Pursuant to the E-Government Act of 2002, the District Court provides public access to written opinions issued by judges of the court. The Judicial Conference of the United States defines “written opinion” as any document issued by a judge of the court, sitting in that capacity, that sets forth a reasoned explanation for a decision in a matter before the court. You can access the District Court’s opinions two ways: through the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), or through PACER (PACER account required).

U.S. Government Publishing Office

Written opinions for the United States District Court for the Souther District of Illinois can be found at GovInfo (link is external).  Once you click on the link, utilize the search and filter options to narrow results.

PACER

If you have a PACER account, you can use this account to search written opinions:

• Log into CM/ECF with your pacer login name
• Click on Reports
• Click on Written Opinions
• Enter your search criteria and run the report

You will not be charged for viewing documents that are flagged as written opinions. PACER users are able to search for written opinions through the use of a new report called Written Opinions Report

PACER users can also access opinions via existing reports and queries, such as the docket report. You will not be billed for accessing the written opinion document itself, but you will be billed for the report or query used to identify the document.