For Immediate Release

(ANNAPOLIS, MD—March 1, 2001) As part of the Judiciary’s continuing efforts to facilitate public access to court records, Chief Judge Robert M. Bell appointed an expanded task force to provide the courts with divergent perspectives on this hotly-debated issue as recommended by the ad hoc committee he appointed originally.

"I commend the members of the ad hoc committee for their diligence in thoroughly reviewing the attendant issues," Chief Judge Bell said. "I have accepted their recommendation to appoint a special committee to further study the electronic access contemplated by the recommended policy and order. Further, I will not act upon the policy or the order until I have gotten input from this expanded task force."

The new committee, chaired by Judge Paul Alpert, includes broad representation from organizations and interests as diverse as the ACLU, financial services, housing, business, private investigators/security, privacy, the media, the Public Justice Center, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the General Assembly, and the Maryland State Bar Association. 

The ad hoc committee’s recommendations are now public, and can be viewed on our web site at www.courts.state.md.us. Also, on the Judiciary’s site, the public can view the membership list of the expanded committee. The Judiciary anticipates providing other information about this committee’s work and progress, such as meeting dates and locations, on a periodic basis.