Alone among the states, Virginia has put in place a two-tier system of access to public court records. The upper tier is for officials and lawyers. The lower tier is for press and public.
The upper tier allows remote access. The lower does not. If you are in the lower tier, you must go to each courthouse and look at local records only.
Whether that policy violates the First Amendment is now at issue in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Courthouse News reply brief, which is the final brief, was filed Thursday.
