Author  : jimfitch@community.net at ~Internet 
Date    : 3/12/97 08:18 AM 
Priority: Normal 
BCC     : CITATION at AO-OCPPO 
TO      : citation@ao.uscourts.gov at Internet 
Subject : Public Domain Citation System 
 
     I am a deputy public defender in Solano County, California. I am 
absolutely in favor of a public domain citation system. Our library 
has no federal books at all. Attorneys in our Vallejo office must 
drive 25 minutes to the county law library in Fairfield to do any 
federal research. No matter how much groveling we do for the Board of 
Supervisors, we have been unable to get WestLaw, LawDesk, 
Lexis/Nexis, or any similar computer aided research. We do not have 
enough computers even for the most basic word processing needs. The 
bulk of our attorneys have their own personal computers, and most of 
them have internet access. Free access to federal materials over the 
internet would be of tremendous value to our office. I would like to 
see such a system ultimately extended to state materials as well. I 
cannot overstate my enthusiasm for such a thing. 
 
                                   James Fitch 
                                   Chief Deputy Public Defender 
                                   Solano County, CA 
                                   707-421-6710