Author: ibmstuff@oknet.com (David wollman) at -Internet
    Date:   3/13/ 0 10:01 AM
Priority: Normal
     BCC: citation at AO-OCPPO

      TO: <citation@ao.uscourts.gov> at -Internet

      CC: "Don Nickles" <senator@nickles.senate.gov> at -Internet

      CC: "James M. Inhofe" <inhofe96@icnet.net> at -Internet

 Subject: West Publishing = Judicial Vatican?
 

Judicial Conference:

     Regarding the relationship between West Publishing and the 
federal courts, and the selling of court decisions: 

     This is absolutely wrong. The People own the judiciary and all 
the intellectual property they create, yet the judiciary take bribes 
in the form of free vacations, golf tournament tickets, and only God 
knows what else, to maintain this awful status quo. Often, we depend 
on access to this information for our very lives, yet we are forced 
to pay for it, yet again. This is unacceptable.

     I am going to encourage my senators and representatives to look 
into this matter.

Quote from related article on C/NET Online:
(http://www.news.com/Perspectives/perspectives.html)

     "One judge who was sitting on an appeals panel considering a 
West copyright appeal accepted a $15,000 cash prize from the company 
[West Publishing] before the panel released its opinion, the Star 
Tribune reported. Seven Supreme Court justices have accepted trips 
from the company's officers. The Supreme Court has repeatedly 
refused to hear challenges to West's copyright claims.

     "But if these judges' actions were questionable, the inaction of 
the U.S. judiciary at large is shameful. Living in their vacuum-
sealed, cushioned worlds, judges seem utterly oblivious to the fact 
that ordinary people deserve access to the law.

                                   David P.C. Wollmann
                                   (918) 438-9085
                                   (918) 234-3129 fax
                                   ibmstuff@oknet.com

cc: Senator James M. Inhofe, Senator Don Nickles