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'''Public access doctrine''' establishes a right of the public to access documents and proceedings of criminal and civil court cases. The doctrine has its origin in the [[common law]] but is strengthened by the [[First Amendment]].
There are several justifications for public access doctrine:
*enhance public confidence in the judiciary.
*allow the public learn about matters affecting them, such as crime.
*courts are part of government and decisions made by the public about government are better when they are informed.
Several decisions have urged courts to require discovery to take place without confidential agreements. ''See, e.g.'', ''Wilk v. American Med. Ass'n'', 635 F.2d 1295, 1299 (7th Cir. 1980) (holding that pretrial discovery should take place in public view, without confidentiality, unless there are strong reasons to limit access by the public to the information); ''Westchester Radiological Ass'n v. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Greater N.Y., Inc.'', 138 F.R.D. 33, 36 (S.D.N.Y. 1991) (holding that discovery "should be publicly available whenever possible," unless a good cause is shown for confidentiality); ''Omega Homes, Inc. v. Citicorp Acceptance Co.'', 656 F. Supp. 393, 403 (W.D. Va. 1987) (stating that discovery "should be available to the public" unless it falls within one of the limitations of Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 26(c)).
== See also ==
*COMMENT: Taming Technology in the Context of The Public Access Doctrine: New Jersey's Amended Rule 1:38, 41 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1071 (2011)
*SECRECY BY CONSENT: THE USE AND LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE PURSUIT OF SETTLEMENT, 74 Notre Dame L. Rev. 283 (1999).
[[category:First Amendment]]