UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
IN RE: APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION Administrative Order
FROM THE ELECTRONIC PUBLIC No. 22-MS-005
ACCESS FEES BY MADISON SHANKS
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This matter is before the Court upon the application and request by Madison
Shanks for exemption from the fees imposed by the Electronic Public Access fee
schedule adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States Courts.
The Court finds that Madison Shanks, a PhD candidate at the University of South
Carolina studying political science, falls within the class of users listed in the fee schedule
as being eligible for a fee exemption. Additionally, Shanks has demonstrated that an
exemption is necessary in order to avoid unreasonable burdens and to promote public
access to information in order to complete her dissertation research on the roles attorneys
play in district judges’ decision-making throughout a criminal trial.
Accordingly, Shanks shall be exempt from the payment of fees for access via
PACER to the electronic case files maintained in this Court, to the extent such use is
incurred in the course of researching an estimated 1200-1500 sample criminal cases
nationwide from 2012-2014. From these 1200-1500 sample cases, Shanks will obtain
attorneys’ names in order to collect demographic, experience, and quality indicators from
public data sources and public records to round out the data needed to complete her
research.
Shanks shall not be exempt from the payment of fees incurred in connection with
other uses of the PACER system in this Court. Additionally, the following limitations apply:
1. This fee exemption applies only to Shanks (PACER Account # 6995837),
and is valid only for the purposes stated above;
2. This fee exemption applies only to the electronic case files of this Court that
are available through the PACER system;
3. By accepting this exemption, Shanks agrees not to sell for profit any data
obtained as a result of receiving this exemption;
4. Shanks is prohibited from transferring any data obtained as a result of
receiving this exemption, including redistribution via internet-based
databases;
5. This exemption is valid until December 21, 2022.
This Order may be revoked at the discretion of the Court at any time. A copy of
this Order shall be sent to the PACER Service Center.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
FOR THE COURT:
Dated: January 19, 2022
ROBERT J. JONKER
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
