congress, even though it clearly depends on Congress for almost all of its annual budget.As others have stated, you can get case law for free elsewhere. You do need to access PACER for docket material, however. But there's even a fee exemption for "indigents, pro bono attorneys, academic researchers, and non-profit organizations."[3][1] https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/governance-jud...
[2] https://www.usaspending.gov/#/explorer/agency
[3] https://pacer.uscourts.gov/pricing-how-pacer-fees-work