The National Press Foundation has joined 15 other media and transparency groups and Fix the Court in calling for Congress to craft legislation that includes a range of transparency and accountability measures for the federal courts.

Among other reforms, NPF supports an end to the requirement that media organizations pay for access to the federal court’s PACER records system, which includes not only judicial opinions but all filings in every federal court case.

NPF and the other signatories also call for federal legislation that would:

• Require live audio for arguments in United States Courts of Appeal and live audio for Supreme Court arguments;

• Create an ethics code for Supreme Court Justice;
• Require that judges create a written record of the reasons for their recusal decisions;
• Require judicial financial disclosures be proactively posted online; and
• Require judges and justices file periodic transaction reports for securities transactions.

The full text of the letter can be found here.